The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-26

The gentleman from Mcintosh" Rep
resentative Mansfield. frequently com
bines pleasure with business when he
leaves Darien to visit some larger city.
He goes to the theater. for the purpose OF
enjoying the evening by witnessing the
play. Not long ago he visited a theater
in the state, and throughout the whole
performance was forced to gaze into a
very wilderness of back hair, ribbon,
feathers. lace and the other things that
go to make up that abominable headgear
known by the generic name of the thea
ter high hat Occasionally. through the in
terstices of the headgear the gentleman
from Mcintosh was enabled to get
heeting glimpses of the stage just
enough to impress upon him how much
he had not seen. In the strength of his
disappointment, and in the knowledge
that thousands and thousands of his fell
loT-creatures-men and women-suffer
similar annoyances every year. the gem
tleman from Mcintosh" vowed he would
introduce into the legislature a bill to
make the wearing of such hats at the
theater a crime. He will probably reduce
the grade of the offcnse to a misdemeanor,
but there is no reason to doubt that he
viii introduce the bill.
And. really, why should not such a
bill be introduced? 1t may at first glance
appear to be ungallant to make war upon
feminine wearing apparel. But when good
natured Joking. and broad humor. and
keen wit, and mild criticism fail to mako
women understand that they are tramp
ling upon the rights and privileges of
others, what else may be appealed to but
legislation? If the men were 10 take to
wearing their tall silk hats in the thea
tiers, the women would rebel before the
end Of the first act, and before week
petition miles and miles long would be
signed and forwarded to the legislature
or congress, or some other authority. In
a number of states, where forbearance
has ceased to be a virtue, legislation has
been and is being appealed to. California
has passed a high hat law
The anti-high hat agitation seems al
ready to have been productive of results
The women who affect tremendous head
gear. at the expense of good taste ana
THO 5opa pAitliAoAl VI liiH pGORlt WHO SIT
behind them, have come to realize that
the sufferers are in earnest in their de-
mand that the nuisance shall be abated
Neat, pretty little bonnets, which an
swer every purpose in the world and are
much more becoming to the average wo-
man. are making their appearance in
promising and gratifying numbers. The
Of no,
and admiration of those behind them
which the wesrers of the other kind of
hcadgear certainly lack.
The women of this city have shown
themselves reasonably considerate of
others while in the theater. There are
probably as few big hats to be seen in
the theater here as in any city in the
country. SIN. the women might do even
better than they do. It is to be hoped they
viii leave off high hats at public amuse-
ments, thereby setting an example for
| other southern cities, and escaping the
wrath of "the gentleman from Mcintosh"
A striking effect of the last severe cold
snap and snowfall in the south was the
/ greatly increased death tate among the
colored population of the city of New
/ Orleans. During the week of the snow
/ the negro mortality rate in that city
sprang up to SOS per 1000, representing
a total Of seventy-eieht deaths for the
week. That percentage makes the rec
ord for the city. The rate has been ex-
cessive for some time, but never We're
| the figures of "snow-week" reached.
When it is noted to what extent cold
disagrees with the black it is useless to
remark that he does not like a cold eli
mate 1t is pretty safe to say that
large percentage of the blacks of the
south particularly those south of the
Carolinas, have not yet 'thawed OUT
from the two extremely cold waves of this
| winter.