By DONALD DE MARCO
Someone said that I can write an article at the drop of a hat. I cannot take credit, however, for possessing such an ability. Nonetheless, I think I can write an article about “the drop of the hat.” I am speaking of the soft hat that once was part of a person’s attire and has pretty much vanished from the scene.
Why did it vanish, and what has replaced it?
When I was a tenderfoot, my mother took me to a store that specialized in hats. My parents were poor, but they understood that hats were a social necessity and found enough cash in their piggy bank to furnish me with a stylish fedora. It was made of blue felt and sported a feather in its brim. I was now ready for the world.
I was not ready, however, for the amusement park. While speeding along on a ride, the name of which I cannot remember, my hat blew off. I had lost an important part of my identity. Perhaps I should have known better. The phrase, “Hang onto your hats,” was a common warning at that time.
On the positive side, I did enjoy tipping my hat in the presence of a member of the opposite sex, and doffing it as an expression of reverence. Quite fittingly, hats were not to be worn in church. They could be tossed in the air as a way of celebrating a victory in the field of sports. And they gave meaning to that hallway necessity, the hat rack.
After hearing Chopin perform his Opus 2, Robert Schumann declared, “Hats off, gentlemen, a genius.” The comedian Fred Allen attributed his slanted eyes to pulling off a tight derby. A hat trick in hockey occurs when one player scores three goals in the same game. It prompts fans to toss their hats onto the rink.
“Throwing one’s hat in” is an indication of a person’s willingness to go along with a scheme. “Keeping it under your hat” means keeping something a secret. What is a coat without a hat? The popular song tells us to “Grab your coat and get your hat, leave your worries at the doorstep. Just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street.”
In watching old black and white movies, I am always struck by the ever-presence of hats on men’s heads. They were worn by gangsters as well as by enforcers of the law. If the crook had one redeeming virtue it was that he wore a hat. Footage of an old baseball game showed that everyone in the stands wore a hat. I was always fascinated by the unanimity. Everyone was obedient to a trend that inevitably would pass away.
The fans rooted for different teams, disagreed about religion and politics, but all agreed, and without discussing the matter, that they should all wear hats. The power of cultural trends has always fascinated me.
Perhaps the fedora fell out of popularity because it seemed too dressy for the next generation that preferred to be “cool.” Hence, the current popularity of the baseball cap that has little if any social pretensions. It is democratic and therefore can be worn by anybody regardless of sex, age, or social status. And for the “rebel,” it can be worn backwards. For the last 50 years and counting, the baseball cap has been the dominant form of men’s headwear.
The trend from the top hat in the nineteenth century to the fedora in the twentieth century to the baseball cap into the twenty-first century is a trend toward hats that are more and more casual. The baseball cap, which has been called a bumper sticker for the head, has been recognized by Vogue Magazine as “America’s National Hat.” Can there ever be a more casual way of adorning the head?
It occurs to me that I have never seen an image of Christ or any of His apostles wearing a hat. No doubt culture had something to do with this hatless situation. Nevertheless it seems to me that there is something profoundly inappropriate for Christ to wear a hat. Throughout history, the hat has always had a status symbol. By not wearing a hat, Christ is indicating that He does not have a “status” and is, therefore, for everyone. Bishops, Cardinals, and Popes wear elaborate hats. Yet they all serve the one who is without a hat.
Christ cannot be reduced to a status or a trend or a fashion. He is above all this and His beloved hatlessness is proof of it. Deo Gratias.
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