The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1917-05-19
ECL|PSED A PRINCE
Beau BrummeI 0utshone and
Then Snubbed the Regent
STORY OF A FAMOUS CRAvAT.
After His Historic Quarrel With Walss
the Beau Won = Sartoriai Triumph
That Almost choksd His Royal Mas
ter With Envy and Dismay.

l
ter With Envy and Dismay.
1t was Beau Brummel who was de-
scribcd as the glass of fashion and
the mold of form" and today there are
ordinarily only two things which the
name of the famous dandy Of the Eng
lish court suggests. One Is an arbiter
Of fashion, the other the incident In
which Brummel asked of companion
of the Prince of Wales, "Who Is your
fat fricnd:"
In 1896 Beau Brummel still was liv-
Ing. and the New York Mirror, week
" publication devoted to literature
and the fine arts" printed n biograph
ical sketch of him as figure in con-
| temporary history. Reading 1t today
makes very real a character now little
more than tradition.
For an obscure individual without
fortune or rank to have conceived the
idea of placing himself at the head OF
society in II country the most thor
oughly aristOcratic in Europe, relying.
too. upon no other weapon than well
directed insolcnce: for the same indi-
|
over the highest and the mightiest-to
have maintained a contest with royalty
itself and to have come off victorious
even In that struggle-fOr such one
no ordinary faculties must have been
demanded" the Mirror said In its issue
of June 4. 1896
1t will he well to recall here that
George Bryan. Brummels father, was
Lord North's secretary; that the son
at Eton and later ut Ballot college &C.
luircd n reputation for being swell
dresser" and that still later he was
favuritc OF the Prince of Wales. who
was to become George ". Of Great
Britain The Mirror related the ia
miiar story of the fat friend" immor-
tailed in n Punch cartoon. explaining
the circumstances which led up to 1t.
A mutual friend had dared Brummel
to give an order to Wales, who was
then prince regent. and at a dinner the
dandy said to him, WALES. ring the
bell" The prince did so and when
servant appeared said, "ShOw Mr..
Brllmmel to his carriage" 1t was to
repay The regent for this public humil-
l
famous question the next day In the
street. The prince was growing cor
puicnt and sensitive Of the fact. so a
feud between the two was launched
with the remark.
1t Is an old story up to this point. but
the Mirror proceeded with some facts
which probably have never been pub
ishcd since. Brummcl bonsted that
he would put the prince regent out of
fashion, made his plans Mt once and
sprang his coup at n brilliant ball
given by the Duchess of Devonshire.
In the Mirrors own words:
when the whole assembly were CON
versing upon his supposed disgrace,
Brummcl suddenly stood In the midst
Of them. Could 1t be indeed Brum-
mel? Could 1t be mortal who thus ap-
! pcared with such an cncincture of ra-
dant glory about his neck! Every eye
was upon him, fixed In stupid admira-
ton: every tongue. MS it slowly recov-
cred from its speechlcss paralysis. fal-
tered forth, What n cravat""
And then the description of the era
vat which COMPOUNDED the guests at
| the Duchess Of Devonshirc'S ball:
There 1t stood, smooth and stiff, yet
| light and almost transparent: delicate
as the music of Ariel. yet firm ms the
| spirit OF Rcgulus: bending with the
grace OF Apollo's locks. yet erect with
the majesty of the Olympian Jove:
without II wrinkle. without an indenta-
ton. What cravnt! The prince re-
gent saw and shook. and. uttering
| faint gllrglc from beneath the wadded
bag which surrounded his royal thorax.
he was heard to whisper with dismay:
= him. What a cravnt" The tri-
umph was complete"
The Mirror added that the Prince of
Wales sent an emissary to Beau Brum-
mel to learn the secret of the wonder
full creation in neckwcar ana that
Brummel sent back word. Tell your
master that you have seen his master"
1t was not until his debts forced him
to flee from England and to take the
obscure position of British consul Mt
Caen In France. where he contracted
more debts and finally died insane In
1910, that the secret of the cravat be-
came known. The Mirror snid:
There was found after his depar
ture written upon sheet OF paper
upon his table the following epigram
Of scorn: Starch is the man.
1.-THE cravat OF Brummel was merely
Starched. Henceforth starch was intro
duced into every cravat in Europe
Kansas City Times.