The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-14
SHIRT-WAIST FAD
SCORES A VICTORY.
Camden Police Doff Coats and Don
Garment Adopted by Local
Mayor, Judge and Preacher.
PRESENT STYLE CRITICISED.
New York Furnishers Say New
Dress for Men Needs Revision
Is Too Much Like Under
clothing at Present.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Camden, n. J., Aug. lS-This city has
taken the lead In recognizing the shirt
waist man, and to-day the whole city is IN
shirtsleeves. including the police force and
Mayor Cooper b. Hatch.
Supreme Court Justice Garrison started
the innovation. which was followed by a
shrt-waist banquet. Then the Reverend
Doctor J. T. Stevenson preached n sermon
from the pulpit of the First Presbyterian
Church in his shirt sleeves. and invited the
male members to take off their coats. About
100 accepted his invitation. and then the
pastor gave them a plain talk on rational
dress. regardless of place.
But the greater surprise ot all came TO-
day when the entire police force appeared
on the streets without their coats and with
their badges pinned on shirts. that. if they
We're not uniform, We're at least neat and
clean. and the men looked cool and COM
Portable. The police also wore straw hats
and showed their appreciation Of the de-
parture from the regulation uniforms by
giving three cheers for Mayor Hatch. when
his orders were made known to them by
Chief of Police Foster.
The preliminary orders were issued by
the Chief yesterday. but not until this
morning did all the men take advantage OF
the Mayors permission. When the morn
ing squad reported yesterday Chief Foster
walked out of his office wearing an immac-
ulate shirt waist of white cambric, with
his gold badge cleaning from the front.
There was rurmur of surprise that was
quickly subdued when the Chief began to
speak
II am authorized by the Mayor he
said ito say that you can hereafter appear
without coats until the weather moderates.
l will eXrect you to wear clean shirts of
proper design and you may also wear straw
hats"
Every man in the squad shed his coat
at once and to-day this city sets the pace
for the country with a shirt-waist police
force. The men had some trouble at first
in disposIng of their weapons, but they
soon grew accustomed to the change and
now say they never knew how heavy and
hot their blouses were.
Mayor Hatch is sincere in advocating the
shirt waist and set the example by ap-
pearng the streets wearing white silk
shirt, white duck trousers. white belt.
white canvas shoes and white panama
straw hat.
SHOULD DE REVISED.
BY MARTIN GREEN.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
New York, Aug. 13.-The shirt waist mar
tyr had small excuse to-day for getting
himself elected from restaurants and
beaches. and this gave him chance to
consider whether he is really designed upon
the right lines.
Is the summer shirt waist. as worn by
man, suitable for an outside garment? Is
1t not really too much in the line of under
wear?
4 reporter who suggested to many dealers
In mems furnishings to-day that it is up
TO them TO designate shirt waist that
won't be just simply shirt sleeves or under
wear, but garment suitable to be worn
without u coat, admitted that there was a
good deal in this view.
Next season some genius will put on the
market mans shirt waist that won't be
a shirt said the manager of Bradford
Tripler, gentlemen's furnisher, in the Potter
building. 1T will contain the pockets or
be decorated with rlffles something, and
perhaps have different kinds of sleeves, 10
take away from it the shirt sleeves re-
proach.
Some New Suggestions.
THE shirt. waist for men for 1901 must
have several pockets. for the shirt waist
man must have somewhere to put his knife,
his cigars. his keys and the other things
that man carries around with him. No
shirt waist girl will g, go around with shirt
which to store his purse.
Perhaps the shirt waist that some Edi-
son of the cuff counter will invent and
make popular will be d compromise between
a. shirt and coat. 1t must have skirts
that tuck in the trousers. like the present
shirt waist. and perhaps there will be some
thing in the way of frills or something to
conceal the union of shirt and trousers.'
One shirt dealer suggested that the waist
be cut something like u policeman's tunic
with big coat buttons to remove the shirt
effect, and with cuffs
He thought the present patterns. which
are purely of the shirt style. must be sup
or the shades used for summer cloth suits
Another suggestion was the shirt on the
form. of the Norfolk jacket. with pleats
running up and down. and a belt made of
the same stuff as the shirt
Fat Men Oppose Shirt Waist.
Objection in bulk to the shirt-waist man
comes from men gifted with more than
their share Of too solid flesh. The fat man
Is the shirt-waist mans deadly enemy. This
fact was surprising to Investigators who
SHOWS M put Fl TO em be but consd
The reason that the fat man expresses
aversion to the male shirt waist is because
fat man keeps on his coat his troubles are
! concealed, as it We're. He may, by judi
eious and continued mopping. keep his face
| from resembling the exterior surface of a
Mexican water bag, but once his shirt is
| revealed-well. 1t attracts attention.
ne IN De, sr sr, iSr ae a on the rat
1
| Garden during prize fight A casual study
of the heavy. coatless persons at such an
| affair is convincing evidence that the fat
| man, in opposing the shirt waist, is per-
| son of rare discrimination and good taste.
| Reed and Hanna Against 1t.
| Tom Reed for instance Is not q shirt
| waist man. He has refused to talk for
| publication about it, but 1t is said that he
remarked to a friend recently: This shirt
! waist business is positively immodest even
| If the shirts are clean. Men have no ex-
cuse for invading public places without
| proper, conventional clothing"
| Mark Hanna works In his shirt sleeves
| in his office, but he would as soon think
/ of going to church In a bathing suit as
of going into a public place without his
| coat. He was talking to friend the other
day about the shirt-waist habit Said he:
| THE original shirt-waist man Is the tug
| boat deck hand on the Great Lakes. He
| has been frequenting the dinner table at
| tired in pair of trousers and a shirt as
| long / can remember
| Alderman Jim Cronin of st. Louis, one
of the fattest men in the Mississippi Val
| ley, was met on Broadway wearing an
| overcoat He Is a deadly enemy to the
| shirt waist.
Eugene o'Rourke, the actor. is a fat
man who can wear a shirt waist grace
| fully, but he views the future with alarm
THE next thing" he. said, the man
whose feet hurt him will be promenading
in his socks. and from the sock man il
is only step to the pajama man. After
| that tho Lord op1v knows yha}'s fo ba.