Warren sheaf., 1897-06-17
THAT WELL-DREssED LOOK.


isAca sOnA ~ ny American Men Do Nos
XIII 4 Have II.
~ While on the subject Of our national
social Shortcomings, word of truth
in regard to the general alappearanceo 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 ..commerS
9cial gent" OF Liverpool, the brokers'
and business men of '.the city or the
club men Of Pail Mall. All, sassa rule
have well-dressed, well -groomed look
that with us is lacking. There is hard
ly a travelled American woman that has
not felt this to be "a grievance.
1T is SO horrid to have Britisherslook
nicer than the gentlemen at home! exl
claimed q patriotic Daisy Miller, who,
in her yernacular, expresses universal
feminine sentiment on the subject, for
American men, as rule, are sloyenly
(not dirty-Heaven forbid! but unridy
and careless). A certain set, it is true,
that has leisure and means, is as well-
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 awhole, decidedly superior, aud
it is simply their clothes and the way
they are worn and the generally
scrubbed look of their faces tha make
the difference. It is useless to ignore
clothes as 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 Resartuss
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
if deprived 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
yaleting. 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 SEQ
that his coats are well brushed, his
trousers cleaned and pressed. his shoes
0CSOIulH " luCiA US
set, patent leather or calfskin-hats
brushed, and all the details which in this
country except the shoes perhaps
busy man is supposed to see to himself.
A mistaken economy! for suit that is
properly brushed, folded and looked
after will last twice as long as one that
is neglected.
In America 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 conyentionality 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 well in this country. Older mer-
chants regard a pnnctiliously dressed
clerk with disapproval. Public men say
that their constituents distrust frill !"
while large majority simply do dot
want to take the trouble to dress. and
yet these very men like their woman
kind to be well dressed, and grudge 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.-S. Y. Tribune.