The Cape Girardeau Democrat., 1897-06-12
THAT wELL.DREssEp LOOK.
Reasons Why American Men Do HGt
Have 1t.

Reasons Why American Men Do Nee
Have 1t.
While on the subject of our national
social shortcomings. word of truth
in regard to the general appearance of
our men might not be amiss. Every one
who has been abroad is struck with the
generally smart look of Englishmen as
a whole. whether they be the CONNER
cial gents" of Liverpool, the brokers
and business men of 1.-The city" or the
club men of Pail Mall. All, as a rule,
have welI-dressed, well-groomed look
that with us is lacking. There is hard
" travelled American woman that has
not felt this to be a grievance.
''It Is so horrid 10 have Britishers look
nicer than the gentlemen at homei" ex-
claimed a patriotic Daisy Miller, who,
in her vernacular, expresses universal
feminine sentiment on the subject for
American men, as a rule, are slovenly
mot dirty-Heaven forbid! but untidy
and cnreless). A certain set, it is true,
that has leisure and means, is as we'll
dressed and as thoroughly groomed as
any set in England, but it is with men
of affairs that the distinction is so
marked. In England the same class
look, as whole, decidedly superior, and
it is simply their clothes and the way
they are worn and the generally
scrubbed look of their faces that make
the difference. 1t is useless to ignore
clothes as a powerful factor in our lives.
If the tailor does not actually make the
man." he certainly has great deal to
do with the semblance. Carlyle recog-
nized this, and in his ''Sartor Resartus"
he dwelt on the dignity of habiliments,
and pictures with grim humor what
set of monkeys the high dignitaries and
law-givers and military bodies would
all appear at any great public function
ifdeprived of their garments.
One of the greatest causes Of untidi-
ness among men who can afford to dress
and appear well is the lack of proper
valeting. In England every well-to-do
man has his clothes taken care of by
servant, and if he has not his own es-
pecial man there is always some one in
the household whose duty it is to see
that his coats are well brushed, his
trousers cleaned and pressed, his shoes
polished according to their kind-rus-
set, patent leather or calfskin-hats
brushed, and all the details which IN this
country-except the shoes perhaps-a
busy man is supposed to see to himself.
4 mistaken economy! for a suit that is
properly brushed, folded and looked
after will last twice as long as one that
is neglected.
In America a man arrogates to HIM
self a certain credit in not caring for
clothes-"he has no time for such non
sense'-the consequence being that
when conventionality demands recog-
milton of its claims it requires an es-
pecial effort, which is often apparent
Many political and business men will
say that it is distinct disadvantage to
dress we'll in this country. Older mer-
chants regard n punctiliously dressed
clerk with disapproval. Public men say
that their constituents distrust ''frills,"
while large majority simply do not
want to take the trouble to dress. and
yet these very men like their woman
kind to be well dressed, and gTudge no
expense as far as the latter are con-
cerned, while they themselves wear
slovenly clothes and do not even try to
look fresh and neat.-N. Y. Tribune.