The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-13
CLOTHES THAT TALK.


Herr Teufelsdrockh, in his celebrated es-
say the philosophy of clothes, declares
that neither in tailoring nor in legislating
does man proceed by mere accident but
that his hand is ever guided By mysterious
operations of the mind. I'm all his modes
and habilatory endeavors.' the professor
goes on to say, IAN architectural idea will
be lurking; his body and cloth are mate
rails whereon and whereby his beautifled
edifice of a person is to be built.
Again, what meaning lies in color! From
the soberest drab to the high-faming scar
let, spiritual idiosyncrasies unfold them
selves in the choice of color; if the cut be-
tokens intellect and talent, so does the
color betoken temper and heart. In all
which there is an incessant, indubitable
though infinitely complex working of cause
and effect; every snip of the scissors has
been regulated and prescribed by ever
active influences, which, doubtless, to in
telligence of a superior order are neither
invisible nor illegible." This is hardly to
say that the clothes make the man, but
rather that the mans character and per-
sonality are manifested by his garments;
he needs them not only for mere purposes
of covering but to make himself known to
his fellow beings. In a very literal sense
he talks through his hat" Everywhere
are proofs and manifestations of this serv-
ice given by clothing. What, for instance,
would the order of the Mystic Shriners be
without the scarlet fezzes. their red and
yellow and green boomers, their rainbow
hued sashes and the other gay regalia with
which they dazzled the eyes of wondering
Detroit as they came into that oasis from
the outside desert? Those merry mum
rners were there for pleasure, to throw off
care from their own shoulders and to bid
it begone from the hearts of their friends
They could not have done this so well In
their ordinary dull habiliments for the
variegated apparel represented best their
joyful mood. To change the brilliant at
tire of the supreme potentate" for the
formal evening dress would have been to
turn from gay to grave. The fezzes and
the rest spoke for them. The wearers
would not care to- appear in such dress
constantly since it would not continue to
indicate their mood-for moods differ as
widely as garments-but for time it spoke
their sentiments in a language that was
understood.
The same element, the desire to express
themselves in their apparel, is manifested
in a different way in the Reformed Epis-
copal Church, where, as related in the dis
patches yesterday the General Council di-
vided on the vestment question and much
excitement ard several designations en-
sued. The inner meaning of either the
white surplice or the black will forever re-
main a mystery to the nonepiscopalian,
but that each is significant of something
important there can be no doubt else the
reverend brethren would not have been
wrought up to so great a pitch of excite
ment as to sever their relationship with
the organization because they were about
to be limited to black exclusively. They
cannot, of course, have any personal pref
erence for white over black as mere
color; what they professedly contend for
is liberty to wear either, but liberty is
relative term and the unchecked privilege
of wearing black or white would not give
these clergymen the right to don scar
let or yellow. 1t is evident that the white
surplice is indicative of some sentiment
that the somber black does not typify
that as Herr Teufelsdrockh observed,
some spiritual idiosyncrasy is manifested
by the white robes. This being the case it
will not do for the short-sighted irrever-
ent public to jeer at the good men in coun-
Gil as mere exponents of masculine vanity.
They are fighting for spiritual and mental
freedom-the freedom to express their
souls sentiments in their bodily raiment.
At least. that is the charitable theory, and,
advocated by SO profound a thinker as
Teufelsdrockh, it has the support of
philosophy as well.