The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-16
PORTO RICAN CLOTHING,
VAR CORRESPONDENTS BRING RACE
SAMPLES or FASHIONABLE IrTTRE

NOW LnuI tnN COTTeSIDnupuIH an l'ner civ.
ilians who have been in Porto RE i'rtng Tho
wnr arc returning. specimens OF cue OF foGs
Rico's industries. the tailoring trade. appe,,
on the streets OF New York. They do not an.
pear for any RnRer time, usually. trAn IL ~,
duires for the owner TO get himself son.
American clothing made, for the Porto Ricnn
garments are more ~fenTfully and wonderfull,
made than the home-manufactured -s.- q,
. the country urchin, which. after all. nn q,
lenst q civilized pattern to 90 by. New ya,t.
ers turn around In the streets TO look amer tina
wearers Of the wares OF San Juan's swelle,,
t~ailors, doubtful whether they arc not beInr
taken In ny some ridiculous advertisement
I Yet nearly every ono who comes back from
there has q suit Of native.mnde clothes. ana
no one has moro than n suit. Ono Is n laruo
suf1ciency, and 1t IL likely 10 be q necessItv
also. rs the clothes taken down there fror
this country don't seem to keep. or to he sus.
ceptible OF being kept. In fact. they disappeny
At u remarkable rate. so the American is forced
when he comes to return home and can ma
longer clothe himself with pajamas and the
serene consciousness Of propriety thereof Ia
betake himself to one or another OF the tail.
orine establishments and there trust to luot
to getting something which he ,an at least
get on his form.
There are several OF the shops in Porto Rioo
which cater to the fashionable trade, but the
one most In favor Is a large establishment
which. as soon as the Americans arrived. ma
up a large sign TO the effect that II was the
only genuine American tailor shop In the
place. One Of the correspondents who went
there on business relates his experiences n
substance.
At the door he was met by a bowling and
smiling gentleman. who announced himself
as being able to "spik Americana mutsa I" The
GLOWING collouuy ensued:
II want q suit Of clothes made in a hurry,1
Which Of color. selor?"
oh. some shade Of gray. l guess"
1T is OF Great regret" tthe Porto Rioan loves
ceremonious words and expressionsl, 1T de-
parts from the fashion style"
Il don't care about that. Let me see some
Of the cloth"
We procure It moi" said tho merchant. sad,
" Struggling his shoulders. 1T proceeds Out
Of the run"
We'll. have you got any good brown clothp"
1T is most extreme sorrow and Cllef that ID
likewise not Of the fashion -style."
d.. conicund your fashions What
THAT, Of the most sublime exalted blue and
black. For your, money you pick choice
This remarkable apothegm the tailor deliv.
were w some as biz mu Of the cIass sSe P pr fn as i i
which he doubtless considered It to be. After
puttering oyer a small pile Of serges and dag:
the establishment, outside Of the cotton and
linen. goods. the American picked out a piec0
ties and asked the price. The tailor picked
up the piece OF goods. examined 1t infinitely,
tested it by stretching. and said enthusiast:
The Americana sehor recognizes the e1.
selling garmenture with the exporting, eye.
We'll, how much will you charge for a suit
To 80 ~contrive you such a suit of fashion.
But the American had been advised as TO his
dealings with the native tradesman. and was
no! S SS ns Gssghf he So e saiiilK; Why. the shop
down the street wouldn't charge me half that"
bs An e1@ IRsstsIea Of I he tSi1ol =, fitted he o Sssr tss
TsaE.i eias ss1 iss shf ssaisabis.n Ss R TSsetI2 he SrS I'D
pesos forthe suit. and they finally compromised
ing at once, as tn. rate Of exchange. which
alters from day today. was a. that particular
al@s g s16 81 in i auP money me pa' That afr w sne T Slesadlne
I. was distinctly agreed between the party
"a cart th tha 1Ft The Da ser% aaG sh shd 8hIEdfy he q fn nhs ssdc Sndd
delivered, at the hotel on the following Friday.
They did not arrive on that day; The pur.
which he had borrowed for the occasion, be-
expressed bland surprise. Next week, no
said. In vain the American recalled the solemn
the tailor. Surely. the plous Americana sehor
would not have his so elegant garment worked
on D 3R S"i appe1 iHsi ip the fuce of the tailor as
bad place. Here. plainly. was a blasphemous
thing must % done. The clothes should e
fnished. t on s ths mo m39rT row. he e p tTs @%rro OF
Equally. OF course. the shop Was closed ali day.
It being Sunday. The Porto Rican never woEk3
charact snSfs I Is sfttk SsaeGS the ssG humber Of tfh @is
saints. each OF whom must have his day relis
eItSSsily SRse Gn &;on44RRTS.th e On o! T tns% Ge1 ths 1Sr.
shop just in time to see Q vanishing ]Goattail a.
fearful, English and with many deprecatory
bows that the master had been taken violently
strange paths the visitor succeeded in impress.
lRs sRe ee a the fs' enti Ts' Pla see r Rf his suit wS as G noSS
fC ~ 10 on ! the g next mex day: uh,oh he altar.
had ever got II at all. II alternated between
sell. into It with considerable Violence to hlS
cracking sound followed and he Immediately
began to pIotrude from the suit At various
piiained with more particuiarity than miIdnsss
some OF its SHORTCOMINGS and excuses. The
t SenoIrs said rb that tn tssTs was ssi e r tSat TD tss.n 10 iSs
tailor wanted TO find himself in a c%onditi9A
calling for repairs as extensive as those need.
ed by the suit he would do the work promptly
and without hone OF payment, The tailor sald
that II was a pleasure to work for the Amen+
cano senior and he would not think for . mo"
ment Of charging him anything,
In all that suit was re Daired and altered iouH
separate times. its maker assuring the ,pur~
chaser, each time that i was the swall ar.
and wore the ''swall a~rteecle" back after SONG
painful hesitation between it, and an outfit ot
white duck. As he arrived only n week ago the
duck seemed a little too unreasonable. so ne
iecided on the blue serge; His course was nos
= triumphant one after he reached this city
People stared OF him on street cars, and Rrinneq
In his face. Small boys followed him i1 ne
streets and asked him II he had moved hJ0
pumpkins vet. One day .was enough oiit. HS
hicd him to. a store and bought q ready-manS
auit In which he felt like n prince. SC, he said
The other suit he has packed carefully away
0s the most noteworthy memento o! his WAY
experiences. and he saws that there Ia a VIDE
opening for some enterprising spirit from bsn.
ter street to start n clothing business in sAS
/ I,,aA Ia Dnrtn Dfnn