A MAN AND HIS POCKETS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 108, 30 January 1908, Page 3

A MAN AND HIS POCKETS.

";■■: "For woman is not undevelopt man, but diverse." .The' truth that Tennyson crystalJiseii in eigh't words is apparent 'all. day arid everyday' to,, an observer .of.,,thb ; sexes,- but never, more so thari' when one 'contemplates ■the two great • symbols of\\ masculine. arid feminine .efficiency,' ''.the ■ pocket and-the hairpin.' - ! ■■■.....- ; Ma" ,is a being of many and complex wants. A woman can,go through tho world simply and yet'complete. A man must- bo hung about with a whole shbpful - of;- articles. Ho' carries ' with him whorfeypr, ho .goes,'' everything he 1 can: possibly require during' the day,; and accommodation ;for.fbur times' as | much if; necessary;' Ho is ;a - yossel. fully-" provisioned aga.irist. shipwreck. He is.equipped with pigcon-noles-r-filled with littlo comtorts.. -' These things aro necessary fo; him j without: thbm ho would be -lost.; a child'alone in a desert.; a boat -without .oars, arid'at tho-.mercy'of tho -waves. : There.was only, ono jwbniari. who over?contrived to.equip h'crself as frilly , as itho.'iavcrago'- main-.'equips himself every day'of his■" life. That was iMrs. .Robiiison of. tho. Swiss family : and she required -a pillow-caso on .-'tho ■ occasion referred '■ to. V.. . ....

• A womau without oven ono.pocket, is mistress of herself. ' " With .'a: hairpinsho. is sciiiro , agaiiist tho jnc'onvoriieiicos of- fa to-; sliyis armed, fully ..accoutred. ready '< for' tho biittlo; Of' life. • Throughout ,?hp. house—from tlwdcitchcn' to- tho ' drawing-room, in. her trii'ojs, in ■hor:,busy. ' leisure, •.■ with a spare hairpin sho.overcbmes all-difficulties.. Thoro art ■ thirty-ono known ,'usos of. tho .bairpiii', anil sevonty-three omorgoncies.in .which it is of; assistance. , , , •'.lt-iis tho tendoncy. of..woman to rcduco ho'\wants. It is the tondeiicy of man to milltiply his. For''each 'of' thoso 'thirty-ono usis, man'would invent a iiow-instnunent; manufactories would.spring up; exponsos would increase, and man would fill his' house wijh-things to be uscdionly once in a blue nwn. flk pockets it. Is it• to be suppos«l tHit any sane human -being re<iuirsß -twelve.

pockets, that where a woman can live beautil ully- a mail cannot get along jvithoiit twelve.-' Kor that is tho average p'umber. Many men require thirteen, sonic tran'iigo with ten—lmt'.unhappily'. • }iThe .most uncivilised of clothed races'aro <k|unlly; dependent upon pocket space—some|iinos;- differently applied. The cowboy carries things stuck on his' belt; the China-man-has stores of articles up his sleeves, tlio ?oldier makes use of' his cuff and tho'Highlatideiv ranis knife and matches down his stocking, as. the freebooters used, to put things-.'in, the tops of their leathern boots. ;rl'iokjng: out a man of affairs, orderly and soreewjiat set in his ways, Doiniiiica, who had Ipng been filled ivitli curiosity as,.to a man's disposition of his pocket room, put him to the question, with the result that his several pockets wero found to contain: — ■ , ('•;' 1. Kpcctaclo'case. .!'if '' 2.[ Pens. • ; . .'(. Matchbox and pencil, • . jv : 4. Watch.'' ' ■"• • -. 'j;',: > : s.'.l'ine. '0. Tobacco pouch. > 1 1. Handkerchief. 8.. Letters - and cigar case. ' ; !!.,Coppers and used stamps. 10.. Keys and sovereign case. •„. •• " : 11. iinifo and silver. .' ' >'12. Notebook.'; . '• > ' ■'■!) . "13: ( Nothing. '. ■•'j'lhis,. so 'tar as can be judged 'by further, iitvestigation is a very usupl way of allotting tlje spaeo.-.' Other men willVgive'a separate' pficket : ,tj6,' articles hero • pocketed together. By.somo, more will be assigned to letters and loss 'to tobacco. ■,\ It appears that when a man has a noble spread of gold chain right across his chest, ■to one end of that chain a sovereign case is attached. Tho canvasser for- charitable subscriptions will do. well to pay spccial attention to the mail whoso chain is';so,disposed. - It al.jo appears that a man liljes to classify his coins; 1 when, he stops to buy-.a paper, his fingers instinctively go to the.vcoppor pocket; the .tbrcep'onn.y - bit is,fpiind in a moment as tho collection pjate apprpaebes.;'- ;Thero is for the woman who hjsito.-hnnt through a crowded pnrso ifor her tfam ; pennyj a certain attraction ii.l this systeip.- ;The methodical mail has each pociet ftssigned to' a ; certain article, and year aftcr yoar his tobacco pouch is. to bo'found in pocket «ga'r-casc in pocket h. This Boavens will fall before tho cigar case finds unaccustomed pocket;-'or before his ijiatch box rubs shoulders lylth.his knife. If'his. wife iyero one day to sow up', three" or foiir of his pockets, the effcct on him would he moro soul-shaking than if lie wero to fall into sudden crime. The untidy man shifts..letters,promiscuously into his pockets and ; lets.'them, bulge. The' worst sort of,, untidy main puts big papers or even parcels into the .'ojitsidp pockets of his coat .until they sag'aiftl" • break.' ,Ho is to ho condemned beyond all condemhatioiii _-dt is tho. invariable Habit of. member,s of, the Now Zealand Loicei; House to set aside' ono of. their pockets' for sweets, - whiilr aro produced at all odd hoiirs. The'anjler—this is'on the best authority— keeps an inner coat - pocket for' worms,.- ivot .wriggling .'.worms, y Later'on it was adclsd that tho wohns.ar'o in;a tin, biit 'this is'ftpt to b6 credited; anglers don't mind worms as lutich as that. In fact it is said that tho ftiost' ardent.' angler carries' his worms in his moiith,.'which is of course the original pocket, tho_one that set. tho fashion. • , Tho mah; who'cares more: for comfort .than is somotinies designated two'.pockets for his liands ! ;;.''this:'nc'co'ssitatcs two: others being |abcl.l«l .miscellaneous,'. A to. I;| -and 'M to Z. J t is' n<it; in .his own pockets that thnt-is a'vory .old ,Story. .' •••:, ■ • '''■■ ■ ?f.Yoii{may' know'-' a. vain man—if'vou want a .s.ignboard-r-by.'-tho. factr.that ho lias 'no. oi]tsido. breast, pocket .in' his cont. It would ' fnjnivwie iqok ;.pf.;Jvi's .chost". .' If it ho-the raShTo'n;not to diavo-an-outside pocket,-th.it is bcoaUso.all moil are, : - L — but that again is obvious. • .. •' • - -