The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-01-11
WINTER FLANNELs.
Ridiculed Along with other Hand-Me-
Down Ideas.

cherished with iilial piety for many gen
erations, and we have come to regar
them as a part OF the unwritten laws o
our existence. Among them might b
mentioned some of the pernieious prod
ucts of the kitchen, such as the hot .riz
biscuit washed down with ice water, an
the hominy lloated in hogs grease; Will
in the lesser atrocities may be classe
pie for breakfast, fried meats and tn
concoction known in the restaurants ID
stew and dump" SO says Surgeon
Banks OF the United States public health
service.
In measure, these are local punish
ments, for our stomachs being the frs
line of defense bear the brunt OF the as
sault. Only the brave deserve that fare
But while these relate to the sustenane'
OF man, the patient descendants of oul
worthy forbears have carried load o.
other customs none the less repTehensiblt
! because they seem to be practiced witt
some semi-intelligent application. To be
sure we continue to plug up our win.
dows in winter, or double-sash them to
prevent any ventilation, and then pile
on the fuel till we reach so degrees tri-
umphantly and sit and stew in that in
temperate zone day after day, week after
week, and month after month. We have
come to regard that as comfortably
heated house, for winter, and yet when
we get so degrees in summer natural
atmospheric heat in the shade. we puff
and fume and mop our brows and call il
suffocatingly hot day. 1t took many
generations of protesting victims to rele-
gate the insanitary feather bed to its
merited desuetude. Even now, in many
of the remoter districts, this Leviathan
Of our sleep which almost swallows its
victims in an amoeboid grasp may yet
be found doing its lethal work on a
generation that knows not its capacity
for evil.
Even so we have become the legatees
of our grandsires in that isothermic OBJ
session concerning "fiannels," meaning
undertaking in general, by which We
delude ourselves that we are cheating
the doctor and the undertaken. As a
matter OF comfort. cleanliness, convenr-
ence and cover we have come to wear in
our civilized life a suit OF clothing I'M
der our street apparel, and il is to this
Undertaking that we turn our attention
in this brief essay in protest. Designed
chiefly as an inner garment TO hold the
moisture and calculations OF the skin,
and of a texture suitable for constant
laundering to insure cleanliness, it has
become the chief vehicle for many mems
hygienie Authorizations. The large and
class who carry in their ward
robes several seasonal" varieties of un-
alternating from the imper-
viously thick 10 the gauzily thin fan
nels" is a source Of wonder TO that other
class who wonder what il is all about.
1t cannot be said that il is the leisure
sated individuals who affect these vary
ing degrees Of light, medium and heavy
and are prepared TO con
front any range OF weather" on the
sliding scale basis, but the average man
L So surfeited with this ''hannel" fetch |
that he is a regularly consistent deyotee /
IF its false and fraudulent worship.
The idea is simple and the fall easy |
he looks out Of the window in the morn
nR and finds the wind easterly and the /
Ky cloudy. Pedestrians in the perspee /
i've have hands in their pockets, and /
he old faithful thermometer is consult
ID as the infallible Undertaking gauge.
L has fallen few degrees since yes
erday when he wore light" weight. In
erence- medium" weight for to-day
nd medium" it is. At noon, sun comes
nut, the wind shifts to southwest and
ising temperature begins 20 show con
iderablc caloric units. Our brilliant hy-
'ienic begins 10 perspire and on the
hady sides Of the streets feels a chilly
ensation. Now il is either one or the
Their TO meet the situation. heavier fan
els to counteract the chill. or lighter
Weight TO check the perpiration. He
oddles home, gets heated in the walk,
ecomes hotter IN the house, and decides
n light Undertaking.
Everything goes on comfortably until
ight, when there is a sudden change
gain. cold "norther" drops down, and
he last shift Of the day is made 20 the
eavy weight, and our scientific dresser
satisfied that be has executed several
lccessful flank movements on the
.eather Next day OF two he has a
light infectious sore throat" or cold. {
a result OF ovcrheating and bis
draft. and relates to his wondering :
lends how he got it-"made mistake :
not putting on my heavyweight earlier
the day And hc believes it-as the
older the day the thicker the merino,
10 warmer The day the thinner the bal
-iRgan. simple and soporife
This astute philosopher who spends
4 DAYS IN "fo0ling" the weather + 7
IMPLY fooliuR himself Instead Of az
lining biz end the end attains him By
lv one of a dozen progresses designed
y The purpose 81 putting a period 81
itmgcd nature. Instead Of dressing i.
y indoors with he underRnrmcnts De- |
,s been dressing for outdoor tempera-
.res and left hinself victim al 81 OBJ
ssion when De comes again into the
INNER warmth of his house IA
Dr. Banks SAYS that those who % not
this and wear the same weight 81
iderrioihinr the year round are simply
lowing the skin 30 attend 20 its nor
~ functions uhhampered They escape
= penalties uhich nature metes out - =
0ze who violate her laws. not because =
eg ere naturally strong bui berause
e protective envelope "a the body Is
united ~ perform ts important dn
e II regulating the body lsst and the
halatIuus If the systegu. The logical
rsssua should b. for indoors "a winter
q uhrn tire rri8 Indictment season =
/. uutsiff -uraus shaaM D. f1rrad e. -
% 81 comfortable when out q DOORS ~
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.-H-~urus~~~