The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-10-06

~ ENG a man. know that, on the sub
Is ject of women's fashions. men still
talk vast amount of nonsense. partly
sincere and partly insincere-especially
when there are no women present. The fact
is that the whole subject is deeply. misun-
derstood.
Men try to explain the feminine cult Of
clothes by asserting that women as sex
are vain 1t is q profound truth that women
asa SEX are vain. 1t is also profound truth
that men as a SEX are vain.
Have YOU ever been with a man into
meu s furnishing shop? If you are woman,
YOU certainly have not, because, though
woman is often glad 10 be accompanied by
man when ,li,. is choosing her adornmentS,
- man will no; allow d woman to watch HIM
at the same work Fashionable dreSsmakerS
are delighted 10 welcome the accompanying
man. Bit At the sight OF woman IN MS
establishment the fashionable haberdasher
wcud begin 10 fear for the safety OF the
commonwealth.
Even if YOU are man you probably. have
rot been with another m&n into haber-
da<hcr'S shop. Men prefer to do these deeds
quite alone: they shun even their own sex;
the shop.nan does not count. Why this Sc
crecvo The answer is clear. Men are
ashamed of themselves on such occasions be-
cause on such occasions their real vanity is
exposed.
Again. men try to explain the feminine
cult of clothes By asserting that women are
like sheep and must follow one another
What one does all must do. This argument
is more than insinccr": it is impudent. For
women show much wider originality and va
riations Of attire among themselves than
men do among themselves Half dozen
average wcll-dressrd women will be as diff
ferent one from another as half dozen flow
ers of different species: you could dlstln-
p1ish between them half a mile off. But
half d dozen ell-drpssed men would be IN
distinguishably alike if you decapltated
them. It is notorious that men are the slaves
of fashion. If new shade of cravat or sock
comes out. the city will be painted with that
shade in less than a week.
One year every handkerchief is worn IN
the sleeve. Another year it will be shock
ing to wear handkerchief in the sleeve,
because the only proper place for wearing
q handkerchief is in pocket over the heart.
At the slightest change IN the fashionable
diameter Of the lrg Of a pair OF trousers,
every man with adequate cash or credit Will
rush priyily to his taiorS and in sixty hours
a parcel will arrive at that mans home
marked, Every urgent Deliver at once.
Yet. again, men try to explain the fem
mime cult of clothes by asserting that women
as sex really enjoy the huge task of dress
ing and really enjoy spending money for the
sake of spending money and have 10 brains
above personal embcllshment All these ar
gllrnentS are patiently ridiculous. To very
manv wel-tlressed women the task of dress
ing is naught but a tedious and heavy bur-
den. As for brains. it frequently occurs that
the women with the most intelligence (intel-
ligence far surprising that of the average
man are the most chic. In regard to the
enjoyment of mere spending, the charge is
true. 1t is, however equally true of men.
I could refer to tailors, haberdashers and
hatters, but will not.
Take, for change. two dining parties at
restaurant, one consisting of three men aud
three women. the other consisting of six
men. The bill of the six men will be the
heavier As sex, men, in the French
phrase. "refuse themselves nothing" And
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