The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-10-24
CLERICAL FASHIONS
Dress Of thes olsraE p& 80 Esss,
ent Day



from Ordinary Tnlorang-spe-
sial Wosknea Ter tAs
Trade.
The latitude wlfGnt nay be observed
now in the dress of. the cler4y;of al
denominations ID one among thk many
Figns Of the modern liberal tendencies.
At present it seems to be almost wholly
y question of personal taste = 70
whether or not q minister when not
in the pulpit shall wear distinctly cler-
icalr clothes.s Years ago, when the
lines between the he;diherentl sects wers
much more sharply drawn, II would
have been considered remarkable de-
tparture, significant of its immediate
conversion to Anglicanism or even to
Romanism, for q Baptist. Methodist or
Presbyterian minister to don the regu-
.lation dress of the Episcopal clergy.
Now the wearers of the cassock vest,
the clerical frock coat with its standing
collar, and the round linen collar open
ing at the back, are to be~s counted
among pastors Of all Determinations
At . Methodist conference held in. the
spring several of the men present were
dressed in extreme clerical style, A
leading tailor in Broadway said the
other day. sthat-he made the Episcopal
garh for.a great many Presbyterian
ministers. The climax of novelty seems
to have been reached when = Unitarian
clergyman appears in full clericals.
The gentleman in question gees 20 fAr
as to wear the Roman turn-down collar,
with the ''rabbi'' or bib-like attach
ment of cloth in front, instead of the
plain, single band Of the Anglican styk.
But there is an opposite side to the
matter. While ministers in general
are practically free now to adopt the
distinctive uniform" if they desire,
they are also quite at liberty, to wear
clothes exactly similar to those Of any
ordinary citizen, Of whatever color or
cut may suit their fancy. Hence it has
come about that the old-time Prince AL
bert coat and white tie, which used to
be the certain signs. Of the evangelical
preachers a few years ago, are now
comparatively seldom seen. Those
which still exist are confined chiefly to
the older~men, who find it hard to de-
part from lifelong conventions. and to
country pastors, among whom changes
in fashion are long in making them
selves felt. If minister to-day does
not choose to adopt the Episcopal dress
he usually wears an ordinary suit, max
ing no attempt at any halfway dis
tinction.
Even in the Episcopal church there
are some clergymen, though they are
decidedly in the minority as yet, who
prefer not to be known as such by their
clothes. When engaged in any outdoor
pastime in the country they put on ap-
propriate costumes, such as bicycle or
golf suits, or light f1annels. It is the
opinion of clergymen who dislike the
uniform idea that they lose infiu-
ence with large class Of people by
placing themselves apart, and, as it
were. advertising their profession.
These who favor the clerical dress con-
tend, on the other hand, that the minis
try. is profession which ought to be
distinguished from all others, and be-
lieve that the significant costume goes
far toward claiming the respect of the
general public. @H
The changes in the dress Of clergy
men when in the pulpit have been less
marked. In the Roman Catholic and
Episcopal churches the preacher is alb
solutely required to wear certain
prescribed garb. This for Episco-
palians consists of the long, black cas-
sock. moderately tightrhtting under
meath, and the white surplice above.
The stole, a. long silk or satin band,
symbolizing the yoke of the, gospel, Is
worn over both shoulders, the ends
falling down in front. In the Presby-
terian church the wearing of the black
Geneva gown is optional, but. judging
from what the makers Of these articles
say, the use of them is certainly not on
the decrease. The gown worn by Luth-
eran preachers differs slightly in cut
from the Geneva pattern, but hears :
genefal resemblance to 1t. Baptist
clergymen do not ordinarily wear
gowns when preaching, but when an
IMmSISiOn ID W soAS 1A"So . % AAASAss
called baptismal gown is put ON. The
demand for these appears to be fully a.
strong as ever.
The business of manufacturing cler-
ical clothing and vestments is one en-
tirely separate from ordinary tailoring.
Some clothing establishments and Gus
tom tailors, it il true, do good deal
of this kind Of work, bpt special men
have to be employed for It, and It BE-
comes department by itself. In addi-
tion to these there are several houses
in this city which exist solely for the
trade, and make no other kind
of clothing.-N. Y. Times.
They SWING THEIR ARMS.