Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-05-28
Influence of Golf Craze on the
Fashion In Canes.
PECULIAR STICKS OF BAMBOO
Their Value Dependent Upon
Their Knots.
Washington Post.

the old days il man had good care
he grew fond of it just rs he does OF
an old pipe that has served him faith
fully for many years. He would no
more cast aside his old cane than he
would be disloyal to tried friend.
But Fashion cares nothing for SEN
timent or the ways Of old fogies.
She is cold hearted, calculating old
wretch, who nerer ceases her demands
for something new,
Just now she is devoting her energies
to the cane world, and as she is an
industrious, tlreess old lady, her
efforts are fruitful.
There is very little change in woods,
but the golf craze has made an it,
delible mark in the style Of the
handles. Not TO have cane which
looks for all the world like one of the
weighted drivers used in the swagger
game is to announce ones self to the
world as being completely out of the
fashionable swim, and this is exactly
what most people refuse to do
The newest cane is the Whangee,
curious bamboo of bright yellow,
with leaf branches from each alternate
Joint to tho right and left. This cane
soils as low as 10 cents and as high as
S.. for fashion DEGREES that the value
depends on the arrangement of the
knots or Joints. If these are regularly
placed, with equal distances between
them, the cane is comparatively value
less. 1t should have rather knots or
joints, with spaces varying from nearly
two inches at the handle end to half an
inch at the ferrule end, the cane taper
ing in proportion. This is because tho
tapering cane is the very top of the
bamboo, and only one comes to each
cane growth, while in 80 or 60 foot
bamboo several of the more evenly
spaced can be cut; hence, the price
and the vogue.
The most popular cane this spring is
the Congo. Why it is called the Congo
is difficult 10 perceive, because it Is
the wood of an oak sapling doctored in
peculiar way. Most cane dealers,
however, will solemniy assure you that
ii is called the Congo because it is
made Of Congo wood. The reason of
its great popularity is that the Prince
Of Wales invariably carries a cane of
that kind, and, of course, what he
does in the way of making fashions is
never questioned by the men who pay
attention to such matters
The Congo ia peculiar brown stick,
marked here and there along its entire
length with tiny dots, making one
wonder what kind Of appearance it
presented when all these embryo shoots
came to maturity. They never did
mature; rs matter of fact, they are
not natural. 1t is simply an oak
sapling, colored to taste, which. when
growing in the forest, is pricked or
bruised with blunt instrument and
eft for time, the growth attempting
to heal the marks and so producing
the curious pricks on the inner wood.
Tho cane dealer may not acknowledge
this. but this is an undeniable fact.
The wood is tho Austrian or medlar
oak The stick was produced by chance.
A Frenchman happening across sap
| ling accidentally wounded set ii aside
for cane. After receiving several
offers of money for the stick, he began
wounding the saplings in large num-
| bers, keeping the secret to himself for
two years, until he had enough to
offer them in wholesale lots to manu-
facturer. Then the Congo cane became
the style.
All the fashionable canes this year,
with the exception OF the golf cane,
have the handle formed into what is
called the Prince of Wales hook For
| two years this style has survived, and
| it is more firmly intrenched now than
ever before. The handle is bent into a
long, graceful hook, the end being
tipped with silver, and the cane itself
Just below tho handle encjrcled with a
band of silver.
Next year all kinds of odd and unique
| handles will be in vogue, for there ia
already wolf defined tendency in that
direction Men who are not content to
keep abreast of fashion, but insist
upon walking in advance of her de-
crees, are appearing with canes with
all kinds of wonderful tops.
| Natural horns Iredominate. Some OF
these have hippopotamns tusk; some
antelope, from all parts of the world
some Just the round based spike horn
of the yearling deer Those may be
decorated handsomely with deposits oil
gold and silver. Such decorations are
very hard on gloves, and have developed
a new industry, where concern makes
specially OF knitting covers for such
cane handles.
1t may not BIO known generally that
canes with rough metal handles, by
irritating the palm, and also those
| with ball handles, by pressing un.
evenly on the palm, have produced some
| very curious diseases, one man getting
a species OF intermittent paralysis from
the pressure Of bali topped cane on a
large vein in the hand.
Some leaders of fashion are trying
to bring into Use again the famous
clouded canes used by the dudes OF
the seventeenth century, but they will
never DO worry popular with the masses,
because of their great cost, There are
few in existence now, ana their owners
are generally men whose wealth permits
them the luxury Of collecting all kinds
Of canes. These clouded canes are now
worth from $1,000 to 81, 800, one being
for sale in New York at tho present
time for 81, 200
The firm which has placed this cane
on the market knows the owners of al
the famous canes the world over, and
keeps track of the growth or decline Of
tue great collections. II an unusually
odd and valuable cane is to be placed
on the market they communicate with
list of probable buyers, and always
make rich commission by etfecting
the sale. They have little or no com.
petition, as the business is quite un.
certain, and can only be regarded as q
side issue.
John Jacob Astor is credited with
having ono Of tho most unique Gamer
in the country, and if his friends il
the millionaire set Of Gotham knew 1
little more about electricity it woult
probably become quite popular. II
describing this cane it is necessary tt
preface all reference TO IL by saying
that Mr.. Astor 10 not drinking man
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