Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-11
THE PANAMA HAT

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Don't let the chaps who refuse to loosen
up for a Panama hat make you believe that
there has been nothing doing in the tropi-
cal top-pieces since the passing of the big
Panama craze that swept over the United
States In 1902" observed local dealer In
headwear. "The Panama Is still very much
alive. The 1902 Panama hat fever-we
called 1t the Panama bug at the time-un-
doubtedly injured the trade In Panamas
during the following season. on the BUSH
ness principle that there Is always re-
action after too much of a good thing
But fine, brisk demand for the Panamas
set IN at the beginning Of the season last
year. SO that at the wind-up almost as
many of the hand-woven hats had been
sold as during the everybody fora Panama
year Of 1902. The Panama hat business is
big factor In our trade again this year.
and 1t has now settled down to a sane and
sensible basis. That day Of outlandish prices
for the equatorial straws has passed
Foolish stories of extraordinary prices paid
Tor the Panamas during the big year Of 1902
brought ridicule upon the trade in hats of
that Kind. and standing joke is a bad
thing TO get mixed up with business.
When the country had had its little fun
out of the joke, however men of discrimi-
nation began to fall to the fact that the
Panama hat was pretty good thing for Its
own sake, on account of its lightness and
wonderful durability, and that established
the Panama on firm instead of a fever
basis. The immense prices for Panamas
woven under water. and requiring three
years to make, as the old fake stories used
TO run, no longer figure in the regular
sales of Panamas, although a spcnder for
the sake of spending can get as expensive
a Panama as he wants by ordering it. The
huge-priced ones only carried in the
stocks of very few houses in New York
AS fine a Panama any reasonable man
could possibly want can now be had for
s25, and there are some mighty good to be
had at a considerably cheaper price. The
reason why such big prices prevailed dur
ing the big Panama season of 1902 was that
the Panama bug took the dealers I'M
awares, and the supply wasn't anything
like equal to the demand. When agents
were sent to the Latin-American countries,
where the hats are made, to renew the sup
ply, the makers raised the price out of all
reason, and the wearers of the hats had
to pay the fiddler, SO to speak. The thing
has now settled down to a normal business
basis, with supply equal to a steady,
normal. demand, and no chance for ridicu-
lous prices or gouging In any branch of
the trade.
There's fun in selling Panamas," went
on the dealer. You see, the things, low
cred as the prices for them have become,
are really sad extravagances for the great
majority of men who buy them. Four men
out of five look either guilty and hangdog
or reckless and desperate when they're dig
gng up for their Panamas.
"The fellows who look like married men
are the ones who wear the hangdog air
The reckless lockers are young fellows who
are perhaps trying to figure 1t out how
they're going to duck their board bills for
a week or SO in order to make good their
investment in Panamas.
There's something queer about the way
the hankering for Panama clutches a
man, once he begins to ache for one. 1t
hits even men who are by no means dressy,
and who can therefore pass the inviting
arrays of things in tailors' and haberdash-
ers' windows without even being tempted.
Maybe it's because the man with sure
enough Panama on his head experiences
satisfying sensation of genuineness all
yesterday, wearing a new imitation Pana-
ma for which he had paid 81 or IS, said
that he couldn't stand 1t any longer, and
he bought $25 really-and-truly Panama.
Il can't stand the gaff with this thing
on he said, pointing to his imitation hat.
It's good-enough looking lid and all that.
but the internally impudent way that It's
rubbered at by chumps that've got gen.
ufne Panamas on their heads gets me
going
"A couple of days ago. which was one
of the hot days, caught sight Of big,
good man Of about forty,
wearing a black derby hat. standing in
front of window filled with Panamas that
we exhibited at the s25 figure. I was sort
O. sorry for that man after / had studied
his moves for about ten minutes for I
came pretty nigh knowing what was going
on in his mind. He would gaze long and
earnestly at the display of hats in the
window, and then he would shake his head
and mutter something to himself and walk
out to the curb. For a long while he would
stand on the curb and look intently at the
gutter, shaking his head and then he would
square his shoulders, throw his chest out
and his head back and take up a quick
march right for the door of the store.
Before he'd got more than half way across
the sidewalk, however, an expression of
indecision would creep into his eyes. and
his chest 'ud sink in and his head down.
and then he'd nudge up to the window and
gaze longingly at the $25 hats some more
He repeated this performance four. or
five times during the ten minutes that
watched him, but the last time he got his
nerve right and did actually come into the
store, almost running in his determination
to cling to his final decision.
81 was fearing he would crawfish, SO I
had one of those $25 Panamas before him
almost before he had asked for It, He
tried 1t on and 1t fitted him perfectly and
became him exceedingly WELL He gazed
hungrily at the effect in the glass; but, for
all that L could perceive that he was be-
ginning to cave.
"'How much, did you say?' he asked me,
to gain time to think 1t all over again, for
he knew perfectly well the price of the hat
II told him the price again. and he dug
an uncertain hand into his trousers pocket
and brought out fair-sized roll of bills,
probably half a months pay.
WELL said he, hoarsely, 1 guess I'll
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