Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-23
THE STYLE IN CANES.
This Season Witnesses n Radical
Change in the Chnppie's Stick.

This Season Witnesses n Radical
Change in the Chnppie's Stick.
Games have their mode the same as
other articles connected with the outfit of
fashionable man. said the drummer of
Philadelphia cane and umbrella house to
Star reporter land this season We are
Introducing a brand new thing in the way
of sticks.
For several years the bent or the crooked
handle in plain natural wood, with or with
out silver trimmings, has been the stylish
stick. This spring we have placed on the
market a slender cane, small IN diameter,
OF smooth and polished finish, with a ster-
ling silver handle, highly polished, and bent
a. a sharp angle. the silver extending down
about four inches to meet the wood. Ii is
in the nature of a revival of the old, slender
cane of the dandy OF years ago. 1t has
taken we'll in New York, and l have sold
good orders to Washington dealers. Its
novelty lies in the fact that it IS a radical
departure from the prevailing style. l do
not anticipate that they will replace the
natural wood handle stick, however, but
they will have their vogue because they
are new.
1T will seem odd to men to balance the
slender stick after carrying the large cane
for so long. A few years ago the bigger a
chappie could get his stick the better The
craze is still exemplified on the stage by
the comedian and the rag-time dude singer
of African hue. College boys used to carry
tremendous sticks. Then the moderate
size, mostly of the popular knotted congo
wood, superseded the club. The deer horn
handle had its run, but they have dropped
out. The whangee, flexible but strong
species of bamboo, has been and will al
ways be more or less in style. In fact. the
different species of the bamboo have al
ways been popular because they are light
yet rigid. No other wood appears to COM
bine go well these requisites.
s+The cane with a knob il still carried and
is preferred by some men, but the crooked
handle fits the hand so nicely and is SO con-
venient to carry that 1t will never be SUI
perseded by another style. We still make
the hickory stick with its steam bent han
die, but they are mainly carried by middle
aged and elderly men, who use them for
service and not for style. The Irish black
thorn is seldom seen now. except with the
thorns, which were allowed to project about
a third of an inch from the stick, cut down
close to the knots man wants a cane
he can swing from the center and slide up
and down in the hand. The black thorns
would tear the hands and infiict a bad
wound If struck against the leg or flesh.
Loaded canes. that is, canes with slug
of lead in the handle, are seldom carried
in this country. The sale of sword canes
is prohibited, though practiced. as they
constitute a deadly weapon in the eyes
of the law. and the user may be punished
If caught carrying one. In Europe they
are popular. and may be seen in the win
dows Of the shops in all styles and length
of blade. from the short, sharp-pointed dag
ger to the long rapier. They are elegantly
made, and are much in vogue in Paris.
The leather canes you see displayed in the
windows are mostly made in prisons. have q
steel rod in the center, and are composed
of many layers of sole leather, placed on
piece by piece. in graded sizes, sand-papered
and polished.
Leaving out the gold-headed cane, which
is seldom seen now, ard If presented to
man, Is usually kept at home for exhibition,
the most costly canes are those made OF
snake wood, which Is susceptible of high
and beautiful finish, with ivory handles
trimmed with silver. You may pay any
price you wish for a cane, but canes which
cost over s12 to SIS are usually made to
order"