Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-09


clothes. Every man who goes into the city
to an office above and Including the rank
of clerk, or In the vernacular clark" must
he attired in a high silk hat and a frock
coat. 1t matters not, how hot the day, nor
how wet. whether the victim can afford
these garments or whether he is comforta-
bic IN Them he must wear them. That Is
an unwritten law from which there Is no
appeal AZ a matter of fact, the medieval
armor in the tower is as comfortable and
as we'll adapted to the encasement of an
active man are frock coat and silk hat
but something unspeaka ably horrible would
happen If a bank 'clark' or bookkeeper
were to appear before his employer clad in
the comfortable short jacket and straw
hat of the American business man. So, his
wages being smaller than those of workers
OF the same class In America, he ofends
good taste with rusty black coat and a
beaver, whose surface resembles the fur of
an angered cat. most dismal, funereaI
and depressing spectacle they present, the
thousands of young men pouring into the
city every day, uniformed like undertakers.
countenanced like Uriah Heeps whereas
Under the wings of the bird of freedom,
except on 9th avenue, which is depend
ercy of Piccadily, male persons do not ar
ray themselves in such garments for week
day use, unless they have attained an age
when their thoughts are tending toward
the tomb The dress reform crusade has a
great field In England but not among the
women. They stride along in enormous
boots. taking full breaths into unIaced
lungs and swinging their hands in big.
stout gloves, sunbrowned, ashamed. IL I'M
able to do their ten-Tnile before breakfast
constitutional altogether comfortable and
good to look upon. The men are martyrs
TO clothes. Why? An American tires of
asking that question. I'VE always haye''
Is the stereotyped answer.
ny 40 you write with a quill penn is
another of the why's which the American
poKes at the Englishnlan whenever he sits
down to desk opposite one
Every Englishman uses a quill pen" is
tne explanation to this mystery
steel pen?" win d
Il dare say Qndiferent1y).
CONSIDERATIONS of utility are as dust in
tne balance against the fact that the quill
mas been, from time immemorial in tho
hand Oh the English gentleman.
Don't Know Good Thing.
There is not typewrfting machine In
London newspaper Office, so far as tho oh.
servation of the writer can testify. Their
use would degrade journalism. 1t is donbt-
iui II the type settlers would waive their
uishity TO read such machine-made STUFF
even II editors would stoop to feed them
mith II. Inc London press agencies have ALI
the copy they supply to the newsnaners
s sup,estea by writing on pads with a
Stylus slow, long drawn-out agonv in tho
production, an illegible scrawi In the resnIt
almost every page which goes to the com
posltois IN a modern American newsnaner
i o,,ice Is typewriter, but to ask an English
Journalist to operate a machine in the nren-
asatloI OF his sopcrifics would be a disttnc,.
aIrohl- NO gentleman could do that Won
nnoW. But since the motto of an English
can ba gae Is never tos print today what
san ne oeferred until tomorrow 1t does not
so much matter - ooeS Hot
S,a american man of business. who
Steps into the field unhanpered by sucb No.
verx sss. seems 10 De pushing to the front
very iast. a London newspaper editori.i
described national characteristic toda1
.nousn with entire absence of anv intant
t tpwaru numor, In saying: Nothing annovs
idea rushed upon it,: 90 ne"
ms ms applies much more. aptlv to fin
aitH.n business -Tan than to tho average
;a who desires to buy. If the Amsrs
as he nsma,In oa can convince the latter,
h. ne usually can when he starts 70. thar
nc can give him better article Mt a
smaller price the Engltsbman notns+h
s''1 much after-dinner prattle about
the cheapest market. Within the MS So
years advertisements of Americas Goods
ana particularly patent. medicines r.,
t .,,aue Mucous all the streets and walls and
nome competitors have been driven -
ADOPT the American advertising methods
10 keep lin the running Yankee natent
t,s dieihes nave however. monopolized the
70.
enc, whose middle letters are VR
9iazed on every street at night
Loyal eyes Were at. first caught hv
t apparent display of the monogram Of
her most gracious majesty; then they dis
covered in smaller letters much smaJar
the rest of the word. Their sense If the
propTieties was outraged. but they remem-
bered the name, and will carry IT in their
MINDS Tor 4 long time. .
How American:
q
cent night the managing editor gathered
ms stan about him to listen to good
one He held aloft and read message
from the London correspondent of a New
York newspaper. 1t was: Can you tell
me where 1 can fird good shorthand man
tonght?'
the manager repeated in bewildered
way, Tonight" and all his assistants
shouted In amazement, Tonight" and
the manager murmured, How extraor-
binary, and finally. How American"
There Is another side to the picture how
ever, I'll at is the Britisher's point of view.
Io jog along comfortably in the position
to to which he was born, making the most of
the small comforts within his reach in
stead Of minging in frantic struggle to
get 10 the head Of the race, is Iii his eyes
the more sensible scheme of life.
young Englishman starting in a pro-
ANSSIoii"i SaiCcl WAS complaining OF IT'S
hardshfps. IF l could get a comfortable
government sinecure at $500 year 1 would
ask for nothing more.' he said
hut In government position there
Would be no chance to get to the 'front.'"
was suggested.
Il don't want to get to the 'front.'" he
explained. Il want to be able to sit down
after dinner with my dog and my book and
smoke my pipe"
The American gets to the front, but is
he better off there than the Engiishman
who sits down with his dog and his book
and his pipe? ROBERT NJ. COLLINS.
BUILDING BONFIRE.