Omaha daily bee., 1896-04-05
SOCIETY IS ITSELF AGAIN
Period Of Self Denial Has Come to an
End.
sAcKcLoTH AND ASHES ARE LAID ASIDE
Quiet of Lent Has Passed and Youth
and Bcnuty Are Prepared for
"a New Succession of
Gnictics,


plunge into the social maelstrom with APP
petites renewed and sharpened by weeks
OF self-dcnial And who can blame the
most pious Of them II they welcome with
beating pulses and grateful hearts their re-
lief from this annual period of immoation
or the altar of their faith. Sackcloth and
ashes are not the natural accompaniments
of youth and beauty. Youth is apt to ask
itself If the fact that the Savior tasted forty
days is a sufficient reason why 1t should de-
prive itself of the dearest joys of existence
But fashion has added lts dictum to that
Of the sacred ritual and the mandate must
bo obeyed SO youth piousy subdues the
human longing for excitement and beauty
masks itself under the somber coloring
which marks the winter of its life.
How appropriate that the end Of all this
self abnegation should come with budding
trees and springing grass blades As mother
Earth renounces her mournful attire for her
freshest colors and most radiant dress she
seems thousand times more beautiful than
ever. And society arrayed once more In
pristine gorgeousness knows itself to be in
fnitely more admirable by virtue of the
Easter rejuvenation The weeks of en-
forced retirement are forgotten in the SEN
all growing things, and luxuriate in bright
colors and brilliant gayeties to its hearts
content
SO this Easter morning the notable doings
OF the social world are largely in prospec-
tive. The small affairs which are not con-
sldered sufficiently brilliant to interfere with
the proper degree Of humility during Lent
have had their day and the stage is once
more cleared for a new and bewilderng sue
cession Of gayeties. Society has put on new
life with its Easter bonnet and If society
be one-half as gorgeous as the bonnet, what
a life 1t viii lead. But 1t is to be hoped that
1t will show better taste than the bonnet
makers. These startling combinations of
color which adorn the heads Of the fashion
able women on this occasion would be but
sorry models.
Have the milliners gone mad? What
woman with a scintilla of the artistic soul
has not felt her flesh creep at the sight
Of these monstrously ugly creations. Huge
stalks of field flowers in coors such as
ture never painted roses that rival the
tiger lily and bows and punches and knots
of ribbons in shades vivid that they pain
the eyes like a bright sunshine. Bonnets
In which the laws of harmony are set aside
and dishonored and colors which no stretch
of the imagination can ever reconcile But
IL fashion DEGREES that society shall be gaudy
and gorgeous and ugly there is no appeal
and woman bravely puts aside her notions
of the propriety of things and obedienty
complies. ut is shocking at first" con-
cedes the milliner, but you will grow ac
customed to 1t after awhile
The week past has brought only the usual
round of quiet diversions but with Easter
comes promise of more notable things A
number of more brilliant functions al
ready in prospect and after the enforced
quietude Of Lent society may be expected
to live again with renewed zest.
...
One afternoon not long ago a beautiful and
accomplished society girl of not many sea-
sons, and one of the bright and interesting
young college men were chatting pleasantly
together, when the youth chanced TO remark
that he was thinking of leaving for college
the next afternoon.
The young maiden knowing that this man
always stayed in town until the latest pos
slble moment, arriving at college at just the
last minute, and also that he sometimes even
stayed over a day, when there happened to
be party on hand, laughingly made a bet
that he would not go, and that if he did, she
would send him box of vioes to the train
If she did not go down herself, to see him
off.
Much was her surprise, when the following
day she received a telephone message from
the young collegian saying he was to leave
that afternoon She went into cupboards
and drawers and got out her old hats and
bonnets OF seasons past to see If she could |
not find some vioets. However, after rum
found one of the daintiest punches Of artih-
cial flowers imaginable. She then drove to |
one of the best florists and asked for a |
bunch of English violets, which she watched |
the florist put up carefully in small violet |
box with wax paper, etc. She then returned |
home exchanged the real violets (Which |
she sent to sick friend for the artificial |
bunch, wrote a breezy, witty little note, and |
sent them to the station by the coachman,
ten fifteen minutes before the time the |
train was to leave.
The young fellow who was all expectancy |
reached the station fully half hour be-
fore the time the train was to leave, and |
walked up and down, watched every vehicle
as 1T approached, and as he saw the well
known coachman coming toward him with
the box in his hand, his heart gave a great |
thump and his face bore one great radiant
smile. He was handed a billet doux. which
he read with somewhat perplexed |
However when he opened the
box, appreciating the joke. he was equal to
the emergency and rushed to the telephone
and called up -, and as the young woman
answered the telephone, he thanked her
and said the fragrance of the
violets was overpowering. He did not wear
them, but If you should chance to enter his
room at -, you would probably recognize |
them hung on the wall of his room with
other relics and trophies of the past
Several years ago small club Of twenty
girls organized and met every week at the
home OF a certain of the members. there to
sew for charity. One of the club members
would read something from Shakespeare
while the others stitched away. However, at
one meeting, only eight Of the twenty came,
so those eight. after sewing some time, felt
1t was not right of the others to quit the
club so suddenly and uneeremonously, and
the fact that 1t was one
Friday night in Lent, they all went upstairs
In the attic, and. after rummaging through
closets and boxes raked up four suits of
mems clothing, which the taller girls took
and dressed up in. while the others had to
content themselves with fantastic women's
apparel,
The masqueraders then set out on tour
of adventure, whiting several houses of
friends The first stop made at the
home Of one of the girls who was unable
to be present that evening. who since has
married. and who although young, was one
Of the privileged girls in those days who had
boy callers. So the four manly girls stepped
to the front and. as they stood in shadow.
one could not recognize the misit clothing.
AS the young girl herself came to the door
she said ION. come in, boys" 1t was then
that burst OF laughter arose that could
have been heard for several blocks. At some
Of the houses they visited they were treated
royalty to fruit, cakes etc. On their home
ward trip two men, seeing them and recog-