Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-09
COLLARS AND MORALS.
Flimsy Neckwear of the Cavalier
Puritan's Stiff Garment.

From the London Mirror.
1t is a remarkable oversight on the part
OF our social and moral reformers that
they have never investigated how far
mans character is determined by the fash
ion of his collar There Is obviously wide
and interesting field open to the inquirer
who searches the statistics of crime on this
matter How many criminals. for instance,
brought to justice during the last twenty
years wore high, stiff collars? 1t Is an ac-
knowledged fact that there are more male
than female criminals. How far Is this
due to the fact that, speaking generally.
the female costume has greater "constra1n-
ing" power than that worn by the male
members OF the community?
The idea of the normal influence of dress,
though at first startling. is not without his
toric precedent. Was not clothing one Of
the first results Of the fall, and may we
not consider the sumptuary laws OF our
fo-efathers TO have been caused by some
faint glimmering of an important principle!
We always associate the loose. himsy col
lars and unconstrained costume of the Cav
alters with corresponding loose system OF
morals, and the straight-out. SITTER and
more constrained garments OF the Puri-
tans with a stIicter moral system. The late
Mr. Gladstone was as universally known
by his collars as by his uprightness. Who
would be daring enough to dogmatize as
to which was the cause and which the
effect.
Further INQUIRIES into this interesting sub
ject may show that when we admire a man
of high moral character, we are simply
praising the result and overlooking the
cause This brings us to another aspect Of
the matter. Do we properly appreciate our
ciear-starchers, who are, in the care of our
collars, proving themselves to be the real
custodians of public morals? Yet, we never
hear of a laundress being presented at
court, or decorated with an order of merit.
An old proverb has it, that no man is a
hero to his valet. This must mean that no
one but mans valet has such opportuni-
ties of studying his character without the
support of his collar. Such being the case,
the practical question arises. II collars In
Euence conduct. is 1T not the duty Of the
state. the guardian of public morals to
make the wearing of stiff collars compul-
sorry? In short. since We muzzle our dogs
To stamp out hydrophobia ought we not to
collar our men to eliminate crime? In
stead of filming wrongdoer, or sentencing
him to short longer term of impris-
onment. he should be ordered to add an
other inch to the height of his collar,
and thus collars would become barometers
as it were. indicating the state of the NOR
ais of the wearer.
The gain to the whole community, IL such
a measure were successful, would be enor-
NOUS even if only cons dered from a pecu-
| MARY point of view. The money an
nuaIly spent in maintaining our prisoners
might be devoted TO any or all of the fol-
lowing projects: Paying off the national
debt. buying out Irish landlords. readjust-
ing 'outcast" London. supplying modern
guns to our army. enlarging and mod
ernizing our navy. providing dowries for
''unappropriated blessings" When one
thinks of all the good to be obtained from
so simple a measure one feels that here is
scope for the apparently exhaustless energy
even of the woman of today Surely the
elevation of the whole of the male members
of the community would satisfy even her
desire for the Improvement of the stronger
sex.