Evening star., 1923-10-19
Who Makes
the Styles?
BIZ DIR. FRANK CRANE.

1 am not complaining of them. l
know that when they are once
started there is no use trying to
stand against them. But what want
to know is: Who started them?
have friend. for whom I once
did a great favor, and who promised
that any time I wanted anything done
in his line he would be glad to be
of service to me. His line particu-
larly is beating people up. He is a
large and vigorous gentleman, and
is now engaged in the business of
piano moving. His name is Bill, and
he is known among his friends as
Bill the Bruiser. If / could find the
person who started all these crazy
styles, I think l might make use of
Bits services.
For instance, they used to have in
haberdasheries nice, soft shirts, white
with broad black stripes on them.
About two or three years ago they
suddenly disappeared. l have gone
into shops, not only in America, but
in Europe and in the orient, and
inquired for such a pattern, either
IN made-up shirts or in the raw me-
terial, and have been informed by
suave clerks that there was no de-
What was the matter with me?
Wasn't ! demanding them? 1t was
terrible to realize the depth Of my
inconspicuity.
wear union suits. There is no
reason for this except that / like
them. Every union suit that is Of
fered for sale has somewhere around
1000 buttons on it. Now buttons
may have some value on the out
side of wOman's dress where they
look like string of beads and serve
as ornaments, but what the mischief
tons on so intimate thing as under
wear is past my comprehension.
Another illustration. Some years
ago they used to make window
put them. One fine morning they all
disappeared. Their place was taken
by the kind of window shade that
you had to jigger and catch. All
window shades are now of this
variety. If you happen to let them
slip, they fly out of your hand and
pop up to the top of the window. as
though they We're shot out of gun.
Who was it banished all the sensible
window shades. and compelled the
whole world to buy the trick window
shades?
/ know that according to the Scrip
lures we are all like sheep. If one
old wether jumps the fence every
other one in the flock follows him. l
do not blame the flock, but l certain
ly would like to find that wether.
When / was a boy in the country
we used to have religious debates
i have driven many time along
with the family in the spring wagon
for ten miles to the schoolhouse to
hear a debate on the mode of bap
tism between two champion preach
ers, picked out by their respective
sides as the longest and loudest ar
guers in the country. l haven't
heard a theological discussion for
years. Who was it made that mode
of amusement to go out of style and
give way to base ball and prize
fights?
Some years ago the A. P. A. fever
ragged hotly through the country. A
little before that there was tre-
mendous scare about the Masons. 1t
was feared that the secret societies
were going to take the country, sub
vert the Constitution and swipe all
of our palladiums. Those manias
seem to have left US and given place
to the Ku klax Klan.
For that matter, who was IL
started the fashion of wearing hats?
Notwithstanding the fact that the
Lord provided men, and more particu-
larly women, with abundance of
natural head protection, billions of
dollars are annually spent in hats.
If all this money could be saved you
might have enough to start another
war.
You never can tell what is going
to happen next. The glory of a
woman used to be her hair. Now
she glories in bobbed hair Maybe
in a year from now they will all be
shaving their heads, as they do in
some parts of China.
Now 1t is the custom to stand up
when ladies enter the room. Who
knows? Perhaps tomorrow it may
be the custom to get down on the
floor and roll over, or stand on your
head.
Our only hope is to find the guy
that starts things.