San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-02-13
THE DRESS WINDOWS.
"Trimmers" Talk OF Their Works
and Its Peculiarities.

ana Its PeCultarltieS.
Chicago Journal.
No woman can be window trim
mer."
This startling statement, made by
the dapper gentleman who holds the
responsible position of window trim
mer for one of the largest retail dry
goods stores In Chicago, very natural.
ly evoked the inquiry, why not?"
"As far as her brain and her fin
gers are concerned" was the reply,
"there is no reason in the world
for considering her inferior to
her male competitor. But her
skirts! Where would a woman be
with her skirts? She has no pockets,
or if she has, they are for putting
things in, and not forgetting them
out, so she would have to carry ham.
mer and tacks in her mouth. Then
she would switch something down
with her train, and when she stopped
to pick that up the hammer and tacks
would fall, and half dozen articles
drop before the sweep of her sleeves.
Besides. if she is going to put on
hoops, where will she be? Consider -
but, perhaps, we had better lower the
MODERN INSTITUTION.
The window trimmer of generation
ago was not the man that he is today,
irrespective OF the reason that he was
then, probably. a boy in pinafores
eating bread and jam, vast differ
ence existed; and, indeed, the win
dow trimmer as q window trimmer
must have come into the world late,
for haberdashery history fails to NEIL
ton him much earlier than 1880. But
the window trimmer as q boy showed
his leanings, just as other great men
do when they are boys. Mr..
Anderson, now the trimmer for
Carson, Prize, Scott & Co., for
instance, was getting his ears
pulled twenty-five years ago in Glas-
gov because he insisted upon distur-
bling his sisters antimacassass on the
backs of the psrlor chairs, and
"Johny" Honan, in the early dsys of
Marchall Field & Co., was showing
off what he could do with stray bits
of ribbon on side counters between
the intervals of sweeping out the
floors. A window trimmer, like his
great brethren, the poets, and states,
men, and orators, appears to be born
and not made.
CLIMBING THE LADDER.
The first step on the ladder for 8
trimmer, says Mr.. Anderson, is to put
him as q boy to sweeping out the
window, and then if he is a good
sweeper he knows every hook and
corner. Next the little fellow polishes
the glass, and learns to give 1t q
glow, and there are many sweepings
and polishings before another step is
made, but finally, some day he is
sent to wash his hands very careful
ly, and then put behind the counter
to sell needles and pins. There is
not much chance here for decorative
art, but the boy is gradually learn
ing. He is next transferred to the
ribbon department, where he learns q
good deal about color and still more
OF human nature-a knowledge
profitable to window trim
mer, whose chief business Is to
tibkel the fancy and unloose the
purse strings of his fellow creatures.
From ribbons it is only step across
to gloves, and then, like q bee laden
with sweets, the youth fits on from
gloves to dress goods. developing
good taste as he goes. His know
ledge of color is ever on the increase,
and now he learns something of the
composition OF clothes the mingling
OF textures and the varied effects of
draping. The young mans continued
march includes the lace, silksnd lin
en- counters, aud after a while the
millinery department, which, while