Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-22

were vastly larger or more elastic than it is.
Time was when any woman not innately
vulgar would as soon have thought of tat
tooing her face as of wearing sham jewelry,
but that time has gone by. Nowadays
plethora of trinkets is as essential to the
feminine outfit as gowns hats, and no.
body cares whether they are the real thing
or not-possibly taking the negative for
granted. The woman who hasn't three or
four bangles. as many brooches and
combs. lorgnette chain and purse.
necklace or dog collar and half a dozen
hat pins-every single item dazzlingly au-
riferous and Observation-Disclosures about her
person when she takes her walks abroad Is.
indeed, rare and striking spectacle these
days of the reign Of King Midas.
Yet. If 1t were not for woman's whims
and inconsistencies this world would be
nothing but dreary waste of business and
politics. The Sunday newspa ers would
revenue, and the professional humorist
would be driven out of business for sheer
lack of material to work with. The va
carries Of feminine fashions keep good
by the way-and there Is no denying the
fact that they furnish considerable pro-
portion Of the community with amusement
and conversation. If, for example. there is
anything that hasn't been said about elbow
sleeves and peekaboo waists it is because
the present-day vocabulary is inadequate to
the demand for scathing adjectives.
The Altar Of Folly.
It Is in these cool autumn days that one
realizes how cheerfully and whole heartedly
woman immolates herself upon the altar of
folly A damp northeast wind has an in
sinuating way with it that makes the men
folk hesitate before venturing out without
an overcoat: yet the lace waist holds it's
own as merrily as though bronchitis and
pneumonia were but Pigments of the imagi-
nation. while the inevitable hiatus between
the top of the glove and the edge OF the
short sleeve disclosed blue elbows and q
narrow expanse of goose skin to the gaze
of all beholders.
Perhaps these little follies Of dress owe
their existence to the fact that the century
Is still too young to have cut its wisdom
teeth. In the early days of the nineteenth
century, when Napoleon was first consul OF
revolutionized France, women went about
even In winter In condition that It were
simple charity to call half clad: and as
result consumption ravaged both shores
Of the channel for more than generation
afterward A glance at the open-work
rainy day will serve to reveal makes one
wonder whether we, too. may not eventual
ly reap terrible harvest for our seed
time of sartorial indiscretions. What has
become of the rubber overshoe industry?
Wasting Energy.
One Of the most serious foiies Of the
modern woman is her prodigal waste Of
nervous energy. 1t is ambition usually that
prompts her to put more irons in the fire.
than she can possibly use to advantage;
but it is simply feolishness that makes her
want to use them all at once. And she
seems to have absolutely no idea Of con-
serving her forces. Whatever she does,
whether 1t is worth the expenditure or not
and nothing is really worth it-she does at
the expense of every fiber Of her being. She
keeps no reserve fund in the bank Of health.
On the contrary, her account Is generally
so greatly overdrawn that the fear Of ulti-
mate bankruptcy hangs perpetually over
her.
Constant Excitement
Whether she is woman Of business, a
worker in the arts or professions, a social
butterfly or simply housekeeping wife and
mother, she lives in q constant fever OF ex-
citement-if indeed. you can call 1t living,
when all Of HES beauty and sweetness are
lost sight of in the mere effort to keep up
with the procession Even the grooves she
let's herself get into are not NICE easy, COM
Portable grooves In which the wheels Of ex-
istence run 50 smoothly that they hardly
seem to be running at all. Indeed. no.
More nearly they resemble the deep. ugly
wagon ruts that one encounters In country
roads In bad weather. with so many bumps
and thank you-ma'a ans" to the mile that