Evening star., 1950-01-06
This and That
By Charles E. TraceweI

WIdt mas DeCOue OF Ille SGlckpln?
Scarfpin to you, for that's what the cravat
pin was called in the old days.
No matter what one called 1t, it usually
was an ornamental "stickpin" that went
through the tie just below the knot.
Every man had his stickpin, or stickpins.
Most young fellows had half dozen at
least.
A favorite was the fraternity SEAL bearing
the secret society's coat Of arms.
This pin allowed one to indicate to all
and sundry that he was member. at the
same time he modestly hid his pin" on his
vest beneath his coat.
What's become Of mems vests for that
matter?
Youngsters will find it hard to believe that
not more than quarter Of a century ago.
every mans suit had q vest.
There were f1ve-button vests and six-but-
ton vests, with the latter leading the pro-
cession.
Today one looks in vain for either.
AS for Stickpins, they are all laid away
in bureau drawers.
In the old days some men went in for
very fiashy ones. Big diamonds, pearls, and
so on. But most men contented themselves
with plain gold or silver.
And certainly, on a neat tie, the stickpin
did good job. or at least so the oldsters
thought.
Today it is gone, a relic Of the gay 'oos,
something to look at now and then, and
wonder over.
These things go in cycles.
Perhaps the absence of the stickpin from
the male Is just part of q general picture
OF less jewelry for men.
Who recalls the watch fob?
There were all sorts of fobs. hanging
down, with the watch on the other end.
The advent of the wrist watch ended the
pocket watch. except for trainmen.
Xxx
Plenty of big clocks around a city help
men forget their watches, so that thousands
of good watches are lying in mothballs,
as it were, in countless bureau and chif-
fonier drawers.
One man we were talking to about this
said that his father brought him a fine gold
watch from Switzerland when he was kid,
and that he finally got afraid to wear it
because every time he did he dropped it
out Of his pocket onto the hard sidewalk.
Sidewalks and good watches do not agree,
when they meet suddenly.
This same person was recalling that only
recently he tried his old gold watch, put it
in an upper coat pocket. but was so unused
to wearing it that he forgot it was there.
Dropping a paper In an elevator, he
stopped over to pick it up.
There was a sudden bang"
The elevator operator looked around at
the noise
There was the old watch on the floor Of
the elevator, not exactly in the state OF
grandfather's clock, never to go again. but
at least needing repairs.
Stickpins had their good points-ouch!
If one were not careful. it was possible
to draw blood with one as it was rammed
through some unusually tough tie.
Perhaps it is just as well that men, as a
class, have given up wearing personal jew
elry. About all that is left is the ring, seen
now and then on masculine finger.
jewelers. may not agree with this, but
evidently most men have decided to leave
jewelry to their women folks. and stand
forth to the world as rugged individuals
who scorn such feminine adjuncts to good
grooming.
You don't even see that fancy folded
handkerchief in the breast pocket as much
as you used to. II must be- the influence Of
the atomic bomb, or something.
Or are men Just growing up, ct lastf