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Never mind that was all the old man owned. He was a share cropper with 6 children and no wife to help.

Huge difference in what this messaage is trying to teach. If all you own is what you have to wear, God knows that and honors what you do to look your best.

However, the Pastor should have offered to buy him a suit.

"However, the Pastor should have offered to buy him a suit".

Maybe you are unfamiliar with rural churches in the south in the 50s. The underpaid preacher was probably doing well to buy his own suit and likely didn't see a need for my father-in-law to wear a suit.
My point was that it shouldn't have mattered to ANYONE what the man wore as long as it was clean and not indecent.
The ignorant but hurtful remarks of one person in the church left an indelible impression on the lives of three people which has lasted for nearly a half century.

Is there for honest Poverty
That hings his head, an' a' that;
The coward slave-we pass him by,
We dare be poor for a' that!
For a' that, an' a' that.
Our toils obscure an' a' that,
The rank is but the guinea's stamp,
The Man's the gowd for a' that.

What though on hamely fare we dine,
Wear hoddin grey, an' a that;
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine;
A Man's a Man for a' that:
For a' that, and a' that,
Their tinsel show, an' a' that;
The honest man, tho' e'er sae poor,
Is king o' men for a' that.

Ye see yon birkie, ca'd a lord,
Wha struts, an' stares, an' a' that;
Tho' hundreds worship at his word,
He's but a coof for a' that:
For a' that, an' a' that,
His ribband, star, an' a' that:
The man o' independent mind
He looks an' laughs at a' that.

A prince can mak a belted knight,
A marquis, duke, an' a' that;
But an honest man's abon his might,
Gude faith, he maunna fa' that!
For a' that, an' a' that,
Their dignities an' a' that;
The pith o' sense, an' pride o' worth,
Are higher rank than a' that.

Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a' that,)
That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an' a' that.
For a' that, an' a' that,
It's coming yet for a' that,
That Man to Man, the world o'er,
Shall brothers be for a' that.

Robert Burns

I heard a preacher tell a story the other day:

A young man had always dressed very casual. He could afford to dress finer but he didn't-it wasn't his style. He had tattoos and even went shoeless most of the time.

When he was in his second year of college he was introduced to the Lord. He decided to visit the church near his campus.

He did go one Sunday, arriving 30 minutes into the service. The church was packed, as always. He stood at the back of the church in his t-shirt, tattoos exposed, barefooted. The preacher, already into his sermon, could see him back there, trying to spot a seat. As the young man stepped forward, the preacher could hear the gasps as more and more people saw him and he wondered what would happen. As the young man got closer to the front of the church it was less likely he would find a seat. Instead of turning back though, all eyes watched as he reached the front of the aisle and simply sat down on the floor. The silence was deafening. A deacon, a very properly dressed man, mid 70's in age, stepped forward toward the young man on the floor. Yes, he would take care of this, the congregation was sure.

The deacon reached the young man's side and everyone watched as he gingerly lowered himself to the floor to sit beside the visitor-not easy at his age-and they listened to the rest of the sermon together. The words of the sermon that day will most likely be forgotten as time goes by but the lesson the deacon taught will be remembered for a long time.

The lesson is: You might be the only "bible" a person ever reads.