The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-06
BOYS OLoTHITG
Hints For Those Who Have Urchins
to Dress.

Hints For Those Who Have Urchins
to Dress.
Those who have plenty of money need
little advice in regard to the selection of
clothing for their boys, says a writer in
Ha,per's Bazdn. To get those which are
becoming, and fashionable is comparatively
easy, and SO long as the stock on hand may
be continually renewed without neon
venience, there is no rouble. tn woman
with a small income must, however, find the
purchase of attire for her growing, active
boy a serious responsibility. She would not.
on any account, check his activities, or else
he become weak and effeminate; but these
activities, however, profitable they may be
to his body, are extremely trying to ordinary
clothing. There are many to sympathize
with that mother who longed for the inven-
tion of a practicable leather suit for grow
ing BOYS. But. alas! none has SO far been
invented which is within the means of the
average buyer.
A boy cannot change his school clothes
every time he wishes to indulge in a game
of leap-1rog or s'pombom peel away
Therefore a suit which shall be at the
same time decorous enough for the school
room and stout enough for the play
ground is a desideratum for the American
boy of from six to sixteen.
This suit should be made, in the first
place, of strong, good cloth. Cheap,
shoddy material is like tow in the fire before
the onslaught of the 10y. For all but the
warmest weather a good cheviot is comfort
able, and will resist his ravages as well as
anything.
Having made sure of ones material, see
next to the sewing. Seams shoula be
neatly and strongly finished at the ends,
and strong linen thread used in their manu-
facture. Buttons must especially receive
plenty of thread, and those which have to
n i. cf,.oI, chNr111 bn cntxro1 on nuop n min
or match, which should be removed
when the sewing is done; the thread should
then be wound around the strands between
the button and the cloth until a struc-
ture Is built, which is perfectly firm.
Then the thread should be securely
fastened on the under side. 1t is astonish-
ing to find how many mothers, and even
professional seamstresses, do not sew but
tons on in this way, and seem never to have
heard Of it. A strong double lining OF stay
for the button should be provided or else
at the first provocation the boy will demol-
ish the very cloth itself, and nothing will be
left upon which a new button may be es-
tablished. On all ready-made suits the but
| tons should be carefully renewed before the
boy is allowed to put them on.
Cloth-covered buttons are a delusiOn. At
best the cloth covering wears shabby in a
| very few weeks, and it is often difficult to
match such buttons. Bone and gutta-
pSfcHa dIe SOOu clou5u AA any coLnAOn
suit.
Braid binding, even when it is of alpaca,
is to be avoided. 1t wears off early in
conspicuous places, and must be often re-
newed.
Most mothers find the ready made suit, if
| purchased from reliable dealers. the most
| economical. Among most of these, ever
some of the best, a prevalent failing is a
| narrowDess of the coat across the chest. The
| result of this is to make the boy stoop, and
to injure his breathing power. 1t would be
better to have the coat a trifie toos broad
| than too narrow. Indeed, Ia buying coats
| fer growing boys allowance must be made
for much filing out and stretching up dur
| ing a period of three or four months.
A common fault of ready-nade shirts,
both cotton and woollen, is a neck too high
in the back. No boy or man can carry
himself properly when his neck IS thrust
forward by an ill-itting shirt. 1t it be
| not possible to lave such garments made
| to order, be sure that any construction of
| theaneck is relieved before the shirt is
| worn.
AS a rule, material for boys clothing con-
tanning blue stripes or checks should be
avoided. Blue, except the dark navy blue,
usually fades, and makes even a good gar
ment look shabby weeks before its. race is
legitimately run. Some browns are apt TO
turn rusty. Plain black or any plain color
shows stains OF all sorts moro readily than a
mixed surface.
And. after all isssaid and done, the boys
clothes will be rusty and in tatters long be-
fore the best human Judgment could have
fOreseen the cataStrophe!