The times., 1897-07-04
A STUDY IN OLD CLOTHES
Old Time Uniforms on View in
the National Museum.
EVOLUTION OF OUR SOLDIERS
Many Casts in the War Department
Showing the Change in Style in
Gear Since the ReyOlutiOn-The
Present Costume of Cur Regulars
and What Is Gained by II.

If potatoes have self viii and gems pos
sess the faculty of renecttug the moods OF
their wearers why may not old clothes
have souls?
IL Is probable that the mass Of tourists
who drag their faggeGout bodies through
our National Museum see nothing more ia
the Collection OF historic garments exhib-
tied there than 30 many musty old drds.
but To the lucky posseSSor OF a mind eye
those tiule-eaten coats and trousers are
charts that bear witness in sOu1e intangible
fashion 20 the personality OF the men who
Wore them as distinctly as they nave fitted
themselves 10 their physical angles and
curves. True, Washington 5 uniform has
been 20 often and yarioJsIy hung that il
indicates nothing but the shape OF the
peg; but does not every seam in Old Eick-
ory's coat proclaim the uncOmpromisins
backbone OF The man who broke the Bank
OF the United States9 Is there not a iO-
viil bulge Ia the foreground Of Santa
Annals waistcoat, that tells OF good and
gone dinners? 4 sturdy InanIiness in Mel
vile's Old skin suit. and something grand,
though il be not victory, in every threadOf
Confederate gray?
il
present are to be found in the War Depart
n'eHt in the shape of a military exhibit
that might be called the evolution Of the
American soldier. II Illustrates every
change, which means, also every improve
ment ii. his uniform, from the knee. hreech-
e Of bunker Hill 70 TIE stnpeS or the last
parade. II takes more than twenty casts
20 form this march Of progress, and 20
that one half feels the necessity Of starting
society Tor the prevention Of cruelty 20
waNw0rks- though they are not wax,
either. bat a iIesh-Hke plaster that faIfly
| seems 70 pulse with life, and claims a
closer kin The up-to-date soldier shows
for business in every curve aud seam His
haHds are free fCI acton, not sn.oth-red
Ia voH-tHlsl ffills
When you reach the Revolutionary *
Ibit YOU find that It takes more rhau a
/ far share of Imagination % trace. any
/ affinity between The old COntineutaIs IN
then ragged reginentaIs'' and those IN
/ pleasantly fresh uniforms cut from modern
we.tves stitched by machinery and foainIug
over aJ cuff and collar with cheap lace
prOptuRCedly true. The most p.Curesq1Ie
! figure IN the exhibit Is zone of AIar.san's
Continental, uni formed m cream cIJih,
Which. ~ the way, conflicts with Losing,
who gives linen as tho material wesu toy
Biureau men y knife eleara IN his leather
( beIE anG d powder flask Uf cows horn
sw me,S fTUruhis shoulder by cord of hunts
nsan > green on his ribIrps -ti-d hair
flares a black az cooked over the forehead
/ wHh & rsEish Icsette, and he leans a-a5ust
| the rifle mat gave the Command It's name
So that was the way Tim Murphy B.okrd
/ when he hot down Fraser by order or Nor
! gan hiS chief The erect military figure n
tbecase makes saltwater So vividIy near that
B ono car soc scarlet coated Fraser charging
/ bis British across the October fields ana
/ hear Morgan thunder to his favorite rife
| man, The fate of tattlf, rests ON that
/ EnEIf>hu.an on the white horse He is a
| brave soldier and honor him, but 1t 8
/ necessary he should die-aim true aud
/ fire,''
/ What plucky fellows Burgo yne's men
| were to bury their dead general that night
/ in fun range Of our bullets, and how per
/ fectly natural it seems in these piping times
| Of peace for Morgan TO have CEASED bos-
| unties when ne found out the meanin = of
| tire brave group ON thehiHtop and. dipping
/ in lis SCanty ammunition box % nave
| toorned out cannon drges in honor Of the
/ funeral ne had made.
| Shoulder 10 the ufleman stands ''an
| officer in the Revolutionary Army a
| ma irctic patrol III top boots. cream bTerChes,
| q gorgeous blue coat, filed with lace and
| bIazlucd with gold, cooked hat and dttirSty
| looking sword OH, the buttons the
| buttons.
| lone Of WashiugtOn's generals" simply
| more buttons and lace. "a feathered c9ckade
| instead II bFistles, aud big fTin Se,T epau-
| lcttes studded with bullion stars Which
| general Surely hard-rghtlug, harder
| swearing Putnam never stopped 20 bother
with all those buttons along about Bunker
Hill time, OF, II he did, my brethren. there
must have been fTightful wear and tear
on the shanEs. TO say nothing OF Israel :
soul As TO Mad Anthony, one likes to
think he rad his Cooked hat askrw and
his throat bare Of rUffIeS when he stood
| ready % storm he'll il Washington would
plan it. and it ism likely he spared friliS
aad buckles when he was taking stony
| Point ~ . O'Clock In the uurniug or Charg
| ing the British at Green Spring Think
| Of brave beautiful Marion going TO war
in all that flneTy and thea picture him IN
/ The midst Cf hiS tatteTed swamp fOXeS.''
50 fascinating IL his rags and tdSS that
| word went across the water TO ROYAL
| George that ne was Tie Greek @oa Of the
! American army! And tLen even think Of
poor Benedict Arnold in those glorious DAYS
when he drew his sword for freetiOm as
feaHessIy as any patriot In thu thirteen
Statcsl Think Of what credit that cameo
faced couItier'' must have done to MS
| spectacular TegimentaIs az the outset and
then think again Of his kncrline IN the
shadow of Bemis' Heights pinning his
breechcs together with il tIurnel
a private IL the Revolutionary 4 rIny-
faces YOU. undaunted enough to be one Of
Ethan Aliens Green Mountain Boys OF a
member of that band OF red-h0t fighters
who made immortality for themselves the
day they lay had in the grass until they
saw the whites OF the eueTny's eveh.nS,
and then. aiming at their waiStcoats,
picked off officers In preference to :nan. -
There are ten casts IN the Revolution ary
exhibit, among them an aide-.Ie- camI
! awaiting the order OF his COnlmandins 9
officer, and a Maryland riflemar, in a
cap OF COenskin instead OF the regulauon
felt. II il history down in old MARYLAND
that those riflemen were the hardest right
e=S that the colonies sent TO the frons FOR
when there We're no British convenient they
made themselves usefal in exterrniultInu
Tories and Indians 1t was a MARYLAND
riiiemau. 80 legend has 1t, who spent his
life scalping as many red skins as there
| were hairs In pOnr Jane NcFrea's head Ot