The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-26

4 fAno pfccSht age ht16ht weii DO Saiicu
"The Age Of Fads they are individual,
local, national International, Of all vari-
cites ana everywhere in evidence.
Our neighbor next door has been spend
ing his evenings of late in the cellar with
plane and hammer, constructing ca binet
Ito hold what? Why his sand collection.
And II you are uncertain as 20 what that
may be, just ask it's proud possessor TO
enlighten you.
Queens Of foreign lands have their royal
names IN newspaper columns as seekers
after such treasures as cast-off gloves, buck
les and the like. And renowned singers
add to their fame by becoming curiosity
hunters.
The collecting fad is almost universal
perhaps because anyone can afford to in
dulge in heaping up otherwise useless
kniek-knacksi and in this 1t is numbers
that tell The woman W ho has 700 diff
ferent buttons efectually arranged on
stout cord, vies with her second cousin in
the next town who boasts a room papered
with cancelled postage stamps.
II is not necessary that the articles col
lected have any value in themselves or any
associations that can render them of in
terest. The one thing needful is that
there be plenty of them.
As TO the method Of acquiring these col
leetions, they are almost as numerous as
the collectors, and society has no law
wherewith to protect itself against them.
In most cases the yictimiziyg extends
only to a comparatively harmless in
fringement upon the time and temper of
ones friends. But there are instances
when the zeal for collecting threatens to
over-reaeh and possibly unsettle the con-
science OF its owner. To witt the collect
ing OF spoons--a recent fad--which nee
essitates more or less pilfering from both
public and private silver stock. We our
selves have seen one of the most amiab ole
women you can imagine with her temper
sorely tried at the prospect Of having to
refund to the Daughters of Rebeksh.--
whose spoons she bad been constrained
TO borrow on occasion-a half dozen of
those articles. And when she missed by
actual count another half dozen, this time
her own and solid, the situation devel-
oped alarming proportions. We win add,
or the benefit Oh others similarly AZ
hicted, that this particular woman's
remedy was based upon the law of com
pensation. She simply turned spoon
fiend herself, and had secured those six
spoons in as many weeks from the
clutches Of their original smugglers.
But the above is an extreme case We
haven't word to say against the collect
ing fad in general On the contrary we
have seen boy learning no end OF geog-
raphy and natural history from his album
Of foreign stamps and the miscellaneous
array OF birds eggs, minerals. and beetles
hat transformed his sleeping apartment
INTO veritable "Chamber on Horrors. 4"
When it comes to local fads, there is a
vide range-ali the way from Saturday
baked beans to iynching parties. But
'erhaps we needn't dwell upon this phase
Il the matter. The national fad-artfully
disguised as "the National Game"-car-
les with 10 an enthusiasm TO make the
Ininitiated wonder. 1t is curious, too,
IN just what lines the sensational game
ads make themselves felt. For instance,
he minister who most impressed our
arlier years was one whose texts we have
ably forgotten but whose gestures We
an still see with our minds eye-made
$ they We're by fists that had not a sound
igit between them-the entire half
core crippled during their wearer's
catcher" days on the college nine. And
My last week 1t was necessary to resort
bribery to get certain youth of ten
er years into the BARRIERS chair, such
Ias his ambition for "football hair"I
We thought Little Lord Fauntleroy a
retty thorough International fad; but he
as faded into an angelic memory, while
rilby boldly carries of the palm. But
) to our being rlbyized, we can only !,
id in the immortal words OF Dr. HALE's a
ouble; "Upon this point so much has '
ready been said, and SO well said, that .
othing remains to be said. 4" n
Since all things have more or less their !
art TO play in the evolution Of society, it '
flows that the fad cannot be absolutely !
no account in the sum total And 4