The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-07-26
A SHIRT wEaRERs' CONVENTION.

SHIRT WEARERS' CONVENTION.
Attention Of the Richmond chamber OF com
serce is called to the possibility of having here
"a greater convention than the city ever has
known. We propose TO have called and organized
a convention OF the Amalgamated Wearers OF
Steam Laundry Shirts. The purpose of 1t should
be agitation and united effort to force the con
ductors Of steam laundrIes to send us back our
shirts In such condition that may put them
on without series ofspainful, exasperating and
timedestroying preliminaries
1t is plain and indisputable logic that the
purpose of shirt. the very object of it's
ton. is that IT shall be worn. The laundry peo-
pie seem to proceed on the hypothesis. or theory,
that the garment is ornamental object to be
kept about the premises and looked at, In old
times, even when wore pleated shirts Of the
finest linen, the estimable coored woman who
attended to them would send them home Satur-
day afternoon In large basket, carried on the
head Of some one specimen OF her large progeny
or borne by two piccannnes All
required to do--at the very worst and supposing
him to be bacheor--was TO put In his studs
andcollar buttons, put his shirt and go peace
fully about his business, Now the preparation
of shirt to be put Is rite, ceremony. a
performance an operation demanding care. time
and patience. With each shirt there must be u
process like unwrapping the cerements OF long
buried mummy from Egyptian pyramids First
there's are pins to be removed pins Then
little black wood buttons must be taken out.
After that brown pasteboard slab is developed
and must be extracted and disposed of somehow
1t is provocation for some speculation what be
conessof all these pins. buttons and slabs The
annual output of them must be enormous. going
far into the billions. Where they disposed
of finally? Surprising In Richmond 10000 mer
wearing steam Numbered shirts, to the
week. at least during the hot months, That
IS 10000 pasteboard slabs 100000 little black
gbuttons, about 1000 900 pins week. say, for
,the summer 100000 slabs 100000 buttons
s77,000,0o0 pins Do all these ultimately find
their ways to the dumps. where we are making
1new ground in surrounding ravines? May We
suppose that the and eligible building lots
gradually being brought into the market at the
erests OF the hills are composed chiefly of black
wood buttons, pasteboard slabs and pins? II
development of civic beauty through flowers and
shrubs in private yards of these new sections
are hardly encouraging.
Counting some seconds for each OF the opera
lions preliminary to the putting on OF modern
1y Numbered shirt, the loss Of time must be
enormous This is aside from the nervous strain
when a man is in a hurry. when he must be at
haar nj GXp irna ~ NJ
breakfast or at his office at certain time or be
5obless. catch meet social engage
ment in the evening. The profanity must BE-
frightful. When a man. belated tears into his
room with ten minutes in which to get into
evening attire and runs against maze and end
lagS succession OF buttons, pins and slabs his
moral principles must be firm. indeed, If he can
keep from his lips and his thoughts the language
OF objurgaton and malediction so unhappily
familiar.
IN every city, town and village OF the CONT
nent are many men victims of the pins. the
buttons and the slabs. II our chamber OF COM
nerce would take the lead in great reform
movement to abolish or modify. these things
the response would be immediate and tremen.
dous, All the extra trains the railroads could
run would be insufficient to bring the men eager
10 Join in protest and revolution. Probably in
this. in other great reform movements years
would be required for completion. There would
be need for committees OF conference, for plead,
ings and representations Maybe the govern.
rnent board OF arbitration would be called upon.
The laundrymen show an inexorable and implac.
able disposition. They are hidden and mysteri.
Gus powers. We see them but once a month.