Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-11

Raising a mustache is one of mans
few remaining prerogatives. Even the
most startling things woman can dc
to her face will make no such change
in her personal appearance.
Growing an upper lip adornment
may be classed either as an outdoor
or indoor sport. but in either case it
is sport, both for the grower and his
friends.
This is one of the subjects upon
which the world. at least the modern
world, has agreed to laugh. Mankind
is so pathetically eager to smile that
the slightest thing is seized upon.
Just as liquor, booze. hooch-What-
ever one chooses to call it's used more
by the American people now for laugh
ing purposes than for drinking, SO the
time -honored manly mustache is today
the subject for quips and would-be
jeStS.
1t Is curiously interesting phe-
nomenon. the way liquor can scarcely
be mentioned to an audience OF any
sort, even of temperance people. with
out every member instantly bursting
into laughter. Mankind seems to
want to laugh 1t Off"
Ones friends will treat your favorite
mustache in the same way II they can
find the slightest possible grounds for
complaint
The only way you can get away with
it is to produce q really good mustache.
In that case, mostly they will say
nothing.
Occasionally some kindly person, with
the milk of human kindness in him,
will draw up and earnestly declare,
Say, 1 like your mustache!" And that
more than makes up for the silence
OF the crowd.
The mustache is one of humanity's
standard jokes, like the mother-in-law
and the brides first baking powder bis
cults and the size of caught fish.
Now. it has long been known that
a 'mother-in-law may be the incest
woman in the world, with due re-
gard for the fact that her new home
Is not her own. but another woman's.
It is universally realized that thou
sands Of brides can turn out the finest
soda biscuits" in the world. Likewise,
it Is known that often enough a fisher
man under rather than over estimates
the size OF his catch.
Nevertheless, any group Of persons, no
matter what their standing In the COM
munity is willing to laugh loud and
long at the first mention of any Of these
things
Again we say, it is race tradition.
The mother-in-law joke, for instance
came from Greece, in the following
form:
Not SO bad" said the man, as he
threw stone at q dog and hit his
mother in-laW.
X 4
A muStache is thing q man can get
along with or without. This Is one OF
his charms. If he forgets to put on his
carriers in the morning he will regret
it. but If he cArelesSly shaves of his
mustache only his wife will miss 1t.
Surprising ones friends and dear as
sociates with this on-And-on perform
ance is one of the joys OF possessing
4 mustache. After you have got them
thoroughly used to it, the thing to do
is to appear before them without warn
ing minus the symbol OF ferocity.
1t is startling thing how long ones
upper lip looks after such an abandon
ment. Usually it takes several days for
one to become accustomed to his own
appearance.
Then, in a spirit OF defiance, grow
another one. just like the other one.
so that everybody will be kept guessing
After awhile no one will pretend to pay
the slightest bit OF attention to the
mustache.