Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-17
POLITICS THE CAUSE
Secret of the CasteIIane I'm
brogIio Said to Be Political.
COUNT BONI "SYVETONED'
Evolution of His Efforts to Distin-
guish Himself.
FAILURE OF HIS SCHEMES
Innovation in Pants Creasing-Posing
as an Art Patron - How to Be
Both Republican and Royalist
FAILURE OF HIS SCHEMES
Special Correspondence ., The Star.

| The true secret OF the Castellane imbrou-
| Ito Is political. Count Boni has been 'tsyye-
| toned"--informed on by occult agents of a
| big political machine to make him lose his
credit with his countess and her money AS
his aged sporty father puts it:
DO not look for justice in this world My
boy will be punished. not for his faults as
husband-they would have let him go on
forever in that line-but for his attempts TO
please his wife and make name In politics.
They want his seat!"
This new view of the case. which shows
Count Boni victim OF his wifes attempt to
make man of him. begins at the begin
ming. She began soon after they were mar
ried He must distinguish himself. AS to
the choice OF field. she would be large: any
| old field would do
Count Boni told her it would be easy.
Rich. young, handsome. healthy and dis
tinsulshed. noble and well connected he
would be a grand seigneur and lead men
He started building his pink palace and be-
| gan looking for hunt domain He would
lie more than the best-dressed man in Paris:
| he would set mems styles: and In so doing
ne would win the gratitude and admra ton
OF all france. for he would free his coun-
trymen from the yoke of the British IA flor
"Henceforth the youth of France shall not
| go costumed like English groomsr
Inc countess would have been quite salts
iied with this role had Count Beni made
good and succeeded in giving his name to
new style of dress. In vain however did
| ne desert the trusting London-Irish snip
who had stood by him so grandIy during
ms search for wife: the few remaining
purely French Partisan firms to whom he
turned had no luck in devsing a French
| style. Their one successful noveIty-which
BonPs swell friends really copied from him
| ana which the London tailors lost no time
| IN adding to their repertoire-was lust the
| transcendentai morning suit" which Ront
| could not wear outside and show the world
| The Transcendental Morning Suit.
| These morning suits are not pajamas.
| They are real silk suits. of trousers vests
ana sack coats. In winter they are of
| heavy brocades. interlined with soft flannel:
and they run in price from $3.50 to $40 per
| SUIT; but when the count himself designs
| the patterns of Powered silk, to have il
woven for him on special loom which
must be broken afterward the cost goes rp
so high dare not tell It, You would not
! believe me.
| But the countess never objected to SUCH
| purely personal expenses for the decora ton
| OF her husbands manly form. Fresh from
| his bath. the curled darling's tints of silk
brocade mixed and mingled with his per
| fume In symphony that touched her
strangely. On dull mornings he would wear
a costume or warm crimson. In soft weather
1t might be pink, with orange facngs.
while cold snappy mornings are best
! matched with bright blue or pearl with
grass green facings. Green and cream 90
splendfdly together.
Often. coming In from riding of an a flor
noon, all wet and chilled, Count Boni
would slip into one of his silk morning
suits" again till dinner time The sweet
scented nre OF oilye wood famed in the
CRATE. The wax candles were lighted The
countess chartered over the tea and hon
bons. happy to enjoy her tete-a-tete with
the young god in black brocade with golden
m tryx1A ct,o$
she watched the lights and shadow. ulay
upon that breathing symphony, she
dreamed that she had almost got her
moneys worth.
Yet Count Boni had not DISTINGUISHED
himself as leader Of mems fashions. He
had not enfranchised the youth of France.
Ihe masses wore no style that bore his
name. he had not become celebrated even
as the best-dressed man of Paris. A mere
actor, like LIE Bargy, could give his name
TO neckties and vests and hats.
An Idea Truly Grandiose.
1t was then that the young Count of
Castellane hit on an idea truly grand!ose.
because II would have done more than i'm
pose on every adult male French citizen a
grave decision touching his own person.
1t might well, in course OF time. have laid
the foundations for new aristrocacy built
up on wealth. physical distinction and
straight legs.
In word. the Count of Castellane pro-
posed to crease pants down the sides In
stead Of down the front.
To get at the true motive for this world
innovation you must. glance at the raison
d etre OF the crease itself. Its fundanen-
tai object has ever been to dissimulate
the bagginess that comes to knees. Men
who cling 10 their pants to old friends
rejuvenate them by the front crease.
But what OF those whose trousers never
bag? Count Boni's trousers never bag.
Those of his peers in wealth and careful
ness don't bag. There ought to be a way
to show 1t to the world.
It was thus that Count Bonl hit on the
side crease. It Is a charming demonstra-
tor of purity of line. 1t is a terrible I'M
masker of incipient bagginess. Its fashion,
from the nature Of things, must remain eX-
elusive. No pants will stand the side crease
after they have been worn, say, ten times,
To have the side crease means that you
have pants to throw to the birds. Also,
stumpy men do not become II. 1t embel-
fishes the puer graclis in rosa-eyer and
always 1t means straight legs.
Why the Innovation Failed.
Helas, there were not enough. 1 mean
straight legs. I mean pants. That Is TO
| say, there are great quantities of straight
| legs in the world, but too few OF their
possessors have pants to burn. On the
other hand, the world is full of men with
pants to burn-but not enough OF them
possess straight legs; so the innovation
failed, and SO the countess lroWHedi ana
SO the count. smarting under his unmerted
defeat threw himself sayagely into the
character of great art patron.
"You insist that distinguish myself, he
Kissed between his teeth We'll, I'll do II.
Watch out for the EXPENSE
He was not completely without equipment
for the role. His palace of pink marble was
there. waiting to be. furnished. And. note.
you cannot distinguish" yourself In just
buying furniture like careful father OF
family. Also, 1t Is a mistake to imagine
him as being robbed wholesale In the mass
| of his acquisitions The two cabinets from
the Pincky collection came to him IN a lot
Of four articles for which he and the count
ess signed notes for 10000 pounds. What
ever NAV have been the value of the two
cabinets Boni sold them for cash to Mr.
Chappy shortly afterward for sum that
wher, the original dealer sought them back
from Chappy, caused the latter TO refuse
to let them go for less than 28.oo0 pounds.
A third object from the same lot. screen zen
| painted by Boucher, Boni sold for 1900
bounds cash Here Is 80. 900 pounds account
ed for. with the famous sevres vases OF the
Darlington collection still In Bonfs hands.
The Lawrence portrait, for which Castel-
lane had originally promised to pay D. 600
fo4o hV he l.