Perth Amboy evening news., 1917-09-15
Today We Celebrate


Tho Death KneII of the Straw Lid
According to immemorlai custom,
today marks the close of the straw
hat season, and after the stroke of
midnight the lid" which has enjoyed
masculine favor for several months
will become passe.- The fifteenth OF
September has long marked the
deadline for summer headwear, and
from the Atlantic to the Pacific those
who would be considered correct in
attire will visit the halter today, IL
they have not already done so, and
invest in a new 1918, six-cylinder,
ninety horsepower toppiece. OF
course, many married men, especial
ly those with large families will have
to be content with last years lid,
which the housewife has carefully
wrapped in tissue paper and placed
on the top shelf In the hall closet.
What's more, the wearer will hypno-
tize himself into the belief that it is
a perfectly good hat and that he
looks pretty nifty In it.
One ground for hope that we are
growing more civilized Is to be found
in the fact that the man who. from
necessity or choice, clings to his lid
of straw for q few days or weeks
longer, scarcely need fear bodily
harm. Not SO many years ago the
appearance of a man wearing straw
hat after the fifteenth of September
was greeted with boots and jeers of
derision, and he would be fortunate
IL he escaped assault by some hood
lum bent upon smashing the lid"
There Is one place, however. where
smashing the straw lid" on the fff-
teenth of September is still the rule,
and that is on the New York Stock
Exchange. The trouble is that not
a member of the exchange will ap-
pear In straw hat on that day. But
1t has happened and still does, from
time to time, that some busy broker
will forget all about the rule to ''can
the straw lid" and his appearance on
the floor is the signal for a football
rush on the part of the other men,
bers to destroy that hat. and not in
frequently tho forgetful wearer comes
In for rather hard usage in the pro-
cess.
In the good old days hat smash
ing was a regular custom and only
the heavyweight champion OF the day
had the temerity to appear in straw
hat after the fifteenth. Nowadays 1t
Is comparatively safe. and the hat
smasher who fourished undismayed
in other days would find that the
courts are not likely to look leniently
upon his efforts to enforce public
opinion, which demands that all men
shall dress alike and conform to all
satorlal edicts.
while the siavish observance of
mid September as tho close of the
straw bonnet season Is no longer en-
forced, most men have found that
the lids which they donned so blithe-
ly last May or June. and which were
originally OF the pronounced peroxide
blonde type, are now decidedly bru-
nette, and most of them hail with de-
light the autumnal covering for their
domes of thought. OF such the local
hatters provide a wide variety, rang
ing from the devil-may-care Rah-
Rah boy lid, with its splendiforous
ribbon. to the altitudinous silk affect
ed by society leaders, bankers, states
men and coachmen.
But don't forget this: The leading
style In mems headwear this season is
q soft khaki-colored hat, which
matches excellently with the uniform
worn by Uncle Sans soldiers. Quite
q number of fashionable mon
throughout the country will be seen
effecting this attractive combination
this season.