The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-03-18
FADS AND FADISM.

mania, before which customs, conven
tions, theories, and facts flee away and
hide themselves in desuetude. The
quain. blossom Individuality is empha-
sized and forced in a hot house of
sensation until it becomes the orchid
Eccentricity. To be eccentric is to
attract attention, to have ones little
day, and then to be passed. sheIved,
and forgot, while some newer one
with some newer fad receives upon
willing shoulders your flimsy mantel OF
unsubstantial popularity. What fools
these mortals be to prefer the one high
jump into insecure conspicuousness
rather than the slower climb by well
known roads to we'll founded and
merited popularity
1t is such short Lived conspicuous.
ness too; for no sooner does one
accomplish some weird eccentricity
than half hundred others rush madly
to follow suit, and. behold, your special
ty has tecome the lad of many, and
you are left not even the poor comfort
of calling bad thing truly your own.
Many of the fashionable fads have
their point OF start in the necessity or
convenience of the starter. For
example, Mrs. GlforY, who is account
ed authority in matters of establish.
mept, has weak eyes, and so for her
drives she has her brougham arranged
with very tiny side windows ; she has
not driven twice up the Avenue before
nall the rlatrons and maids in Vanity
Fair are besieging the carriage makers
to build them broughams with small
windows, or, better, with no window at
all. Again, Jack Coupon. whose valet
has just vanished his shoes, turns up
his trousers to protect them from the
fresh varnish. and thus walks down
town; the next morning not self
respecting member of the morning
parade but PAGES the Avenue with
trousers turned up.
A tale is told of the way in which
the fashion for men to 60 ungloved to
evening receptions came into vogue.
A certain person abroad, the very
wrinkle of whose trousers we struggle
to copy, become heated one evening,
possibly by over indulgence in Ameri-
can punch, and tore off his gloves and
threw them on the floor, of course
after that no American who felt that he
was an American (and wished himself
an Englishman) could appear with
gloves. One day chap, probably an
untidy Englishman, having on a pink
percale shirt, and not finding collar
to match it, clapped on white collar.
and appeared at the club; straightway
every chappy IN town felt that no true
happiness could be enjoyed outside a
pink shirt with a white collar, and it
even went so far that the haberdasher
actually made for the market pink and
blue and brown shirts with white collars
attached.
Among the fads Of to- day the giving
OF dinners with distinctive features is
prominent. One woman gives dinner
at which everything possible is pink.
Another woman must out do this or
die in the attempt, which latter she
very nearly does when she gives a
green dinner, and almost poisons her
guests with confechons stained this
unhealthful color. Then comes a
white and gold dinner, national
dinner in red, white, and blue, and so
on, and so on. One woman picked up
in Europe marvellous toy imitation in
rare china OF park wall with urns and
gateways, and with this her dinner
table is laid out park fashion. the urns
filed with tiny ferns, the gateways
fanked with candles, while dainty vines
Chamber cover the garden wall" Why
not add a toy coach or two, madame,
and few tiny soldiers, and then call
in the youngsters7 ? and what rare sport
they would have! All, well, we are all
but children, and best pleased with
toys, after all.
A most violent fad is that of collect
| ing-colecting no matter what, so
long as a collection is made. Fans,
china, gloves, shoes, watches, gems,
so on ad nauseam. | heard man
say the other day to a young woman, |
wish l knew something to collect.
"China,' suggested madame. And
the dear fellow went Immediately to
work buying china cups and plates and
pitchers. One girl know announced
some time ago that she was collecting
plates for a harlequin dessert set, and
that contributions would be gratefully
received. Her friends found it an
easy way to pay her compliment and
at the present time her collection
numbers IIo. The young woman
would fain have stopped long ago, bu'
the word had gone forth. and her las
condition is worse than her first, anG
her fate will probably be to lie buriec
meath these bits of china, as did the
Indian maid who had betrayed he
fathers city beneath the gold anc
Jewels the invaders heaped upor
her.
Another girl is collecting vinaigrettes
She has seventy nine at last counting
and is still at it. These are few O
the least hurtful fads. There are other:
many of them not so harmless and
think what might be accomplished l
half the time and energy expended Oh
this one fad of collecting were de
voted to some even fairly useful pur
pose ! A fad is pretty sure to be no