Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-08

Merciful powers! have fads gone thus far?
Nevertheless, it is actually fact that some re-
cent importations from abroad have endeavored
to start this fad and that some of our domestic
limitations have adopted it OF course the
practice cannot be defended. 1t can only be
alluded to in terms Of sweeping denunciation
and the only fit remonstrance for those who are
guilty OF it is the use Of unprIntable expletives
Such piece Of bad manners may become fad
with few people, but it ne yer can become the
fashion, for after all fashions may be silly but
they seldom consist in discourteous customs
The young man in the company of the one
VINO failed to raise his hat to the lady was not
without fad himself for he had his trousers
rolied up at the bottom although it was
bright, sunshiny day. What a beautiful Gus
!om m TINS Is, to be sure. What pity it is that
| 1t 10 going out of date. To see q young man,
come minciug down the street with his trou-
sers rolled up and wearing one Of those fright
fully abbreviated overcoats that showed the
tails OF his cutaway Or frock coat underneath
was sight to gladden. the hearts of gods and
| men-of gods, because it showed them how far
| above human weaknesses they were Cfor who
ever heard of a god with his trousers turned
up?), and 0f men, because it made most of
them happy to think that there were other
| men weaker than they.
THE slNGLE-BARRELED EYEaLAss
Then there is that other fad. the single-bar-
relied eyegass, which is fadded periodically
every few years. Incidentally it may be re-.
marked that the verb Ito fad" is a perfectly
allowable one. and you will find it in the Gem
| fury dictionary, together with many other
| words that you in your supposed purity Of
| speech have not accepted. The greatest fad
| dlsts-here, again, you are referred to the
Century dictionary, where you will find that
faddlst is one who fads, just as paddist is one
| who pads-the greatest taddists, then, always
| love this solitary eyeglass Just a lawyer
by profession may incidentally be a poet, SO
| may the American who wears the single bar
relied eyegass be incidentally lawyer or
poet; but his profession is fads. How sweet is
| the expression on the beardless countenance
of the undergraduate when he wears this
| glassl He cannot smile. or it will DROP
| and in order to keep it in position
he is obliged to wear perpetual frown that is
really awful in its majesty. Then the fellow
and surveys you through it, at the time you
| feel a vexatious inferiOrlty to him and after
| ward you wish you had killed him for his inso-
lence. OF all the fads on earth this is the most
| aggressive, but foreigners frequently follow it
| as lnnocenty as Americans carry canes. There
was an Epghshman here not long ago and when
he started out to take walk with girl of his ac-
quaintance, being on parade, he naturally put
| his glass in his eye.
Mr.. =" she cried, impetuously, as soon
i
sbominable glass out Of your eye won't walk
| with you another step"
| 'Bless my SOUL" be said, simply, II didn't
know you objected to it 1 had forgotten it
was there"
| And he dropped it and hasn't worn it since.
| Indeed this abomination is a fashion rather
| than fad on the other side of the Atlantic,
| THE DUDE SHAKE
Then there 10 that most abominable Of fads-
the dude shake. Lord Dundreary. it will be
remembered, objected that the pockets Of his
trousers were so high up that he had to mount
q step ladder to get his hands into them, aud
similarly some of the people who have adopted
this new-fangled method of shaking hands
| elevate your hand SO high in the air that YOU
despair of ever getting it down to the plane Of
ordinary humanity again. 1t Is difficult to de-
| scribe this hand-shaks; it must be experienced
to be appreciated. You meet an inoffensive-
| looking young man, who is, perhaps, a little
| overdressed, but who does not awaken any
premonltions in your breast of his hideous
| designs. You are introduced to him and you
| offer him your hand. Immediately he SEXES
upon it, clutches it firmly, quickly elevates it
| on Q level with his forehead and enunciates to
| it . short, rapid lateral movement, his own
elbows being artistically crooked outward in
| the meantime. Then he drops it and grins at
you triumphantly. If you don't know that
the stranger is addicted to this vicious shake
you are powerless, once having got in the vii
/
bad character, you had better bow to him stifly,
| and when he makes manual advances to YOU,
| place your right hand behind you and intimate
that yours, and never shall IN friendly grasp
the hand Of such faddist clasp. Where is the
| scoundrel who first invented this horrible fad2
| There was an amiable little amusement in olden
times among the anti-Huguenots Of France of
hanging up the people who differed with them,
| OF letting them down again before they had ex-
pired, and of keeping them by scientific torture
1 mn tha cd - axa, &C. L..
that both the spectators and the offender might
| have time thoroughly to enjoy themselves II
| the man who started this dude shake could be
punished in this way his disciples might disband
DON'T CARRY AN UMBRELLA.
| There was fad started in New York last
year Of never carrying an umbrella. Those
who followed 1t might be seen in the toughest
weather, coat collars turned up, heads turned
down, patent leather shoes on, q silk hattie
man and all his finery getting soaking wet On
purpose. People seeing one Of these young
| gentlemen coming down the street declared
that here was the original man who hadn't
sense enough to go in out Of the rain. This
| fad had premature collapse, because of the
sudden death from pneumonia Of the man who
| started it
Not wearing an overcoat is another fad that
has dangers, but that is, nevertheless still pop-
ular with many dudes. 1t is not. however, so
dangerous q folly as it looks, for the waist
4 COatB VI tucso are not l01FeQuently
lined with buckskin and have flannel sleeves
attached 1t used to be fine sight to see Sem
| ator Hannibal Hamlin come down Pennsylva-
mia avenue in his dress suit on q cold day, the
| wind blowing its swallow tails about, and no
overcoat on. Strange to say he never caught
| cold, but the custom il not q safe one to lmi-
| tate.
THE FADs OF WOMEN.
How about the fads of women? Are they any
more sensible than those of men? What il the
sense, of hustle? Let u be thankful, bustles
are growing smaller. But those peaked
| sleeves-vhy have women taken to wearing
| these hideous things? These fsds Of dress are
not to be interfered with, however or criticized
by men, for IL il well known that men are not
| judges Of women's clothes and often admire Q
Swenty-dollar homemade gown % much a. one
Of Worth's $500 masterpieces.
STUNNING" Is one OF the female fads nowzn
days, but unfortunately the slums of Washin}
ton are not extensive enough to afford Q fine
| field for the development Of this fad Where
| 10 the Washington Ward Macalister who will or.
ganize successful summing parties 70 20 over
to Baltimore and inspect the tenement houses
Of that town.
| Ward Macalister, too, has got Q new fad
authorship Alas! for the decadence Of these
| modern umeG From the "Life and Letters of
Beau Brummer to Society q I Have Found
II" BY Ward Macalister, IL toboggan slide that
y terribly steep. Between the letters Of the
| former-those perfect specimens of polished
| classic dandysm-and the English g she il
| wrote OF the latter ID Q difference - vide a.
| between man and goose.