Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-11-25
WHIMS OF HUMAN NATURE
Reflections on Mans Habit Of Taking
Drink After He Has Bought
a New Hat.

80 you don't like it, said a man who
YVES wearing for the first time a newly
purchased hat. 81. 'No more do I, but IN
time I shall love It, and when / have to
part with it it will be with the same sor-
row with which 1 would part with an old
friend
That is not. a popularity Of mine, 1t IS
phase of human nature. Man admires
his new trousers with their vertical
creases, as accurate as IL made with the
aid of a plumb line. He Is glad to get rid
Of the familiar wrinkles Of the old gar
ment and to don the shspely new one; but
in the matter of hats the wrinkles are
dear 10 him and the smoothness OF new
ness Is an offense. -
But that IA a small matter" the man
went on, with a gesture OF dismissal.
What interests me now, and has inter
ested me ever since have been buying
hats for myself. is a sociological question.
'In these northern states the disappear
ance Of mems summer hats is regulated
by the dicta of certain authorities other
than the almanac. Wall street custom
governs New Yofk-all but Coney Island
where the Mardi Gras puts the finishing
| touches to any lingering straw hat on the
wind-swept avenue.
''The line between the fall hat and the
winter headgear is drawn less distinctly
but between the middle Of September and
the midwinter holidays are two changes
of hats, and in that period annually comes
up question that has puzzled phiIoso-
pliers and everybody else but socioiogists-
nothing puzzles sociologists-since the in.
auguration Of the mems hat Industry
| Why does the average man, after buying q
new hat 80 and take drink? Says the
poet:
Drink, and the world drinks with Won
/ Swear on and you drink alone
But whether a man is a drinlter or 4
swear-off makes no difference. II the for
mer, he vets his hat; II the latter his hal
and everybody but himself, so far as h,
has hts say, remains dry But he does no
I forget to remember himself
The explanation has been offered that tn,
average man is so pleased with his appear
ancse in his new hat that he feels Xix,
( ;aSirg something In honor OF his Improve,
! appearance But It is surely not the Gus
tom Of women to take even sip O
cordial I'm her boudoir when she tries OF
the new hat that has been sent home /,
her The ill-natured explanation that Their,
is not the price of pony OF cordial I'm tn,
house after the hat has been paid for Il
( unworthy OF consideration.
AhVtAtI hAANlllpk 70 tel why a MAJ
takes a drink after buying a new hat b
that he AZ first feels so uncomfortable an,
/ fancies that he looks so odd Ia the nev
gear, as compared with the ease an,
homely appropriateness OF the old. that h.
is impelled TO seek oblivion in stron,
( drink
But evidently this, Is not the true esS
PLANTATION, for II II were the man who bay
! a new hat would take two OF more drinks
and statistics, il any there were. woul,
show that he does not buy two OF NOR
drinks unless he buys two or more hats
The deluging OF hats won on election
bets is one Of the phenomena Of America
civilization and il need not be considere,
in the sober-minded view OF the phase o
human nature, The days OF the election
won hat, unless Il be a souwester, ar
brief and its career has no bearing Upol
the question under consideration.
I II DO not Wish 70 oifsT for acceptanc