New-York tribune., 1901-06-09
HATS OF THE MIGHTY.
LARGE SIZES USED BY SOME OF THE
MOST NOTABLE MEN.
From The London Globe.

lng-to quote a newspaper report OF the period
upon his head what ne called silk hat a tail
STRUCTURE having a shiny lustre and calculated
10 brighten timid people" the top hat which 10
quote The ThunGerer' OF the same date Was
destined To work a revolution i'm headgear,"
mas been the headgear OF the mighty: and i'm the
case OF Joseph Hume, the political reformer and
hnancier, mighty headsear. Joseph Hume
Who when member OF Parliament for Middle
SEX, proposed in 1884 fixed duty imported
corn, apparently had the largest head of any
man famous i'm English history, judging from
some interesting statistics respecting the head
pieces OF ce.ebrities. which were forwarded to-
ssther With travelling cap. 10y an admrer
Nr. 6ladstone in 1897. His size in hats. indeed,
was sl2 or half a size larger than that OF DIR
Thompson, who succeeded Archbishop Ionclev
at York, and Of Daniel o'Connel whose head
covering, which was on view few years ago
al n meeting of the County Kildare Archeolog-
zeal Society at Mas, measured SiA inches i'm
width and 10 inches in its longest diameter, and
was of sufficient dimensions completely TO eS-
tingush the chairman Of the meeting as far as
the chin when he elected to try il on. Following
Dan" OConnell in the size of headgear comes
br. Thomas Chalmers, the eminent theolosian
and one OF the few Britons who have been
elected members OF the French Institute: and
following him w. NJ Thackeray. Who Was a
short head. in sporting parlance, in front OF
Mr. Gladstone. Charles Dickens and Robert
Turns, whose head Was never graced by tall
SILK hat, for the poet died exactly six months
before the happening of the stirring events that
marked the occasion OF the birth Of the tall hat.
The painstaking correspondent of the Grand
Old Man did not conclude his statistical record
of headpieces with Burns but EXTENDED il so
far as 10 record the fact that King Edward
VII requires No q head covering. his nephew
of Germany a hat bearing the mystic figure of
6's. the late Dean Stanley Gss tile" and the
Duke OF Cornwall ana York a topper OF the
proportions represented by the size tiSs-nforma-
ZION that the original recipient found he
mentioned when acknoN Lodging the Gift. full
OF interest. Large as some of these mighty
head coverings appear they would il placed side
hy side with a couple OF straw hats made in
ls:si and last year at Luton. appear almost in
significant In the case the crown Of the
straw erection measured about twelve inches
he lar. he meas as
ni5 feet; the hat. which required the services Of
three experienced men To block and iron il. con-
tanned fewer than TWO hundred yards of
Jumbo pleat one inch wide. and the hat box IN
which il travelled to Newcastle tAusIraliaD
measured seven feet square and was two feet
deep The second straw" was even larger. for
il measured over seven feet across the brim,
twenty-one feet round the bTim and three feet
round the crown. Moreover, II contained 2op
yards of dark blue and white Jumbo pleat, ana
fewer than four men of vast experience were
occupied in its manufacture. Wearing this, the
largest hat in the world Lahiache. the
ereat singer. who overcome with emotion. once
entered the royal presence wearing a hat on his
head and carrying one in his hand. could not
have become ohliVious to its Presence. II VIII
he recalled by some old plaYgoers that Queen
Victoria. desirous perhaps Of putting the great
basso Of the century and her old tutor at his
ease. laughngly remarked, Monsieur Lablache,
Aou have got one hat too many" the singer
wittily and promptly replied. Pardon. your
majesty. there are two hats many for man
who has lost his head
In the eariv DAYS uf the last century the
a title that gave rise TO the retOft uttered by
rhe first Baron Chelmsford. when coming away
from a reception with Lord Cockburn and Sir
Frederick Pollock. Said Cockburn. Chief JUS
tioe Il can't find my castor Then Try Pol
locks" rejoined the Lord Chancellor When
the century closed NJ. Carolus Duran styled the
unpopular but only head covering worn by Fo-
lite male society in the town the last word Of
tlle horrible'' hut notwithstanding the Eitupera-
tions OF the artistic and the slang of the period
the top hat continues on its career, undeteTred
hy the hard things said about il. The reason
of this lies in the startling fact that the "top
Ier" though most easily damaged. is one Of
the most indeStructible Of things, a fact that
ought to prove consoling TO those members of
Parliament who. like sir +. Powell in 1880, after
delivering a crushing speech, likewise crush
their top hats by sitting them, have them
crushed by others. This the fortune Of
some unfortunate wight a few sessions ago. the
culprit being Lord Stanley. who inadvertently
RAISING between the Speaker and the member
addressing him. WAS assailed with such shouts
of order ORDER that he hastily sat down alas,
on an immaculate silk hat graCing the bench in
his immediate vicinity.
Granting the indestrucfibilify of tall SILK hats
III uiaced in the hands Of experienced renOVatOrs
and aulv steamed and reShe acked. il may be
asked what becomes Of all those hats that
not transported 10 Australia Africa. to be
proudly dOnned 10y fhe artless savage? the
natives have been off the west coast Of
the latter continent swimming out TO incoming
steamers each man wearing renovated silk
haf siiu wrapped in all the glory OF the whit"
tissue paper in which il left it's native Bethnal
Green WhitechaDel or Bermondsey. the homes
Of Tho rcnovators The answer TO this question
ia