Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1909-06-10
THE MUFFS MEN WORE
They Were Decked With Lace
and Bows of Ribbon.
A FASHION OF OTHER DAYS.

A FASHION OF OTHER DAYS.
Their Use Was Quite Common, Too,
and Not Confined to Fops and DAN
dies-Doubls Mufs Wore Once In
vopus-Extremss Of Style In Sizes.
Muffs were invented for the use Of q
man. At least SO the legend goes. 1t
seems a classic shade found the air OF
the world SO beastly cold when he re-
ascended to earth after his death that
his hands were almost frozen.
Consequently it was decreed that the
slayer Of the poor young gentleman
should kill enough sables-evidently
sables were appreciated even IN those
early days--to make a covering for the
frosted fingers. He did 1t. and that
was the origin Of the mum.
Even IL one is not prepared to &C.
ccpt this account Of the first mum as
authoritative there Is one thing that Is
certain. 1t Is only in very modern
times that NUTS have been the e1clu-
sive property Of women. Up to the
third quarter Of the eighteenth cen
fury men were quite as addicted to
them as women were.
In the wardrobe accounts Of Henry.
prince Of Wales. for 1908 the prices OF
VT
pensive cost e., very big sum in
those days and Is described as being
made Of cloth of silver wrought with
purls, plates and Venice twists OF ST.
yer and gold. The other was COM
paratfvely plain one of black satin EN-
broidered with black silk, and Its price
was proportionately less, only 60 shil-
lings.
At the time Of Charles I and Charles
II. there was a curious fashion OF dou-
bic muffs. a small one for each hand
something like q big loose cum. The
single or ordinary muffs carried by the
English ladies Of Hollar's etchings are
of medium size and made entirely OF
smooth fur. arranged. as rule, with
the hair running round the nun.
At the extreme end Of the century,
after the advent Of William Of Orange,
mems NUTS were still small and were
generally suspended from ribbon
round the neck. but In 1903 II seems to
have been ore usual to loop the mum
TO a coat tuition. There is n widely
prevalent idea, think. that masculine
muff wearers invariably belonged to
the dandy class-the fops. beaus and
macarories-but this was not actually
the case, though the fashion was
certainly scofYed at by some contempt
rary writer's.
Staid and elderly gentlemen carried
NUTS lAbitually. For instance, DR..
Josiah Tucker. dean of Gloucester and
famous political economist. was no
attached to his huge fur nun that he
carried It even when officiating at the
cathedral services. Englishmen. how
ever. do not seem ever to have favored
lace frilled mutfs such as were affected
by Frenchmen during the early part OF
the eighteenth century. but contented
themselves with trimmings OF ribbon
bows. adornments quite sufficiently eff
Terminate. one would think.
Muffs, both ladies' and gentlemens,
varied much In size at different times
from the reign Of Queen Anne onward.
In 1910 they were very tiny. but grew
somewhat larger during the following
couple Of decades. In 1I4O however,
they had decreased again. and a little
later Horace Walpole writes Of send
ing George Montagu "a decent small
ish muff that you may put In your
pocket and 1t cost but II shlllincs."
But by 17GO both sexes were carrying
such capacious nuns that pet dogs
were often concealed In their warm re-
cesses. About this time. by the way.
Iuuffs made Of feathers were intro
duced by reason. 1t is said. OF an IN
usual scarcity If furs In the market.
In 1886 hdios' mufrs-men. except
fuch &c, entire fogies as Dean Tucker.
Lad by this time given up wearing
such things-wcre decidedly diminu-
tive. However. ut the beginning OF the
nineteenth century they were again OK
monster proportions and SO continued
for about thirty years.
Two murs Of the year 1900 shown IN
fashion plate OF that yenr are OF
long, shaggy fur. ard IN the print on"
IS colored yellow and has bow or
rurlle ribbon In the center, while the
other Is deep brown and has no trim
ming. Another hu"e muff IT rough.
Clark fur Is shown In set Of fashion
Hates for 1853.
A few years nearer cur own time the
mcdish nutf was large. fat and so
widely open at the ends that It could
have afforded but scanty protection to
the wrists. One example WAS made OF
ermine. fur whit h was in hi"h favor
from this time up to the mid-Victorian
Deriod.-IOndon Queen.
Buried Treasures In Morocco.
In Morocco II Is customary for
~. .l.k.- la,