The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1919-09-03
BY MARK SULLIVAN

Editors Note: While in Chicago fol
lowing his appearance at the Chautau-
qua here, Mark Sullivan wrote the
following article on the high cost of
living and ways to combat it, for the
Chicago Tribune.
] have been much interested in The
Tribune's illusions to Mr.. Armour 8
clothes and its accounts of other ef-
forts to over come the high cost of
living. My own experience in the same
direction has been 30 satisfactory that
have a good deal of enthusiasm over
1t.
Excepting one suit | have not a
piece of wooden clothing in my posses
sion that is less than 5 years old.
The newest clothes have were bought
in London in the spring of 1914, before
the war broke out. In April of that
year l had five suits and an overcoat
made for me by a tailor in Hanover
street, near S. Georges church, and |
am wearing those clothes yet. They
are not shabby. On the contrary, they
look better and are better than any
suits that l could buy anywhere today
for any price, because 1t isn't possible
today to buy wooden goods of as good
quality as you got before the war
broke out if you bought the best.
Turns It Inside Out
When one of my suits begin to look
worn l take it or send it to a tailor /
know in Union square, New York. |
tell him to turn it inside out. He turns
1t inside out and puts a new lining in
Il. and a week or two later he sends
ne home the equivalent of a new suit
for a cost that is less than a third of
the price of a new suit An addi-
tional economy and convenience. which
] personally prize very much, is that l
don't have to call and waste lot of
time in being fitted and retitted
have told several of my friends
and acQuaintances about this way of
saving time and money. and many OF
them have tried it. Senator Medill Nc
Cormick of Illinnois sent trunk full
Of clothes to this tailor of mine and
had them turned. He tells me that
these turned clothes, originally
bought before the war. began, are bet
ter in quality and appearance than
any new clothes he can buy now at
ny price Senator Calder of New
York has had several of his suits
turned by this same tailor. l told Mr..
Frank Vanderlip of my experience and
showed him some of the turned suits
which l was wearing. and he asked
me the tailor's name and address.
Buys One Pair Of Shoes.
I haven't bought new pair of shoes
since the war began, except once last
year. when l had an unexpected op-
portunity to go to the British front.
and had to buy a new pair of heavy
shoes in London.
am wearing today and have been
wearing for the last month, n pair of
shoes I bought in Boston while | was
a student at Harvard, more than
seventeen years ago. I liked the
broad toed style of shoe made by a
firm in School street. This Boston
shop was the only place where you
could get broad toes. so | bought ten
or twelve pairs of them, and | have
been wearing them, with tnfrequently
a new pair. ever since.
Resoled Five Times.
I haven't kept count of how many
times they have been half-soled, but
I don't doubt that each pair has had
as many as five new soles. With all
that they are today a better looking
shoe than you can buy at most shops.
To be sure they were good shoes to
start with I recall that | paid ST
a pair for them, which at that time,
was a very high price. But | have
saved money through paying 1t. You
can always save money by getting
the best quality, and other things be-
ing equal, you attain distinction of ap-
Ipearance as well.
have just come to the end of the
usefulness of my old Gladstone bag.
I bought it twenty years ago. should
not be able to remember row often it
has accompanied me across the ocean
and across the American continent.
I don't doubt that all in all. 1t has
travelled a good deal more than 1O0,-
600 miles.
Last year l spent two months gal
Looping up and down Europe on trip
In which never slept more than two