The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-12-12
SOCIETY STIRRED.
Frank Burch Created COnster-
nation at COmmiSceO Party.
Appeared In Negligee Shirt and
Sack Suit.
CALLED TO ACCOUNT
Refused to Admit His Wrong
to the President.
Resigned Before Official Edict
of Expulsion Was Received.


The younger circle of society is
greatly worked up over the fact that
a member of a prominent dancing club
recently attended a dance and wore q
negligee shirt and no dress suit. The
mandate has since been issued that
nothing but billed shirts" viii be al
lowed and the young man has been
dropped from membership in the club
At the dance given by the Commisceo
club not long ago Frank Burch appear
ed on the floor, wearing negugee Shlrt
and sack. suit. The evening was warm
and the young man rather fieshy. The
heating arrangements in the hall were
good and as the young man knew that
and also knew that he possessed more
than his share of flesh, he decided to be
comfortable. Instead of g fOur-inch
collar and a broad expanse of Starched
shirt front. he adopted a semi-W ebb
McNall style and wore one of the latest
styles in negligees.
He walked into the hall. The young
men there in dress suits were surprised.
They were dumbfounded. They stood
and looked aghast at the spectacle of a
society man breaking the laws laid
down by the great and only Ward Nc
Allister by wearing garment 50 badly
out of form.
Great heavens, look at that" said
one.
Horrors, the ideal" said another.
But Burch, wearing his unSocial garb
Joined in the dance with as much
pleasure as those wearing spike-tailed
coats and starched shirt fronts. He
danced as many times as anyone else
and when the exertion sent the tenn
perature of his body up a few degrees,
he quietly slipped out to The dressing
room and discarded his vest. He re-
turned Vestless.
oh" exclaimed one of the dancers,
and he would have fallen in faint if
a friend had not caught him in his
arms and carried him to the dressing
restore him.
The dance went on. When it was over
the young man with the negligee
shirt, his face wreathed in smiles, left.
An Indignation meeting was held by
the dress coat members.
The president of the club, DR.. F. o.
Burkett, was besieged by those clam
Oring for justice. The president called
a meeting of the board of directors.
It was decided that a man who would
commit the sin of wearing a garment
of such an undressy and horrible ma
ture as a negligee shirt should have to
be dropped from the club.
DR.. Burkett wrote a letter to the
young man informing him of the action
taken by the board of directors. He
posted it. Later he felt sorry for the
young man and went to the pOstOft1ce
and headed the letter off.
Then he sent two of the directors
around to talk with the culprit. The
heshy young man announced that if he
wished to wear negligee shirt he
would and that the members of the
club could be as indignant as they
wanted to. Then the young man wrote
a letter of resignation and mailed it at
the same time that the president re-
mailed his letter, notifying the young
man that the club would drop him from
the rolls.
Now the young men who stand with
the heshy young man are talking OF
getting up a negligee club and allowing
the girls who attend to wear shirt
waists if they want to.
Mr. Burch is a well known society
young man and is employed at the San
ia Fe offices. He is not worrying about
the rules of dress. His friends threaten
to expose the members of the club who
wear hired dress suits.