Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-05-06
AND MANNERS.

DOV1O AMI uut1lN1NlLlLOs
is 1T THE PROPER THING TO GET A
SHINE IN a PUBLIC PLACE?
How Far May Ono Go Out ofeDoors In
sprucing Himself Up?-Aow Hair Split
ting Etiquette May Clash With Demo-
cratic Institutions.
A question Of deep philosophical and So
eial import Is herewith submitted:
10 the Editor Of The sun:
s1R-As we look to The Sun for our best ex.
amples Of English we naturally turn toit to
settle q question Of manners The practice Of
having ones boots blnckened in public-is it
breach Of good mannersP Aside from the
question Of an occasional necessity, does the
universal custom stamp it as a gentlemanly
habit ARGUMENT.
This is a difficult inquiry, and perhaps
1t ought to be answered by a council rep
resenting all the interests affected, the
council to be assisted by a board of arbi-
tors of the %eleganoies, sitting without vote.
The conventional opinion is that it is not
correct to hayo ones boots blacked out of
doors. We have never seen the grounds
of this opinion set forth, but presumably
the argument of tho orthodox school is
that tho toilet of tho boots, as a part of
the general toilet, ought to be made with
In doors and not coram populo lin the
presence of a crowd). Youdon't wash your
face or comb your:hair on tho streets.
This argument is not convincing. There
are extensive regions where you do and
have to wash at the pump out of doors.
Russian officers and many other eminent
%personages, military and civil, are continu-
ally combing themselves in public. The
s~trictest martinez among us would not
hesitate to tic or rearrango his cravat in
public. If tho crnvat, a necessary article
of apparel save among certain statesmen
and friends of may be made sprucer
out of doors, why may not the boots? Car
ried to an extreme, the orthodox opinion
would forbid a man to pick a thread off
his coat or smooth the tresses of his hair
out of doors. Can a man button his coat
in the street? If so, why sol? Should not
a rigid etiquette forbid an act which may
be described, like tho backing of the boots,
as one of external or superficial %toilet9'
1t may DO urged that analogy doesn't
apply to these mysteries Of custom that
the rule exists and has no need Of justifi-
cation. We summon example, then. We
have seen Q prince of historic name, au-
thenticity guaranteed, q prince with a
genealogical tree which few but members
Of the order of the Grown could hope to
shin up. Even such a prince have we
seen having his boots, shoes or gators pol
ished at q common corner stand in this
town. In tho language of the contempt.
rary classics. ''ho had the price Of u shine
and he paid it like a little prince, and no
doubt he believed that he was showing q
graceful compliance with tho customs Of
the country.
Still, we have but touched the bell of
the mystery. We have not entered into
the inner shrine. Let us go in, slamming
the door in the faces of tho narrow minded.
OF itself there is nothing moral or i'm.
moral in having ones boots BACKED in
public. 1t is an action Indifferent. OBJ
lection: Tho majority of bootblaok shops
are in front of barrooms. Answer: 1t is
better TO be outside than inside Of a bar
room.
Thousands of artists AFRO now employed
In painting boots and shoes in the open
air or in public places. To take away from
them their means of livelihood would be
to displace n large amount Of labor, pro:
duco suffering and trouble. To this it may
IL NJ oOJSSCSa SAidOA L y Is ehA4u i 3
artists arc not checked they will soon own
the town. Well, somebody must own it.
Docs it offend the sense of beauty and
harmony of things to have ono's boots
blacked in public? Answer: 1t depends
upon the feet. The artist always does his
best. DON'T blame him, but sarcastic ma
ture. For our'own part we don't hesitate
to say thattO look upon a man who wears
a tall hat or 'sslicky,' brilliant kid gloves
and other apparel rich and rare, to look
upon him as he has his shoes keyed up te
tho rest of him, fills us and should I'LL ev
cry other reasonable passerby with u new
sense of the imperious demand for the
beautiful. In the education of the beauty
/. sense of the young this public polishing
must have q great part.
Formerly ''guests" at hotels used to put
out the boots at tho door of their rooms
before going to bed and dumb s~ervitors
blaokened tho same. We understand thai
in most hotels and taverns the public
backing stand has driven the custom out
You take the publicchair if you have nc
private and luxurious retainers. You may
lose some dignity, but at least nobody will
steal your shoes.
Yet,there are delicate spirits averse tt
public and with q passion for etiquette
Them Heneed not advise to shun the pub
lilo polisher. Their shoes should be pol
ished in secret. If they are of q frugaI
mind and not averse to exercise, they col
do the polishing themselves. Honest labo,
wears q lovely face. And even sturdiel
natures must be shackled to some extent
by a dread of publicity. You may be bolt
as a lion and yet not care to have YOU
bishop seq you eating peanuts. And !,
may be inoonvenient sometimes to be seer
in the chair of shine by naughty a~oquaint
ances. The tender souled may seek some
place remote from their habitual route
One may not care to have the final splen
doris of ones toilet witnessed, perhaps gig
gled at, by .'lady friends" but in a dem
ooratio government people are supposed tx
have the right to do as they please, subject
!. 90 laHau y 10. klax. l..~k .a4