The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-19
INFLUENCE OF DANDYISM


 his rupture with the prince. This fete was given in the garden of Burlington house, and the committee stood in the passage through the house, each royal guest shaking hands from side to side as he went along.
 Brummell was standing opposite to Sir Henry Mildmay. with whom the prince shook hands; then, instead of greeting Brummell in his turn, he omit ted him, and saluted the next member opposite. As the prince presented the reverse of his portly figure to MT. Bruni- mell, the latter leaning over it, said to Sir Henry Mildmay In loud aside Henry, who is our fat friend?"
 Lord Hougllton did not hesitate to say that, considering the previous long inti- macy and friendship between the beau and the prince, it was generally felt at the time to be rather a witty retort to a prov location than an unmannerly insult. Upon another occasion, when the prince offered his ,old friend an affront that was unmstakable, a bystander said that the two men looked straight into each others eyes, the prince betraying signs of an noyance, while MT Brummell did not quail or show the least embarrassment, never once taking his eyes off the prince. When we reflect that this great leader of fashion was ever most loyal to the ! wife of the regent, the Princess of Wales, and was never friend to the favorite, Mrs. Fitzherbert, we can well understand why MT. Brummell was pop ular with every class of society, and real  be power for good.
 The man who above every other was entitled to the name of King of Bath was the well-known Richard Nash, who actually transformed the dirty and un- kempt town of Bath into a cleanly and reputable health resort. He introduced civilization into the town, forbade and prevented dueling and the wearing of swords and enforced his laws upon royal | ty itself. His dynasty was indeed of modest origin, but it grew into dazzling potentiality, and it would be hard to find anywheresa a more absolute ruler than this master of Bath, not permitting Queen Anne herself to infringe his regulations. l During the almost imperial reign of 1 Nash there were remarkable figures in I society, who earned the claim to dandy ism by always appearing in well-combed periwigs, powdered coats. waistcoats of colored silk or satin, embroidered with 1 gold of silver, velvet brooches. bright oolored stockings and great silver -buckled shoes. Such men were Lord Chesterfield, Lord Hervey, Lord Bolingbroke. Bubb Dodington. George Selwyn and many oth- a1d ao1.fn nf ma Jpa m of the politician, the beau and the litera- l teur. Hervey, very ambitious, was so | dainty in his dress as to be called finick- l ing. Dodington was self-assertive and garsh in his dress, but according to French authority.
 l It is highly probable that Charles II. brought the word Beau with him on his return from France. as it was not | known before that time. Doubtless there were many who filled the character be- fore the reign of the Merry Monarch, as were the Earl of Leicester. the Earl of Surrey and Sir Walter Raleigh, who had 1 great taste and style in dress. | Here, after joining in the prayers of the English, church for the dying, this | fascinating and. in many respects, most l gifted dandy, breathed his last.
 But as the restoration might be said l to have inaugurated the dandy, the fair | bloom and fruftion was not Carolinian l but CfeOrSlan lie TtlSlS .Ol tile OeOrSeS presented the dandy who was thing of beauty and a joy. At the same time there | were men who had leanings toward this | standard who were not the ideal dandy Scrope Davies, who was an intimate friend of Byron,, was also friend of Brummelis. One. day at Cambridge he entered Byrop.sf rooms and found the poet in bed with his hair in curl papers,
 '.Ha, ha! Byron.. I have caught you playing the part of the sleeping beauty.' l laughed Davies
 .You mean the part of fool' replied l Byron savagely.
 Well as you please" said Scrope. but you have taken us all in. l would have sworn that your hair cured nat urally." Yes, naturally, every night. But don't let the cat out of the bag, my dear Scrope. I am as vain Of my curls as a girl of 16'
 But dandyism is a thing of the dead past. After the battle of Waterloo mer: in England found other aims more worthy and the decadence of dandyism began I As for the dude, which was a nine teenth century product, it could not be elassed with so significant factor as the dandy.
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