The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-14
HATS AND
HOUSES
Mr.. Newcomb's
Novel Address
at Y. W. C.. A.

Hats and Houses was the subject of
a novel twenty-minute illustrated talk
given yesterday afternoon at o'clock
by Edgar Allan Poe Newcomb, the ar
chitect, in the rooms of the Young Wo-
mems Christian Association. Mr.. New
combs address was intended TO show
the relationship of the headgear OF
various peoples in both ancient ana
modern times to their habitations ana
public buildings. In forty large coloreo
illustrations, designed personally by
Mr. Newcomb, the similarity was made
striking. The designs were arranged IN
pairs one to show the hat and manner
of wearing. and the other the style OF
architecture based upon it. Mrs.
Brown, secretary of the Y. w. {. A.
assisted the lecturer by exposing the
Designs to view as each was reached IN
the brief talk.
The speaker began by saying that MS
talk was upon Hats and Houses or
Headgear an Habitation, but which
should come first in order was difficult
to determine, as difficult as 1t is to de-
termine whether primitive man wore
clOtneS DetOre ne CHOSt HiS Se1NN' 49,
said that every nation under the sun
has one own style OF architecture, as
well as a certain kind of headgear Pc
culiar to it's people. Helmets, turbans,
mitres, bonnets, hats and wigs seemed
to bear certain likeness to domes,
spires. turrets. pagodas, gables and
frontons. but just why this should be
he was unable to say.
In some the examples shown, MI.
Newcomb called attention to the TACT
that the headdresS in some cases bore
the form of the whole building, as in the
Hawaiian, Laplander and Egyptian
styles; in some ii resembled only the
crowning point of the building, as in the
Grecian Roman, Russian and Turkish
styles and in others the form was only
carried through the detail of the build
ing, as in the Rocco style. Speaking OF
the ancient styles of architecture, he call
ed attention to the grass house of the
Hawaiian Islands, which seemed to nave
been the prevailing style, long before civ
ilization placed her frigid finger on the
natives and turned their attention to
clothes What the natives first took to
he was unable to say, but he knew that
the Hawaiian hat as worn today was one
of the characteristic things now made
and worn here. He showed an illustra-
ton of the lei-bedecked hat, and also
companion picture of an old-time grass
hut, the similarity of appearance being
remarkable. Next was shown a picture
of an Egyptian wearing the peculiar
headgear which is seen in the architec-
tural features of their temples-a fiat top
with the sides diverging The tall pa
goda-shaped hats of the Chinese showed
a remarkable likeness to the pagoda tenn
pies of the celestial empire.
A Greek shepherd of ancient times was
shown wearing a hat shaped much like
the triangular roof on the public build
| ings and temples, the glory of the ancient
Grecian architecture. A round helmet
worn by a Roman soldier, fitting closely
| to his head, was of the shape of the
great domes upon the old Roman build
| ings. a picture of a Turkish turban re-
sembled the domeS upon their mosques.
| The Crusader wore a tent-shaped hat,
Surmounted by cross with havelock at
! tachmentS; the tents which the Crusaders
used in their journeys to the Holy Land
resembled the hat. In Medieval times
| ladies wore a long cOnical hat and in
| those days tall, graceful spires were the
| chief architectural feature of the
| churches. Kings of old France wore
| huge curly wigs, which We're shams and
| often covered bald heads; the architec-
| ture of their times was also a sham, con-
sisting of ornamentation which covered
a plain background, the characterization
| had much the appearance of the curled
wigs. This is especially noticeable in the
Rocco style. In Spain, caps with wrin-
kles in the brims are worn by women,
and the houses in which they live and
the churches in which they worship have
tiled roofs looking much like the wrin-
kies in the hats. The Indians of North
America wore feathered headgear; their
wigwams and tepees greatly resembled
these odd hair ornamentations. The Pu
ritan conical hat found its resemblance
in the steepes which were invariably
erected over the rude churches of early
New England.
The plain and severe sunbOnnet of the
grandma theirs 50 and 20 years ago found
its reflection in the plain. austere and
INTELLECTUALLY ugly houses of the from
tier. Even in Ireland. Pats saucer-like
hat looked like the hovel in which ne
lived. The Laplanders Wore caps of fur
which enveloped the faces like muffs;
the ice houses in which they lived were
the same shape, the entrance being a
round hole through which they crawled
to the interior. In the tall silk tiles at
fected nowadays by the swagger set,
Mr.. Newcomb saw a resemblance in the
great skyscrapers found in all the large
cities
The audience was a large one. and was
composed not only of association men,
bers, but non-members to whom an in
vitation had been generally extended.
The next talk will he given on February
~ at the same hour. when Mrs. Dyke Of
Kamehameha School viii give an address