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DRESS SUITS AND DEMOCRACY.
E.V. Knox [?] of "Punch") ob- <*>
serves in the London "Daily News" that
very few people seem to realise what is
the greatest step towards complete
Jciuoci-ary anil the abolition of daea oon
[ scioiLsncss that any voimiry can lake, fl
: ani one of those very fevr people,** %m
writes, "and delicate though the tnattw
may Im> to dixcuK.:. I feel compeileil ??
llic fireMcut paliticai crisis to give tn? .
knowledge to the world- : :
"The f(p|i of vhirh 1 speak is mm*T
this Iliat parUcular sort of clothing'
whirl! is onumonly icnowu as 'men**
cvenini; clkoss* must be prescribed as the
proper c-lothine for all fet-tol and cere- '
imiiii.il iMHasiony, out of doors or indoors^
whether the occamon be private, public,
or internal ioiial ;,, (h,j r chaivcter. Thai -
is what, roughl* epcaking. U?c I<atin onm
tncs <io. liieiv arc larjre exceptions, ?E
TOursr. But in K-.-n--ral a msn'ti cmnins>
dress im regarded in l-.itin ooiintriet fsunply
and by a nuperh omoppt of m'atciiaUqjo
| lilulosophy as a nian'rt best suit.
"Jn i^u^land t-hcrc is a {toiitt in f^M^^y
—wn?l Ihe |K)inl iit | do nut pretend rto
determine—bejond which mt*ie ct?nins
dot lira arc never worn. And tketc m
nnotlicr pnini, K>mcwtiere clae, beyond
which men's evening clothes me alKaj*
worn when cvciiinj; comes. And then ia
an incoherent iiitermediatc iKwitiou in
nlilcu meuV evening dress is KOmetinKa
worn at night and sometimes uoU M.??
men, when they cay Uiat the fabric of
socjety is lipinc unjermiued, really mean
that with the present taxation Uiuj- are
not ccitain that they will be able Lolbiiy
a iie?- dress this year. Others mean
that fieiyona who ihey think ought in no
vircuuistanucfs to wuar 4re?E suits air iraw
wearinc theni. Other men. who actnally
?tAte tliat tliey wish lo undermine tin
fabric of society. Lave no prospect or
intention of rv?-i- ivearinK dresn suits at
all, and consider them the stamp of
evcrytbiiic that ia abominable. The habit
of regarding one's dress suit as une'a
best frock and wvarini; it on ail occasjona
when oac wiidice txj be specially well
Jressed would almost certainly prevent
the fabric of society from beinc unda>
uiiiietl at all.
"?There is a etory of a man, a Joneir
inoneer on one of the outpost* of Kmpjte,
irtw dressed himself iv evening drags to
?fit by liih C3inii> fire every night. One e\m
ing a lion Fprang out of Uic jungle and.
possibly mistaking him for a black and
white antcloiie, knocked him down. Am
tlic creature proceeded* to devour him, the
man murmured—and they were hw last
words—'At least J die as an Ensttsn,
gentleman!' But if evening dre* had
been regarded as it is commonly regarded
in the Latin countries, he could only Law
said, "At least ] die in my best clothes 1"
-Whatever may be thought of tha
muntual consolation, there is a vast dif
ference in point of democracy.
"Now I come to think of it, I bebeca
1 have invented Uiat dory myself; hut
it flcrrcs to illustrate my point, -which
nimply in Uiat a uniform should bdons to
an occasion and not to a class."
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