The morning news., 1899-12-31

coal in a copper pot and poured thick
into small glasses fitted in gold filigree
cups. The lady who made this rather
disagreeable beverage was the same who
had removed the center dishes during
dinner; she was as black as coal and
bore the delightful descriptive name,
translated to u.s. of Lily of the Desert.
The fashion of trailing skirts for street
wear received a decided blow the other
afternoon in New York. H. K. Bush
Brown, who was one of the sculptors on
the Dewey arch, astonished the Rainy
Day Club at it's meeting in the Carnegie
building by reading il a severe lecture on
the half-heartedness of its aims and sug
gesting immediate reforms. The eluo
is accustomed to receive from the male
speakers who occasionally address it only
the most slgar-coated sentiments. Mr..
Browns remarks, however, were received
with a good grace. after the club realized
1t was in for a scolding. Mr.. Brown said;
''The name of this club is indicative that
even here women are the shy and timid
creatures we love with our whole hearts
and whom we would hardly love otherwise
than as they are. Yet the title announces
that here is an idea without conviction
and a movement for reform without cour-
age.
In the spirit of appropriateness I ask
if it is good to have short skirts in the
attractive TO sweep the streets with your
dresses in fine weather? Certainly the
ungraceful effort of holding up the dress
does not modify the custom.
why do women all follow the same
fashion? You do not think it necessary
20 the harmonies of life that you should
all wear the same colors. You cannot
think all fashions alike becoming TO the
short woman, the tall woman and the
fat woman
1T is not that or you would not have
attained to the emancipation you have in
the designs of bonnets. which gives is
that wonderful, infinite and beautiful va
riety.
ut is because you are timid by nature,
education and environment. You dare not
face the criticisms of the conventional in
the person of your dressmaker and your
! fashion plates.
"Bonnet-making may be said to have
been elevated to the plane of the fine arts.
Why should not costuming be similarly
elevated? Dressmaking might be elevated
| to an artistic profession, which would
broaden the minds of it's followers.
You are in the hands of your enemies.
| The fashion laws are annually promul-
gated by the fashion dealers, and you grab
at the bait as though you liked it. All for
the good of trade and the depletion of your
pocketbooks.
you run like sheep in one direction be-
| cause you do not dare to be outside the
| fold of fashion, and when you make
protest it is called a Rainy Day Club
! because you are only half-hearted
about it.
"If you have the idea. have the courage
to make it a conviction, and the bravery
/ to live I'D to it.
! 'If the Rainy Day Club means any
! thing make it stand for greater simplicity
in dress and in the home and against this
-fa win
] leave its members free to work for great
| and important things"
! Miss Sara Palmer suggested that If MT
! Brown would establish a school OF nrustlc
/ and elevated dressmaking at reasonable
rates the club would patronize 1t.
| Stories of college pranks are always in
! teresting reading to the older women, who
/ were once school girls themselves. The
most depressing period in college girFs
/ life is holiday time if she lives too far
away to warrant her going home for the
mid-Winter vacation, and while the others
are making their gay preparations for all
sorts of family festivities she does sundry
: little weeps that are not at all in har-
monv with the season of good cheer. one
winter at Vassar, says the Chicago Chron-
icle there were a half-dozen forlorn ones
gathered in a pretty blonde-haired senior 5
room doing their best to console her, and
at the same time keep their own spirits
up by rash onslaughts upon chocolate
pot and cracker jar. They were all IN
fearful mood. vet they felt that the blonde
senior was the greatest martyr, owing 10
the fact that there was a fiance in her
Western home as we'll as the ordinary
family group. His photograph peered at
them from bureau, desk and tea table
even: the looking-glass was absolutely 4
mosaic OF manly beauty, all Of one type,
,tob roc CT a
on the seniors lap. spoke eloquently of
her disappointment at not being able to
20 where the writer was. Unnoticed by
! the rest two of the girls slipped from the
room. and it was not many minutes be-
fore a card was brought up. which bore
the name of the youth supposed to be so
MANY miles away. There never was such
a hurried bathing of eyes and change of
manner as occurred in the ten minutes
following its arrival. With beaming
face the erstwhile Niobe descended to
the reception room, there to be greeted
nv a contorted figure in masculine at
tire. whose muffied laughter and queer
shane at once proclaimed the imposter
TO he one of the girls who had recently
left the room. The maids who had assist
ed in the deception were giggling in the
hall. when a sudden hush announced that
something out of the ordinary had hap
pened Imagine, if you please, how that
sinner must have felt when she looked up
and saw the real fiance coming into the
room. viewing with amazement an en-
semble that certainly did not show her to
advantage The unhappy joker, with
the tables turned against her. was so Sc
verely punished by the predicament she
was in that the blonde senior hadn't the
heart to say anything more about the
/ trick that had been played upon her, and,
with her fance. gave that mournful
group of "left-behinds" some jolly times,
bus it is only fair to state that in a GER
tain persons stocking on Christmas
morning there were false whiskers and a
disreputable pipe as suggestive offerings
to her makeup when next she essayed
the role of male impersonator.
The reported capture of a young Dutch
| eirl named Miss Bester, who was leaving
I,adysmith on horseback for the supposed
purpose of giving information to the
! Beers, reminds one that women have play
ed a notable part as spies in war time
| especfallv during the American Civil War.