Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-12
THE KHAKI UNIFORM.
DispIacing the British Red Coat for
Tropical Service.

iFopicaR SERVICE
Froga the New York Tribune.
The word khaki is derived from the
HInd"o, and means simply dust or clay
Coi0red. but in the war office sense ''kha-
XII Is elevated from the position of adjec-
tive to substantive, and refers exclusively
to thar drab co1ored material which was
worn for the first time probably by some
of the Eas, Indian regiments. Throughout
the Egyptian campaigns 1t was used by
our troops. and when the guards arrived
in London after the last expedition they
We're clad in the very garments served out
To them AGAIN for service in South Africa
As they detrained al Waterloo last au-
tumu and marched through the cheering
multitude to Wellington barracks, it must
be admitted that the mud-colored tunics
and breeches failed to appear to the eyes
Of people VINO had associated the brave
fellows with that Thin red line of gIori-
Gus me m0ry. but the outfit certainly pos
sesses many advantages from the point
of view Of practical work.
Lancaster. of course, is the home Of the
industry, and in order to meet the require
nents Of the gov eminent the factories there
have lately been working very hard Some
Loco men and women have been employed
recently in manufacturing the clothes
which are packed and transported by ia
tigue parties of soldiers to the various
destinations As regards clothes the wis
dom Of decentralizing stores has been
abundantiy proved during the progress of
The present scneme of mobilization In
stead of the delay and confusion which
used 10 ensue when the uniforms were dis
patched from the London center TO a num-
her Of points far and near. We now have
a well-organized system. under which the
goods are sent to the various provincial
Centers, thCr to he redistributed. Though
strong and unshrinksble. the material is
much more flexible than the customary
cloth. and enables the man to use mis-
adv A-a,- col
der will tell you that the manual and
hiring exercises can be performed with
much greater ease when khaki has been
substituted for the tght-ftttng and padded
regulation tunic- In South Africa. as in
the SOudan, there will be times when all
officers and men must sleep in their clothes
boots and accouterments, and in these con-
ditions a khaki suit is as superior to the
average uniform as pajamas are to the
frock coat and tweed trousers of the ci-
william.
of a more extensive use of khaki for the
purpose of campaigning. and especially of
a variety called 'millerain drill" Officers
stationed In India have borne testimony to
the rain-repelling properties of this fabric
which make II particularly adapted for
Use as an overcoat- The same drill is
also suited for the construction of army
tents. because the material does not absorb
moisture. besides which, after rain the
tents are not so heavy TO move about-a
very important matter to troops when cam
pdiSnlfS- A thermometer placed In mile
rain tents has proved that the temperature
IS lower by from 10 to 10 degrees inside,
as compared with other tents The cloth
being porous, the heated atmosphere is able
to escape. while the material turns the
heaviest downpour of rain. AT the pres
ent time there are several regiments in In
dia. cavalry and infantry. clothed in mile
rain khaki. as well as batteries Of artillery
The suits which will be worn by our SOL
diers are not waterproof. but they are Well
adapted for hard work.
In recent years khaki color has become
fashionable with ladies. and khaki gloves
are largely sold throughout England. This
variety. however, is apt to fade, whereas
the color for the troops must be tested by
an army analyst, and stand thirty-six
hours hard boiling. Cyclists and tourists
have also taken To the material of late a
special quality of the fabric being manu-
featured for their use Perhaps the chief
difficulty about khaki is the confusion
which exists as TO the spelling of the word
kharh being favored by some authori-
tirs and 'kharkee" by others. The only
objection from the soldiers point of view
Is that the wearer is liable to be called
names We have all heard of such regi-
mental nieknames as "strawboots. Cher
HolmS, Nanny Goats. 'Slashers." San
keys Horse Die Hards'' and the Dirty
Half Hundred but few people in England
know that the first Indian regiment 10 don
khaki became known the 'Dustmen"
Such calamity has. however. so far es-
capped the lot of the brave fellows who
have done yeoman service for us in Egypt
and some OF whom will shortly embark for
new fields Of victory in South Africa
Why should the word be nisspelled?
''khakf'-nOt "kharki-is a Persian name
which means earthly dustlike the color
of dried mud Khak-i-pa is dust of the
feet" and. TO become dust is KHAKI shu-
dan. The name and the tint have been
borrowed from India, where fakrs, peas
ants. hunters and soldiers alike obtain
from the bark OF the babul tree a dive
which gives the earthen hue to calico or
linen, 81 useful for concealment, for rough
usage and for keeping neat and cleanly
appearance