The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1929-07-26

put my foot squarely in it Sun
day before last when I Jared forth
in public in cool, loose. fitting
pajamas with no other concessions
to convention than a four in hand
tie. had to do the stunt all over
again for Carl Goerch, Washington,
N. c., correspondent for many
newspapers. And Tuesday morning
the Pathe man blew in from Atlanta
and asked me to do it all over again
for the screen. And I did. The
imagination of long suffering males
all over America has been fired;
while the rest Of the male popula-
tion is hardly geayed up to breaking
with conventions all at once and
shedding their irSsome woolens, they
are tickled pink to find one of their
number in these United States who
has the intestinal stamina to do
and dare.
Elizabeth Citizens and scores of
visitors who happened on Main
Street Tuesday afternoon from l:3o
to 2:30 o'clock saw the Pathe man
do his stuff while I was paraded
back and forth between the post
office to the Carolina Theatre.
Junior Gilbert became so enthused
that he rushed home and donned a
loud suit of tan and brown pajanias
and got in the picture. Julian Seiig
was almost persuaded to do likewise,
but explained that he really would
not know where to look for the
pants to his pajamas.
And Mayor Jerome B. Flora en-
tered the picture this week by issu-
ing a proclamation, His proclama-
ton is what America has been wait
| ing for; I reproduce it here with
enthusiasm:
A proclamation
WHEREAS the legality of what
man shall wear for summer comfort
in Elizabeth City appears to have
become a question of some concern
to the police of the Corporation of
Elizabeth City.
AND :, WHEREAS a prominent
citizen has been hindered by ths
police in his pursuit of hot weather
comfort while appearing on the
streets of the city in pajamas. 1,
Jerome B. Flora. Mayor of the Cor
poration of Elizabeth City, do
THEREFORE solemnly proclaim
it the inherent right of every citizen
or resident of this city. and Of every
visitor, to dress as he pleaSeS and
go and come as he pleaseS, so long
as there Is no indecent exposure Of
his or her person. can find moth
ing in the Constitution of the State
or of the United States prescribing
the cut or texture of the coat or
pants man shall wear, and paJamas
are nothing more than coat and
pants. If I had the nerve 1 would
adopt them for street wear myself.
Given under my hand and seal
this 22nd day of July. 1929. --s
JEROME B. FLORA,
| Mayor.
Something like Mayor Flora
proclamation appeared TO be very
much in order, due to the false
] notion everywhere that the clothes
men wear are prescribed by statu-
tory law. The Cotton Trade Journ-
al of New Orleans, in front page
article telling of my adventure in
pajamas, published four column
cartoon showing a policeman chas-
! ing a citiben in pajamas. Scorse OF
newspapers in their editorial COM
ment on my adventure seem to
marvel that I wasn't arrested.
It was to give the police chance
to determine whether there was
anything indecent or outrageous in
pajamas for street wear that / came
down town again one day this week
wearing pajamas and house slippers.
If necessary I was prepared TO
carry a case to the courts and let
the courts decide.
The police joklngly arrested me,
took me to the police station. in
spected my attire and then inform
ed me that they had had'their fun
and that was at liberty. There
was no law against a man wearing
decent suit of pajamas on the
streets if he could stand the
notoriety. And so Mayor Flora en-
tered into the spirit of the thing
and issued a proclamation that may
enIighten the rest of America. TIL ere
is nothing in the Construction OF
this State or OF the United States
to prescribe the cut and patter- Of
mans coat Ind trousers.
Now what's wrong with a neag,
Continued or page Siv,