The evening times., 1898-06-17
FIN PATRIOTS.
Women Who Go About BinzOned
With National EmbIems.

One thousand dollars for flag pin
made entirely of jewels. That is what
one woman has paid for her expression
of patriotism since the beginning of the
war according to the New York Times.
Il am so sorry for their poverty. said
a sympathetic woman once, speaking of
a family in dire need.
How many dollars are you sorry
asked a practical friend.
Putting patriotism in matter of dol
lars and cents-thouSh this Is the more
selfish way in which it is done-the wo-
men of New York are showing signs of
great patriotism.
There has been n marvellous increase In
the use of symbols for decorations within
the last few years. The practice has
amounted to a fad. and upon the slight
est excuse small articles of wearing ap-
parel and jewelry are brought out, In eN-
pensive and cheap goods, and the public
buys them In great quantities. Perhaps
the souvenir spoon began il. The demand
for spoons was so great that ordinary de-
signs gave out. and since then. though the
spoon fad is said to have died natural
death, there is always a spoon for every
important event and some one must buy
them. There certainly never was pret-
tier or more interesting fad. A souvenir
spoon NAV break the ice at the icy fes-
tivity. And now that patriotism is the
order of the day the American flag is to
the fore. II may be questionable taste
to have the flag in the bowl of one $
spoons, but the flag has served for worse
purposes.
The flag pin appeals very generally to
all people of all classes Quantities of
ho ,,ip vii the flag hut.nnS sold In
cheap designs. but perhaps people have no
idea how much money in invested in val
liable articles of this kind.
The wearing of the flag in this form Is
not new. A woman with her daughter
went into a jewelers. the other day:
the younger woman was wearing little
pin showing the Stars and Stripes. and
pride. remarked
THAT pin was worn all through the
civil war
The woman who paid 5000 for flag
pin made entirely of jewels the other day
is not an exception. A<smaller pin. also
made of jewels. cost ss40O. and women
go into the shops and buy dozen or
more at time of the pins Of gold and
enamel. as well as the button. to pre-
sent to their friends.
Large investments *aye made in belt
buckles These are made. most of them
from regular designs OF Army and Navy
buckles. though some Of them are in
original patriotic designs. A beautiful
belt, made to order Of gold. for a woman
the other day. will ;cost $50. A good deal,
that seems. to pay 1or what some people
will consider only a fad. but the buckle
is of the finest workmanship and will
always have an artistic as well as an
intrinsic value. -
1t is not only the women who are
showing patriotism In pins. The men
wear them also. although the women mo-
nopolize the fancy to a great extent.
They might also be called pin patriots.
though the number OF patriotic organi-
cations that have sprung up In New York
where the women are earnestly asking
for something real to do. shows that
they do not cxpend all their ardor in this
way.
The woman who doesn't carry a gun
nowadays is an exception. The Maine
guns in lead pencils have been very pop
ular since they have been out. They are
In many designs in silver and gun-metal,
and range in price from $3.50 to 8. The
gun-metal is not the least expensive, pen
ellis in that dark metal being $3.50. 1t
is much more difficult to work than the
softer silver.