The age-herald., 1901-11-09
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE
"Thou Shalt Remove Thy Hat"


 much consequence in this community, and when I arrived this man was in close consultation with another man whom l understood to be subordinate" said a person whose duty takes him to places that seldom afford him amusement, he declared.
 The man who was master was bare headed, but he who was servant wore his hat at what seemed to be an especially disagreeable angle, though he could not have worn his hat there in any manner that would not have been rude. It is not good manners for any man to sit or stand in the private office of any other man with his hat on. Even the most rudimentary forms of politeness teach this; and while the occupant of an office cannot compel a rude visitor to uncover and thereby have regard to the common est politeness, I have been often aston ished in Birmingham to see men of con- sequence suffer their own subordinates to wear their hats while in consultation or receiving instructions as to business or duties.
 | uStu lO De, lOnB llIle dBOt u high railroad official here who had a ne- gro boy for office messenger. Often I saw that boy with his hat on and half smoked cigarette enter his masters of flee, approach his desk, receive instruc- tions, and depart still wearing his hat; and once certainly the boy walked away from his masters desK whistling. The master made no protest. Whistling any where and everywhere is vulgar; but when 1t is added to the rudeness of wear ing ones hat in a private office 1t Is in- | tolerable
 'The observance of the commoner acts of civility. such as removing ones hat on entering private office or apartment and refraining from whstling, expector- ating, and the like. Is indisputable evil dence of self respect. If we'll bred man enter the private place of the most vuI- gar and rude of persons, his own sense | of self respect prompts him to remove his hat. That Is about all there is in it, | or at least it is the most of 1t all. Tn this relation there are many stories told of Gen. John M Wilson, until re- gently chief of the United States Army Engineer Corps. Many an unlucky man has received caustic rebuke from the gen. eral for transgressing the convention which says that gentleman will remove his hat upon entering a room other than his own. But one time the general had an experience with Senator Higgins of Delaware. A United States Senator in Washington Is about as big a human be- ing as can be imagined. Almost regal honors are accorded to him. And yet Sen ator Higgins received his rebuke for pre- suming ta present himself covered in the | presence of the army officer. He seated himself in chair near General Will | son and began talking. The general looked in his direction several times and shot angry glances at the offending silk tile that sat so correctly upon the Senatorial | head. Finally he could restrain his indig- nation no longer. He rang his bell and the colored messenger responded as promptly as if he had been shot out of | a gun.
 George, hand me my hat said the | general, and George produced 1t from the | dark recesses of a wardrobe The chief placed 1t upon his head and continued the conversation. The Senator went away in about two minutes thereafter. and the l general again summoned his servitor. George, take my hat away he said '' "T'xeeders" and Dress Coats. | When I determined to attend Grand Opera in Birmingham last week I wasr' quite certain whether I ought to wear sn ordinary half-dress jacket with a black tie or the customary full dress coat with a white tie.' said the Honorable Waiter Melville Drennen, the eminent and bclcy. ! ed mayor of Birmingham.
 "Candidly, I didn't know which coat was correct, and so I appealed to several men who are supposed to be in the height of fashion in Birmingham l Some of them urged me to wear the | jacket vulgarly called Tuxedo-pronounc. cd by the vulgar 'T'xeeder'-and the oth. CTS insisted that a regular evening dress | coat was essential l had a hunch that the evening coat was proper, and so wore such coat to the opera, though I own jacket coat-vulgarly called 'T'eeder'-
 
 cording to their advice the men whom l had consulted, I presumed that abou, half of them at the opera would be ar | rayed in T'xeeders' and would appear in that garb at supper, which they called 1 1unch,' and my estimate was about right | All the gents there wore 'T'xeeders. Most of the gentlemen, together with my- self, who am a plain citizen, wore the | ordinary evening coat of polite society. This is small. very trifiling matter, but I relate 1t as showing the difficulties l that are encountered by an ordinary man | who occasionally ventures into 'sassiety' in Birmingham. My fellow-citizens have l by their legally registered ballots made me person of large importance in Birm- | ingham, in that they have given me a high office of honor and (some) profit but I don't always know what to wear whether my 'Txeeder' or my swaliowtail coat-on great ocasions like grand opra and midnight lunch at the Hillman, "A night or two ago there was a for nal dinner-call it lunch or what VOL may-at the fashionable Hillman. This din. ner was ideal in luxury and good taste but several of the men wore 'Txeeders, | Now. according to the canons of good | form which I read, those "r'xeeders' and their accompanying black ties were in bad form. Maybe am wrong. but the books on etterket' say l am right. How can