Evening star., 1894-01-13

manding the army gets a notion that the
service will be improved by a change in
an of1cer's uniform or equipment. the off,
GERS of the army must pay for it. If Gen.
Schoheld ordered a change in the regula-
ton coat of the army officer tomorrow
or in the regulation shoulder strap,
the officers would have to throw
aside the old coat or the old
shoulder strap and equip themselves anew.
The same rule holds in the navy. So it
is a pretty serious matter when the head
Of the army or the head of the navy gets
notion in his head. In this case the whim
OF Gen. Schofield will cost none of the off,
GERS more than s.. and the generals or
ders state that the armorer will do the
work in job lots at bargain prices-ss.5O
each. But it is pretty hard for an army
officer to understand why he should pay
even $3.50 for a change i'm his equipment,
which is made at government armory by
government employe, for something which
may do the army great deal of good, but
which does not increase his income or pro-
mote his personal comfort or efficiency.
An OUTFIT is Expensive.
An officers outfit is expensive. The army
outfit costs at the very lowest $780, Very
few officers would be satisfied with an $50
outfit 1t is made Of cheap cloth, poorly
finished. 1t is regulation" and the COM
mandlng officer would have to pass it. But
an officer would feel very mean in one of
these outfits at an official reception. From
SlSo the cost Of the outfit ranges up to
$3.50. Most of the difference is in the cost
OF the material Of the uniform
A naval officers outfit costs even more
At-,he Navy Department they say that in
round numbers good outfit Will cost
$3.50. There are 1.410 officers in the navy
on the active list If the Navy Department
took notion to alter the character of the
UNIFORM and equipment of its officers SO
radically that the present outfit would be
useless. it would cost 1854 500 to make the
change. All of this would come out of the
pockets of the officers themselves. III is
very well to make officers pay for their
own outfits, but they cannot see the Justice
OF paying for changes which depend on the
whims OF superior officer and which ben
eft no one but Uncle Sam.
Changes That Have Been Made.
1t would not be a novelty for the War
department to order complete change in
the army uniform. In the early history of
the government ii was done rather fire.
quently. Washington ordered the first
change in the continental uniform I'm I777
Up to that time the army button was
white. Under Washington's order the reeu
lation uniform was to consist of "a dark
blue or black coat reaching to the knee
ana full trimmed, the lapels fastened back
with ten open worked buttonholes in vel
low SILK on the breast of each lapel and
ten large regfmental buttons at equal dis
tances on each side. three large yellow regi-
mental buttons on each cuff and a like
number on each pocket flap" At the same
time an order was issued for the officers of
the navy to equip themselves with blue
coats. with red facings; red waistcoats
and blue breeches; the coats trimmed with
yellow" buttons. The marine officers of
that day wore green coats with white fac
ings, white breeches edged with green
white vests. silver epaulets, black CATERS
and white buttons.
Two years later Washington ordered ap
other change in t. uniform of the armv
The regulation coat thereafter was blue
the facings of white buff or red and the
buttons for the cavalry white. This lasted
until 1lS2, when orders were issued to eouip
the infantry with white buttons, the coat
to be of blue with red facings and white
lining. BY 1t96 another change had been
made. The infantry officer wore a dark
blue coat reaching to the knee fun trim
med with scarlet lapels. cuffs and standing
cape, white trimmings, white under dress
black stock and cooked hat with white
binding. In $50 the officers of the general
stan were put into top boots with gilt spurs
and other minor changes in their uniform
were made.
building stand dummies dressed in varied
uniforms, intended to represent periods in
the history of the service. They do not
pretend to cover all of the changes made
in the army uniform. To do so would re-
quire regiment of dummies.
Items of Cost.
Now adays changes in uniform and equip
ment are less frequent The last radical
change in the naval uniform was made
eleven years ago. But the officers live in
daily dread of another. Here is the outfit
with which naval officer would have to
provide himself if a complete change of
pattern was ordered:
Special full dress, $50; full dress. $50:
frock coat, Si5 to .s55: service uniform lex
ira blouse). $50; two pair blue trousers, $50:
overcoat, SO to $50: cap. $3.50; chapeau
SIS to So; epaulettes, So to $40: sword sl5
to SD; full dress belt, sl5; undress belt 81:
sword knot. s.. 30 to 81: helmet. $50: shoul-
der straps. 81: gloves Is pair) 81 to 81:
rain clothes. $40 to So
The special full dress is a feature of the
naval uniform. 1t is worn on the greatest
state occasions-in honor of the President
of the United States or some foreign naval
officer of high rank. With IL is always car
red the clumsy chapeau. The army has
no special full dress. Here is the army off,
GERS outfit:
Undress uniform. s25 to $50; forage can
with ornaments. 81 to Sl1: shoulder straps.
81; dress uniform S45 to $40; shoulder knots
IS TO xl3, headdreSS, SO to $50: sword or
saber, $40 to s2l; dress belt. SO to sl5: field
belt, $22.S overcoat, sf5 to Sl5
Officers Can't BE shabby.
In some cases the variety in cost depends
on the branch of the service; I'm general
1t depends on the quality of the material
and the cut Although full dress is not
worn by officers in either branch of the
service very often, no officer likes to ap-
pear on a state occasion in cheap or shab-
by garments. The special full dress Of the
navy is very seldom worn. The officers
get out these uniforms from cedar chests
and camphor bags when a reception is
given at the Executive Mansion and very
often one of them finds that a $50 coat
which has been worn only once or twice
is too large or too small for further service
IL ii cannot be altered new coat must be
ordered. As for the dress uniform, an Off
Ger does not wear IT dozen times perhaps
during his three years of "shore duty"
The officers who are assigned to duty at
Washington wear about the departments
the sack coat or the cutaway of everyday
life. L knew one porpoise-like lieutenant
who used to go rolling up Pennsylvania
avenue every morning in a slouchy sack
suit, with little parcel of luncheon under
his arm-for all the world like a 500 clerk
in the Treasury Department. the sole sup
1ort of larg fam toll