The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-04-10
Passing Of the White Shirt.

In the current number of the Sat
urdav Evening Post, Edward Hunger
ford-who is now in Europe writing
series of articles for The Boston
Herald gives picture OF famous
wood burning locomotive on the Rome,
WATERFOWL & 0gdensburg railroad,
taken in 1868, which shows both the
engineer and the firemen wearing white
shirts. He testifes that this was the
custom in that day; that the loeomo-
tive was not particularly dirty, and
Of course, we all know that men Of any
pfetensions TO being dressed up,
quite universally, wore the white SHIRT
How completely it has passed
Anyone past fifty cannot fail to re-
member how queer the colored snlrt
first seemed, and how gingerly we
adopted it, first in strictly business
clothes. and then letting it gradually
creep up the line. And this change
from the "boiled" or starched shirt,
| to the soft. colored shirt, has added
| incidentally to the comfort OF the
wearer. II has given MS pleasing
variety, like the painting OF houses
| in color. by contrast with the old
stereotyped white with green blinds
We should not regard the passing
of the white shirt an isolated oc-
currence. II Is clos ~ related TO the
entire structure of our modern life
and modern thought. The wearing oil
| the business suit reflects the same ten
dencv. The crowding of the dinner
Jacket into the territory once covered
| bv full evening dress Is another. Inc
passing of the silk hat is fourth
The dropping of our grammatical
| forms. notably the subjunctive mood
| for those things which are easy ano
measurably free from ambiguity, IS o.
| the same time spirit They are all Of
IA piece. They are all cut OH iron
the same cloth. They reflect the same
| state of the American mind OF thu
era.
Fifty years ago, in any New Eng
land village. the steady going man O.
affairs went to church on Sunday
wearing "boiled" shirt, perhaps will
detachable cuffs and false bosom
often with a celluloid or perhaps ever
A paper collar. But the effect was al
white. He wore a long coat. He would
have thought it disrespectful to th'
heavenly powers TO 90 in business
suit. He is very likely to have wori
silk hat. On the last Sunday u
March Of 1872. more silk hats wer'
worn in Athol than were worn II
Boston on the corresponding Sunda,
this year. Men OF affairs by the score
in this wear Of grace, may even b.
seen on Sunday attired in tweeds ans
golf stockings and the soft hat max
ing an early start for the country
They may be seen in the same com
Portable costume, right in the CIT.
. proper, walking briskly along the Is
planaac. or through the parks.
These changes are all practical, eve
though one of them has rade obsolet
that phrase. 30 dear 10 the novelist o
an earlier day-''he shot his cuffs.
The silk hat was an intolerable NUS
ance. particularly for the tall mar
The long coat, for either day or eve
ming wear. Is much in the way. tn
starched shirt, with it, tendency Z
crack. and its intolerablc warmth J
summer was nowhere nearly so com
Portable a. its modern equivalent. An
in this direction We are drifting.
What viii be the next stage, ]
what ways are comfort and conys
nienee in attire and language an
usage TO displace the sitter and NOR
accepted conventions Of our earlier ps
Rod Boston Herald.