Evening star., 1897-01-02
THE HIGH THEATER HAT.
A Yo.nE woman Hal Discovered who
is to Blame for Women wearinv
High Hats to the Theater,

A Young Woman Hal Discovered who
IL to Blame for Women wearanx
High Hats to the Theater.
She was a tawny-hafred girl, rather old
ish. with dark eyes. She was talking with
the emphasis characteristic OF young wo-
nien OF that type, and she was Interesting
her auditors. who had evidently been max
ing remarks. sol
TITS all right" she snapped. "for the
men and the newspapers. which is the
same thing. to talk about women wearing
high hats to the theaters. but the women
are not entirely to blame for it. OF course,
they oughtnt to do It, and would Hike to
see only bareheaded women in the theaters,
as we see bareheaded: men, but don't think
1t Is quite fair to put all the burden Of
the offense on the women"
Adam began It. suggested a listener.
other.
Il understand" continued the young wo-
man: "but that Is neither here nor there.
The women wear high hats to the theater
ana tney are censured and slandered be-
cause they do not stop 1t. Now, say they
are not wholly to blame"
Who is?" asked a young man in eye
Listen" the girl went on within the
every theater Ii New York looking up this
very thing. I have counted the audiences
carefully, ard / have calculated that in
each audience each night there are $50
chopped down with an ak; 100 with hats
tco high. and the balance in low hats or
none at all. Taking the $50 as the ones we
are taking about, 1 found that 80 per cent
OF them were accompanied by men. Pos
s1biy each woman wasn't 80 fortunate as
to have whole man all to herself but that
percentage of the women had men to look
after them In squads of more or less pro-
portions.
Now contend that those men were to
blame for letting those women go to the
theaters with high hats on, if the men are
really as they say, so much against these
mats. When the men saw the hats the
ladies were going to wear 1t would have
been very easy thing for them to suggest
lower nat, or none at all, and the women
would no doubt have been willing to defer
that much to their escorts wishes. If they
hadn't, and showed a disposition to be stub
born, the men could have shown that they
were consistent in their opposition to the
high hats by refusing to go to the theater
with them. Under the circumstances. the
woman is the guest of the man, and q
guest must defer to the host to some ex-
tent. The host has right to make just
dems nd and this would be one.
Let the men take the proper position in
this matter. and the high nat will disap-
pear forever. All they will have to do will
be to respectfully but firmly decline to ac-
company lady to the theater either as
us us VI sueSt' ana my word for 1t, the
women will be Quick enough to see the po-
sition they occupy, and will get away from
1t in hurry.I know what 1 am talk
ing about, and I know that many of
them have said when I have talked to
them about it, They know better than 10
wear such hats, but as long as the men
VIII permit 1t they will wear them, though
for my part think a woman is never pref
off,
After which the girl became quiet, and
four men in the party looked at each other,
ana walked out without saying a word