2i8 What We Lose 



well-made clothing for the year. I have a pre- 

 judice against patches to the extent of disliking 

 anything that will attract the attention of Tom, 

 Dick, and Harry, and their female counterparts. 

 If for a few dollars spent in clothing which is 

 whole I can save myself from their attentions, 

 it is money well spent, and the same thing holds 

 good with regard to the clothing of my wife 

 and children. We might spend a few dollars 

 less every year upon bonnets and dresses, but 

 the question is: Would it pay? We are not 

 living in the woods, and our desire is to avoid 

 attracting attention. 



To go back to Thoreau, he says in Walden : 



As for clothing, to come at once to the practical 

 part of the question, perhaps we are led oftener by 

 the love of novelty, and a regard for the opinions 

 of men in procuring it than by a true utility. Let 

 him who has work to do recollect that the object 

 of clothing is, first, to retain the vital heat, and, 

 secondly, in this state of society, to cover naked- 

 ness, and he may judge how much of any necessary 

 or important work may be accomplished without 

 adding to his wardrobe. Kings and queens who 

 wear a suit but once, though made by some tailor 



