Griggs courier., 1891-03-13
THE ART OF eElMu 4 DUDE.
Some Hlnts ~ to How One May Attain
the Ambition Easily.

Some Hlnts % to How One May Attain
tho Ambition Easily.
A dude must be born such. At all
events. observation would seem to point
to that conclusion. TO constitute
dude number of qualities must COM
bine which are matters Of equipment
rather than of acquisition. The true
specimen appears never really to be
initiated successfully even as to the de-
tails Of dress, which ought to be easy
enough to copy.
A dude, in the first place, must be
gentleman, though obviously it does not
follow that q gentleman ought neces-
sarily to be dude. The dude can get
along perfectly well without brains;
nor need he be handsome man. He
must possess, however, taste in dress,
combined with pachydermatous in
difference to being laughed at. The
true specimen accepts as so many COM
pliments the jeers of the gutter-snipes,
smiling inwardly with complacence at
shouts of, "Is it alive OF only stuffed?"
and sStick pin in it and see it ex-
plode!" Even a secondhand potato
whistling past his head is compliment
ary tribute not calculated in the least
to disturb his equanimity. Imperturb-
able sang froid is to him IN indispens-
able characteristic.
In addition to this he must have
proper accent in his speech. There is
only one accent for dude, and it is &C.
quired in perfection only by study and
practice. Nobody but a dude can ever
possess that accent really and truly; it
goes with his clothes, and he would
soon lose it If he were compelled to go
about for awhile in shabby attire. The
accent in question is partially mixture
with improvements upon both.
There are plenty CT young men very
desirous of being dudes who despair of
attaining the ambition. They do not
know how to go about it, and it is for
their benefit that this article is written.
As has been implied, it is not possible
in the nature of things for every one to
be dude, but in many cases much
might be accomplished by the following
of certain definite prescriptions.
In the first place, as to the accent.
There is nothing more easy to acquire
in a moderate degree, and perfection in
it is attained by persistence. 1t is very
catching, SO that if you will spend a
few hours in conversation with one or
more dudes you will find yourself i'm
itating it without intention. There
ought to be no difficulty about that
point. Next comes the question of gar
ments, which is all-important.
The natural gift of taste ought not to
be absolutely necessary. Let the as
pirant cultivate habit of observing
attentively what the most successful
dudes of his acquaintance wear and
how it is worn. For example, take the
case of SO small and apparently trifling
a thing as the scarf-pin. In reality this
little adornment ought to be o study.
What would be your chance of being
considered dude in correct form If YOU
were seen to have inserted your pin in
the wrong corner of your tie-in the left
hand instead of the right-hand upper
corner, which is the only proper place
for scarf-pin, according to dudesque
convention.
Definite information as to what you
ought to wear, even down to the small.
est particulars, you can obtain by the
simple practice of observing the dudes
who are most admirable. You find out
in this way that the most correct kind
of scarf pin is a single pearl as big as
a French pea-real if you can afford it,
otherwise Roman, of the sort that can
be bought for So Next, you take no
tice that the necktie itself most ap-
proved is white, of silk or satin, and
very wide and full, whether tied in
sailors knot or puff" You must tie
it yourself, of course. Nothing could
be more horrible thin one of those
readv-made scarfs, which are such pal-
pable shams.
The rest is easy enough. Any good
tailor will supply you with clothes cor.
rectly cut according to the latest fash
ions, and you can select materials like
those worn by the dudes of your ac-
quaintance. If it is cutaway suit that
you are ordering choose the finest black
diagonal for the coat and waistcoat; for
the trousers nothing can be better than
shepherds plaid of a very small check.
Your shoes should be of patent leather,
with brown CATERS; likewise your derby
hat should be brown, though you must
always wear silk hat in the afternoon.
AS for your collar, it ought to be
standing one. turned over at the points,
and you should select for your patron.
age the best laundry you can find, never
permitting polish to be put on your
linen. Have your hair cut very short
behind, with a bang left in front, and
permit no beard to grow save a mus.
tache, which should be twisted and
turned up at the points. Your cuffs
must be square-cornered and fastened
with link sleeve buttons. Two over
coats you will need-one a fall overcoat
and the other newmarket cape coat
for cold days.
The above is pretty comprehensive
recipe for being dude, though perfec-
ton in the art is only to be obtained by
long practice, the most difficult thing to
arrive at being the manner. Mere dress
is simply the outward and visible sign
of the inward and spiritual grace,
There is only one true type OF dude.
Find perfect specimen and initiate
him narSisfant1v ,,u<i1 vo,, howe xno1.