Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-11-30

EA0LETS.

We have the comforting assurance
from Prof. George Vincent. of the Uni
versity of Chicago that the efforts of
man or woman to be "in fashion are
not sign Of moral dcpravity or mental
declensiOn. Once In a while q college
professor clarifies a situation that has
been hazy with doubt for centuries.
Many q man has taken to himself much
credit for being able to resist the al.
lurements of fashion. lie has pridcd
himself upon his studied indifference to
the canons of fashion IN dress and In
manners. believing that such indiffcr-
cncc was the expression of much sturdy
individuality. He has defed the tailor
and the mandates of the dra wing-rOoin.
even at the risk of being regarded as
odd and eccentric. He has declined to
wear the garb of the cOlOred waiter at
social functions and has stubbOrnly re-
fused to saw of his chin with high
standing collars. Once In a while some
cheerful PhIllstine. holder than the rest.
insists upon eating his pie with knife.
All Of which has been generally re.
gartled as evidences Of sterling indlvid.
uallty and force of character. Now
comes Prof. Vincent in an address be.
fore the Daughters of the American
Revolution with the declaration that
those who are unable to lit into the
social structure and who rldlcule fash.
lon are "snobs" and Doors" His sub.
ject was the Psychology Of Fashion"
Said the professor: "The basis of fash.
lon In this country Is competitive lmi.
tatlOn. Each person, In whatever sta.
ton Of life, but more particularly In
the upper and middle classes, attempts
to Guido n nelghbor In tile style Of gar.
ments and architecture of manners laid
down by some leader" IT man makes
seventeen kinds Of an ass of himself
by adopting some fashion that has no
basis In sense or civilization and some
fellow wants to 20 him one better and
make II eighteen II Is matter Of ''cOm.
petltive imitation" and should not be
rldiculed or cOuraged--accOrdlng to
the professor. II a woman can make
ten roses ana four punches of grapes
ana one bullhnch grow on hat where
only one poppy and a bluejay grew be.
fore she Is participating In the psyche.
logical game Of competitive imIta.
| ton" 1t may come high for the man
who pays the bills. and II may cause
much amusement to the savages whom
we sometimes try to ''clvIlize." but the
DEGREES Of fashion cannot be set ut
naught. Man Is essentially an imitatOr,
and he doesn't care very much what he
initiates so long us the game Is compel.
tive.
~9A
Hassnn Darr, u Turk, once w0Althy.
became poor. 1t became necessary for
him to leave his home country, SO he
came to New York. lie had health and
could read and speak seven languages.
In New York he found out what hunger
meant. lie slept In kennels. He associ.
ated with people of the gutter, ana he
ate food that was lit for dogs, not men.
Nobody wanted his seven languages.
Finally he found position rs Inter.
prefer. held II for u while. ana lost 1t
because he persistently failed to get to
work Oh time. There IL no argument
against higher education In this edi.
tOrial. But education alone doesn't
keep men from disaster. 1t Is only
worth having when 1t Is coupled with
practicabillty and u generous measure
Of horse sense. Lnziness has kept many
people poor. The fellow who IL always
fifteen minutes behind time Is always
tired, ana employers can lind so many
energetic, wide-awake, pushing fellows.
eager to learn and grow ana prosper,
that there Is no place for the other
kind. The country Is full OF young men
who do not quite reach. They are nj.
most competent; almost good enough to
be fOremen, superintendent. cashiers,
or I'LL any Of the higher positions In the
world OF human endeavOr. But they
lack sense OF responsibility. They are
In bed when they should be eating
breakfast, and eating when they
should he on their way to work. Al
ways behind. 1t Is an indictment that
has killed many chances Of success,
We have In mind Il young man who had
intelligence and muscle. He was work
ing for $50 month. ana hoping for
something better. A friend found an
opening, where In three years time n
salary of $1,000 Il year would be the
reward of the young man. \ short jour
ney was needed to clinch the position.
and they arranged to take an early
train together. Train time found the
man who had acted SO kindly waiting,
watch in hand, for the youth who had
everything to gain by the trip. lie
didn't go. lie was sitting on the edge
of his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his
eyes with one hand. CROPPING for his
clothes with the other. He said he
knew he was late. but lust couldn't
get up And so he lost glorious
chance. II his experience and the do,
lngs of the highly educated ana very
lazy Turk could scare some Of the al
ways-behind fellows into activity, they
would not have lived In vain.
The words of Judge Jones. of Ala.
bama, lately appointed by President
Roosevelt Judge Of United States
Court, deserve wider publicity than
they have received. The new Judge,
"a man of the rugged type. full Of sim.
pliclty, learning. courage and native
force" is not member of the Presi-
dents political party. but a stanch Dem.
ocrat. He was appointed. not for p0-