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Show "IT'S AN EXTRAVAGANT AGE. Comments on Expensive Clothing by the City Man's Father. A man from an old-fashioned Missouri Mis-souri town came to Kansas City recently re-cently to visit his son, says the Kansas Kan-sas City Times. While on a street car one day a strong breeze removed the yonng man's straw hat. It landed in a pool of muddy water. "Four dollars gone,' said the young man. His father whistled. "Do you pay four dollars for a straw hat?" he inquired. in-quired. "Always have done it," was the answer. an-swer. "It's the extravagant age." commented com-mented the father. "I never paid more than a dollar for a straw hat in my life. And I recall the day when you only paid 50 cents for yours. Russell Sage once said that a man who gave more than that for a straw hat was a fool." "I know, father; but everything costs more now. We wear better hats, too. The price of a hat is not out of proportion to the cost of other things. I pay 25 cents for my collar, one dollar for a tie, $3.50 for a shirt, 50 cents for a pair of socks, five dollars for a pair of shoes, $40 for a suit of clothes and six dollars for underwear. With the hat that brings my personal apparel up to about $60 for a set. That's no more than any man who pretends to dress pays." Father was silent for a long time. "Son," he said finally. "I remember when 50 cents was the value of your entire wardrobe. Your hickory hat cost a nickel, your shirt waist a quarter quar-ter and your pants the some auiounL You wore only the three garments in summer. And you were just as happy then as now." |