Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-04-10
MEMS SHIRTWAIsT PROBLEM
IS UP TO RETAIL DEALER

Shirt waists for men for the sum-
mer season of 1902 just now are
trembling in the balance. TO or
der or not 10 order" is the position
of the retail dealer, and until he de-
cides, some time about Nav .. TO
make or not to make will he the
query of the manufacturer.
For nothing in the line of wearing
apparel comes quicker from the bat
of the manufacturer than does IA
shirt waist in many colors. II will
not be made till men want it; men
will not demand il until the mercury
column is nearing the COS; and when
the COS have been passed and when
the shirt waist shall have been de
cided upon as the proper thing for
another season, a hot summer is eX-
pected TO keep hotel porters and
even hired bruisers busy in throwing
the shirt waist man out of the win
dows Of the dining rooms. provided
the flimsy garment is not accepted
as inevitable.
In this respect. however. the shirt
waist for 1902 will find il possible TO
avail itself of the cumulative vic
tories of Il stormy past. When the
first frosts of the autumn of 1901
sent the shirt waist 10 the ragbag il
had accomplished something in
ethics-it had found a habitation
and a name i'm civilization. \ few
men had been martyred i'm ii: few
lawyers gained clients in damage
suits against the arrangements of
hotels because Of il; and once, at
least. as against all the muscular
minions of a big Chicago hotel,
shirt waist had come into the dining
rom and sat a meal out in conspic-
nous comfort.
Still il is a question If the shirt
waist is To be an institution i'm the
Forthcoming summer. Dealers assert
that it may he. if there is a hot sum-
mer: that last season a sudden hot
spell made a sharp demand for this
garment in the neuter gender. while
10 degreed drop of the mercury
would shut il off in an hour.
we haven't mans shirt waist
in the house." said the manager OF
furnishing house. Whether we
shall have one later on is a question.
We have to consider two possibilities
heat of summer; the other is wheth-
err or not the shirt waist is 10 be
good form.
Last years shirt waists brought
out two marked difficulties i'm the
way of making the garment popular.
The first was that fat men. To which
the waist really appealed most.
could not find becOmingnesS in them.
\ really fat man in a shirt waist of
any color is a thing To drive a ner-
vous friend to drink. The only men
who look well At all in them are the
men of average height, weight and
build. \ long. lean man cannot wear
the thing. The other chief difficulty
in wearing ready made shirt waists is
that the peculiar shape of the should
ers of the garment makes the fitting
of collars difficult, and having the
sharply defined waistband. has to be
carried in almost innumerable sizes
and lengths in order To- fit all corners.
so far we have not made one move
toward stocking up on shirt waists.
We shall not do so before May 10;
perhaps. As TO style. they can hard
Nv change from last years forms
a loose shirt, with a band fastened
to the trousers. and with cuffs at
tached TO the sleeves of the shirt
waist.
AS TO colors. everything this sea
son seems to be on a white back
ground. Any colors to be popular
will have to he modest and figures in
the main will be small. The only
thing really new and striking are the
tan shades. which promise to have
quite a vogue in shirts. They would
make up tastefully into shirt waists.
AS a matter of truth" said a well
known physician, the shirt waist Is
not adapted to men i'm this climate.
1t is a woman's garment. not neces-
sariIy from it's shape. and coloring.
but because of it's lightness of ma
teriaI. ANY cool night in August yOu
may look into an open car and find
men with spring oyercoats on, but
toned to the chin. while women in
shirt waists and without wraps are
wholly accomplishing. If man
with undershirt. shirt. vest and coat
must still put on an overcoat in a
temperature which woman finds |
without wrap. you will |
see that the garment is impossible.
Il don't know if anyone has decid- |
ed just why it is that women wear |
shirt waists with such impunity in |
nights. Perhaps circu- |
lation of the blood may account for
it. In man the heart weight rs
about 1 pound. for each 100 pounds
of flesh: in n woman 1t is one pound |
to 40. Theoretically. one might ar
que from this basis that woman
should he of warmer blood than
man.
Certainly. from what ! know of
men and the climate. the shirt waist /
will never become universal here As
a garment il is an uncertain comfort |
in midsummer even and i'm my ey-