The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-23

Apparently the WOrlu IS dWdhihs |" the fact that much of the discomfort of hot weather arises from custom which has long held people captive to neat ing clothes and heating habits. One fre- quently finds protest in some Amer ican or foreign journal against the type of clothing which tradition has made proper and which one continues to wear because life long habit says it is the thing to do. To consume heat ing foods is not so general mistake mature directs ones choice very we'll i but in the construction of homes lit tie attention is paid the physical ease which may be obtained during the heat of summer, and in many customs Is the same disregard of a matter which may
 be so easily adjusted. The location of windows, and out of door sleeping apartments, and the disposition or shades, electric fans and refrigerators, are important factors in ones pursuit of summer happiness. It may be said
 that never before have Birmingham people prepared so well for hot wealth CT emergencies and few stay-at- homes
 have complaints to offer to the weather
 man. Another summer, however, bids
 fair to see a more rational scheme of
 things yet-with the feminine popula-
 tion decked out in thin white collarless
 frocks and canvas shoes, men wearing
 summer raiment, thin of texture and
 cool of tint; more judicious use of
 the lawns and gardens which abound so plentifully In our Birmingham homes
 but are so little used for living pur-
 poses. and less strenuous effort dur
 ing the more facilitating part of the
 day.s The early closing of stores, a
 condition which has long been advo- cated by number of prominent wom-
 en, might be brought about, should it become a general custom to rest dur ing the greater part of the afternoon and the tired employe who stands un til every nerve is stretched to the breaking point would save tremend- ous amount of energy and strength. Some day it Is to be hoped the south will adopt these ideal living conditions, and thus make itself perfect.
 From London the other day spe- cial correspondent for leading east ern journal sent a half humorous. half critical description of English life dur l0S the not WedtHeT. I1e Sdius
 q have noticed, in the past month particularly, that people suffer extreme ly from the heat merely because they are not clothed for 1t. Heavy socks.
 thick stockings, warm underclothing, heavy coats and weighted skirts are
 not conducive to comfort. You see
 men walking about the streets in morn
 ing coats and pestilentially hot silk
 hats from which they would not. ap-
 parently, be able to separate them
 selves for all the gold in Golconda. Only
 recently, in fact, have women taken to
 light, white clothing and then they do
 it diffidently, as if to apologize for
 their conspicuous attire. I stayed the last week -end at Eastbourne, which is overrun with German and Spanish vis- itors The Germans have become ad dicted to exaggerated fashions, partic- ularly the men. Great Panama hats, flannel trousers. white shoes and glar- ingly obstreperous neckties make up their costume. The Spaniards, driven from their torrid temperature to the
 milder zones of England find East bourne a cheerful and comfortable re- sort There are many hundreds of them and they all dress alike in fan
 nels and the men add to their attrac- | tiveness by wearing silver and golden bracelets. Here and there a poor, heavi- | ly clothed Englishman demonstrates the fact that English people have not | yet learned to be comfortable in hot weather or in cold. At the hotel I called for ginger beer and gin with plenty of ice in 1t. It took an incon- ceivably long time to fulfil this order, mainly because the ice had to be pro- cured apparently under a separate vouch- CT. My native companion scorned Ice. | He has never been obliged to resort | to so effeminate a thing as ice In his drinks and so he gulped down his gin- ger beer and gin, warm, cloying, and sticky again showing that the equable climate of England has never taught people how to make themselves com | fortable when the weather takes to extremes"
 The conventionality of the nation he | tests about in the following amusing way:
 T was as hot on Saturday at East bourne as 1t is at any time on Man haitian Beach. There were just as many people. The only difference be- | ing that at Fastbourne the people were fully dressed; on the beach and at Man hattan you find them in bathing gowns sitting on the sands. ou dont S1t on the sands in bathing gowns here be- cause it has never been done before. You have to climb into an old-fashioned contraption called a bathing machine. | It is a great box on wheels and this | is carried down to the surf with horses | in front of it. You undress inside and when your modesty and your conces-
 sion to custom have been completely | satisfied, you sneak into the water, hid
 ing the body which God gave you. and avoid drowning by allowing your head
 to stick out just far enough to enable you to breathe
 "But there are other discommodities
 which are due entirely to the fact that nature has blessed us with a peaceable climate For this reason we do not have awnings over our windows, we have all our floors carpeted thickly and l stuffily: only a few of us have ice boxes; providentially, perhaps, we know l nothing about soda water fountains: we Ihayel title use for fans, except as orna- ments on the walls of the cheap board
 ling houses; we have not yet taken to belts. but still wear thing that Is euphemistically called a pair of | .--,~-,~>->-->-->--- >-->--------~--~--->-----~->--