The Guide

South Miami Roundup By EDWIN KNIGHT

The vanity of loving fine clothes and new fashions, and valuing ourselves by them, is one of the most childish pieces of folly.—Sir M. Hale. I AM NOT a martyr. Nor am I a crusader. I conform as well as most American men to outdated customs and useless trivia. I am seldom rude. I open doors for women and kick pets only in self defense. I pay my taxes (because I must) and believe that children have the privilege of growing up. I AM NOT a beatnik, an existentialist, nor a humanist. I obey traffic laws, put pennies in parking meters and laugh when I get a parking ticket. I yell for the Miami team on Friday nights and consider the southwest section of Miami the greatest location in the world to live. ALTHOUGH I AM not a joiner, I am strongly considering becoming a self-appointed messiah of one of the most worthwhile organizations in Miami. It's a club. But it will have no by-laws or a charter. It eventually will have a wide following. IT WILL HAVE NO meeting sites, luncheons or secret handshakes. It will serve all men, Miamians or otherwise, but there will be no state or national conventions. We ultimately will have strong lobbies in Washington and Tallahassee. But we will have no local, state or national officers. OUR CLUB WILL BE dedicated to greater comfort for Miami men. And I think it's the finest idea since the swimming pool. The object is to do away with coats and ties in South Florida. The name of the club is THE SOCIETY FOR THE ABOLITION OF COATS AND TIES IN MIAMI. THERE IS DEFINITELY a need for such an organization. The club constantly will keep reminding men that South Florida, with its extreme heat and humidity, is no place for coats and ties. They are irritating, useless, except to the vanity, and expensive. MY FIRST OFFICIAL act as leader is the writing of this column. I also will mail out printed brochures and make speeches in behalf of SACTM (Society for the Abolition of Coats and Ties in Miami). There are many men I know who will become loyal members. BUT THERE ARE two distinct factions which will prevent total abolition. These factions are women and the business world. Women, wives especially, will loathe the club and its principles. It may even break up a few homes. Why? Because of the woman's insidious desire to associate respectability with the coat and tie. MORE THAN JEWELS, furs and the new car, women desire acceptance. To be accepted into any funnel of society, the woman must have family respectability. This respectability does not appear unless the husband glows in the coat and tie. It's like the wedding ring, the lawnmower and togetherness. That all denote respectability in this modern symbolic society. The coat and the tie are the husband's uniform. WOMEN WILL FIGHT my club with every weapon they possess. In the middle of summer, men, they will urge you to go out and get a new suit. They will give you new neckties for Christmas and your birthday. They will compare your appearance to Jim Blank's, who appeared at the recent neighborhood shindig with a neat sport shirt and Bermuda shorts. BUT MEN, THE WAY to lick this plague is to declare once and for all that your appearance does not interest you as much as comfort. In 80 or 90-degree weather, any man will look and feel more comfortable in a neat-appearing sport shirt and slacks. Your hypertension will subside and a feeling of self-satisfaction will replace the angered nausea of the coat and tie. THE BUSINESS WORLD and its dictates on the coat and tie will be difficult, indeed, to overcome. Men won't be matching wits with women in these instances, but other men and long-hallowed traditions. Men wear coats and ties in their work to help sell themselves. THE INSURANCE SALESMAN wears a coat and tie to help sell himself to his prospective client. The attorney wears the uniform to help impress the jury. The executive wears the symbol to sell his leadership to his office staff. In actuality, these men are relying too much on the coat and tie and not enough on themselves. THE COAT AND TIE have become a crutch to the businessman. It serves as a stimulant to his vanity. Take the coat and the tie off a high-powered salesman and he melts. But then, when he begins to sell himself through his personality and his product, he gains new courage. THE COAT AND THE TIE have become uniforms to the businessman through centuries of doing. The tradition undoubtedly was begun in the north where the weather dictates dictates the need for not only the coat and the tie, but the topcoat, the scarf and gloves. But this is South Florida, where other traditions have been flouted and the time has come for this ridiculous custom to be overthrown.

CONGRESSMAN Dante Fascell and Furman E. Thomas one of the Congressman's Principal nominees to the U. S. Naval Academy, 1961 classes, discuss Thomas' projects in the Washington office at the time Congressman Fascell gave the young man the good news that he had been selected as a principal nominee. Furman is the 18-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Thomas, 6740 S.W. 55th Street. He is presently attending the Sullivan Preparatory School in Washington, D. C.

School Contract Is Awarded

James G. Thompson, Inc., of Miami, has been awarded the $71,436 contract for construction of an addition to Everglades Elementary School, 8375 SW 16th St. According to Miami Builders Exchange, the school addition will contain five classrooms, an activities room, a loggia and two restrooms. A total of 10 contractors bid for the job which is due to be completed for the beginning of school in the fall. Architect is Gordon Severud, of Miami. Engineers are A. Harvey Baxter and William A. Berry, of Coral Gables.

Charles Rogers Heads Recreation Board

Charles Rogers has been elected chairman of the recently created Recreational Advisory Board. Rogers was picked by fellow members Monday in a meeting held at City Hall. Bernard B. Weksler had served as temporary chairman while the seven-man board was being organized. Other members of the board are Mrs. Stanley Fosgate, William Charlton, Mrs. Dorothy Hoover and Larry Adams. Maintaining turf grass on all Florida golf sourses is a $10,000,000 industry annually, according to the Florida Turf-Grass Association.

Flags Are Presented To St. Theresa School

American Flags were presented to each classroom of St. Theresa School by American Legion Post 98 of Coral Gables recently. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Ray Renuart Ladies Auxiliary 5718 of Coral Gables, also presented the new 50 star flags to Cub Scout Pack 11 and 17 of St. Theresa School.

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