The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-14
LIMPINc MAY BE A FAD.
Accident to the Prince of Wales May In
troduce the Custom.

Accident tn the Prince of Wales May In
troduce the Custom.
III fate shoul decide against the re-
covery of the Prince of Wales-if he
remains to the end of his life a cripple
lame in on leg-is IL at all possible that
a complimentary IA counterfeit limp
VIII become the fashionable fad among
his associates and hen spread to the
snobs and ~anglomaniacs everywhere?
These questions are not put in Jest.
They are asked in all seriousness. His
tory, says the New York Herald, shows
by an infinitude of examples hat fash
ions OF the absurdest sort have sprung
from the physical imperfections of the
great, whether they Were the result of
birth or accident. Analogous cases to
this suggested possibility may be found
in the princes own family history.
The long rains which were so popu-
lar and so offensive a feature of the
fashions of the early seventies, grew
out of the fact hat Queen Victoria, ow-
ing to n painful swelling, had been
obliged to wear bandages on her loot.
To conceal the bandages she heightened
her skirts. Her dutiful subjects straight
way heightened their skirts also, and
in a literal sense they went through the
streets. carrying dust and garbage and
potential disease into parlors n draw
ing rooms.
But the exactest analogy is furnished
by the fad of fashion which sprang up
in aristocratic female circles in 1874 and
was known as the Alexandria limp. In
that year the Princess of Wales was
afflicted with a lameness in one of her
knees. Only a slight limp was the re-
suit, but this limp was caught up and
initiated by the ladies' of the court, and
then by all the fool women of England.
Not a few of the fool women of Ameri-
ca aped the fashion.
Will an Albert Edward limp be the fin
de steele follower of the Alexandra
HmpP History is full of similar anec-
dotes. Alexander the Great had a twist
in his neck. 1t was therefore fashiona-
BILE for every one in that monarch's
court to carry his neck awry. One day
Francis /. of France was struck on the
chin with a piece of tile. To hide the re-
sultant scar he allowed his beard to
grow. His courtiers all followed his ex-
ample. Thus boards came back into
fashion, after having been out for near
~ a century.
Charles VII. of France had a pair Of
ill-made legs. He wore a long coat to
conceal them. Result, everybody else
wore long coats.
The peruke is said to be due to the
misfortune of Philip, duke of B~ergundy.
His hair fell out. and his physician ad-
Nised him to cover his head with arti-
fetal hair, which he did, and thus set
the fashion.
At the battle of Steinkirk, which took
place on the morning of Aug. 3. 1892,
the French mobiles were surprised in
their sleep. m hastily rushing ont of
their tents they arranged their lace era
watts in the most careless manner The
French were victorious, and to COM
memorate their victory Ii became the
fashion after this to wear the neckcloth
IN a negligee manner. Hence the ORR
gin OF the Steinkirk cravat.
During the reign of George III. his
royal highness, the Duke of York, had
a duel with Colonel Lennox, and the
worthy colonel succeeded i'm shooting |
away one of the dukes curls. Hence it
became the correct thing 10 wear a curl
on n side of the temple only.
When Fox, the first OF Quakers, was
sitting In church and the preacher said
which he didn't like he moved
solemnly, put on his nat and kept 1t on
until the disagreeable remarks conclud-
ed. Hence arose the Quaker custom of
wearing hats I'm church.
A curious Instance of how a fashion
was nipped in the bud took place in
New York during the early part of this
century. A party of young swells-pos-
sioly the advance guards Of the present
army OF anglomaniacs-onet day rugged
~ " N'd'h anu SIN ald drove around !
town in style. This melted another
clique of young men, who, not to be
outdone at his sort Of thing. mmedi-
ateiy ntted out a coach and eight and
appeared upon the principal streets i'm
great splendor. So amusing was this To
the workmen Of the town that "A party
10 arme determining to burlesque
the whole affair, dressed themselves in
clean white frocks and appeared in the
most fashionable parts OF the town in
a new coach, which was driven by no
less than 10 horses tandem. Each man
had his hair powdered. Thirteen acted
as positions, and the extraordinary ap-
pearance Of this singular vehicle sent a
loud guftaw from one end of the town
10 the other. So ridiculous did the car
men make this absurd custom of emu
iatlon appear that no further attempt
was made on the part of the Young
s"ells. who. however. took the thing in
such good part that one Of them wrote
ode called Carmen Triumphe."