The Meeker herald., 1896-10-03
THE PLUG HAT.
A Movement to Dethrone tn
Time-Honored "6tovepipe."
The Author Il a EaglAh Lord Who
Pooos - . Leader IN Londoo Society
The "Pius" VIII Hardly BE
Doas Away With.


two remarks when he gets up in the
morning. II the sporting instinct is
strong in him--and it IL in most Eng
Iishmen-he exclaims: Lets go aud
kill something" But, if he is animated
by desire to set the world right, he
soliloquizes thus with himself: GO
movement" Next. perhaps to killing
something, the Engiishman most loves
to compel lot of other people to be
good, or ut least better than they were
before, according to his way of think
ing. 1t makes no difference that the
people he sets ont to reform may not
be such u bad sort-that, on the whole,
they measure up fairly well to
the standard OF average worth
and responsibility. They do some
thing, or perhaps only think
something, that the reformer has de-
cided must not and shall not be done
or thought So he starts movement,
with himself rs leader. establishes q
propaganda, forms a society with a
name as long as the moral law, and
then goes up hill and down dale making
converts. The number of movements
that blossom out in England every year
into societies, with paid officials and
rortentons reports Of good work done,
is past computation. Many Of them, it
is true, are closely related to the for
ward movement OF humanity, and are
deserving of all the support they re-
ccive, but others are purely fantastic
and visionary, like the Society for Pro
testing Against the Evil of Using the
Right Hand in Preference to the Left,
as Contrary to Scripture and Common
Sense" But, however visionary such
societies are, they all get support and
make numerous disciples.
Here, for instance, is Lord Ronald
Cover. somewhat well-k1sown figure
in the social and aristocratic world of
London, coming forward with brand
new movement of abolishing the plug
hat, on the ground that it is most
uncomfortable and hideous headgear,
worthy of q scarecrow, but not of q
! i-...naa heing" These be swelling
words, and it may be true words, but
what nre they going to amount to?
Does Lord Ronald Cover seriously ex-
pect to convert the Anglo-Saxon race
from the plug" hat habit? If so, he
|
ical kind. Even the Grand Old Man
himself wouldn't succeed in such q
crusade. For. mark you. the plug
hat is strong in its very weakness, and
sits securely on the head of the Eng
disappearing race, not because it is
the ideal hat, but because it isn't. 1t
IS uncomfortable, says this lordly re-
former. Of course it is, and therefore
the average Englishman will wear it
and nothing else when he is dressed up
and on public parade. If he wants to
be comfortable he goes home and gets
into his dressing gown and slippers.
The fact that the "plug" hat is uncom-
iortable is the best possible evidence
that it must be good form. And when
thing is good form, what more can you
ask?
But, continues the critic, the plug
hat is hideous. The word "hideous" is,
perhaps. little strong; 'ugly" would
be nearer the truth. If. however. Lord
Ronald Cover thinks that the English
people will give up the ''plug" hat when
he tells them it is hideous or ugly he
makes the mistake of his life. They
,liov already that it is ugly. and that is
why they wear it. II it was dream OF
artistic beauty they would have none of
it. The descendants of the old sea kings
are TO nloliycoddles; they are not go
ing to go around wearing beautiful
hats. Outside beauty is a snare; what
matters it, indeed, how ugly your hat
is ii only your heart beats true to your
native land? Such would be the average
EnFlis.ITan's defense of the plug
hats uglipess, il ho ever thought it
worth while to defend what needs no
defense. The ''plug" hat is both un-
comfortable and ugly. Very true.
But it is IN evolution of Anglo-Saxon
civilization. It was not reasoned into
it's present shape, and it is certain that
ii will not be reasoned out OF existence,
cycal though parliament and the bench
OF bishops should start q movement
with that object in view.-N. Y. Trib-
une.
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