Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-10

~ has need for 1t and funds for
"a 1t at one and the same time.
II And he buys-it anywhere from
April to September Is accord
ing to the weather. where he Is going and
how much money he possesses for such
an expenditure. But nearly almost al
ways-meaning the average Washington
mamie buys It just before starting on
his summer vacation. According to
local halter, who has been long enough
in the business to know. he never rushes
madly forth and invests In a straw cha
peau merely because Easter Sunday lis
coming"
Indeed. the man is a bold creature who
ventures to wear one that early in the
season. The majority Of men on salaries
or Of medium incomes. he says. make
their last summer hat do until they
are preparing for that already mentioned
fortnight's or thirty-day jaunt. Then the
much-yellowed and detected looking head
covering is inspected and cast aside as
impossible.
Almost invariably the man has had no
intention OF wearing this left over hat
so long into the second summer He had
probably bought 1t rather late the sum-
mer before-when he was going away
for thus history goes on repeating itself.
and In the spring thought 1t far too de-
cent-looking to be cast aside. SO he
sends 1t to some one Of the many sons
OF Athens ins Washington and has 1t
cleaned and blocked. IL necessary
1t comes home 80 immaculate that he
starts wearing 1t, gets used to II and for
gets all about buying a new shape"
until the wardrobe inventory prior t.
that annual trip. Out he goes to hat
ter's--or THE hatters would ne mere an
propriate. since every man has his IA
vcrite cre-in quest Of something like
this one" displaying the year-old sreci-
men that has been sheltering him from
the rain and sun.
The man who sells hats usually replies
in as diplomatic a gu'se as possible that
the season has brought many changes
and that the customer would be better
dressed with a broader brim. Or higher
crown. or whatever happens to be the
subtle. yet none the less distinctive, diff
ference in masculine hats. And here
been nagRed and made fun Of and treat
ed with superior contempt because of her
shillv-shallv hat-buyine methods wants
to sit up and take notice.
For. on the word Of the proprietor OF
the aforesaid battery. the average man
demurs and asks to see what IS the
newest. anyway" and tries them all on.
and. finally. after putting on and taking
off the best liked one several times
mark that. several times-ends In having
1t sent home The writer spent much
time in an emporium fo- mems hts and
heard and saw what would have borlrght
tears of JOY to the eyes OF local rem
ininity.
It did not seem to be the day for the
man who. according to the way he tells
it, Just walks in. asks to be shown a
for 1t and walks out" There was not
one OF him among all the goodly assem-
blaRe, but there were men who only tried
on four or five hats. because that Is the
PLAYED this summer. They can well
claim they DO not spend hours before a
mirror Worrying the seller to death. for
there is 20 little variety in the shapes OF
their headRear. =,
thai were produced or else gave an en-
phatic shake of the head the minute the
offending hat left its box or place In the
show window and tried to describe Just
what they did want. To a man the Gus
toners would assume a hat. walk nearly
IN to looking glass. stem back one pace
and raising both hands. proceed to
straighten their ties while approaching
close enough to ~et a perfect view. They
would tr-n their heads. stretch their
necks and go through the most indescr'h-
able ccntortions trying to see every an
gle Of the hat at once And not one OF
Thorn ever dreamed Of saving time by
aching for a hand mirror.
Several youngsters insisted on the ht~h-
crowned panamas. or almnst-panamas.
which are popular for elderly men. and
scoffed at the straiRht-brimmed sailor
arr-opriate for thew nIe.
That's the way the halter explained.