The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-05-04
Foolish Craze In
Women $ Dress
By WINIFRED BLACK.

on $1,000 ycar-and let us all know
about Il?
Will you really try 10 show the
everyday American woman that she
doesn't have 20 mortgage her very
soul TO keep up with the fashions.
and that 81 Is possible to live even
II you have only ons set OF turs and
don't pay more than $50 for your
hats?
A Daniel come to Judgment mean
Portia; and oh, dear Portia, how
we do need your calm. sane. level
headed example, your friendly, quiet
advice. For were ali going crazy-as
crazy az humble bees In Junc-oyor
dress and hats. and shoes. end silk
stockings. and dinGle bangles. and
fiddle faddles, and whlnwhams. and
things that swish and things that
Jingle, and things that sparkle and
things that twinkle, and bead and
rattle and swing and float and wave
and cling and reveal and things that
ought to shame every drop OF good
old American blood in our veins. Do
come to the rescue. do
1 met friend the other day an old
irlend-a sweet, modest gentle. in
telligent well-bred woman And I
and then / thought 1t must be some
horrid dream and that she would
presently turn into someone else. But
no. il was real. 1 knew that when
she began telling me wha; bargains
there were AT So and Soc
And she whom ] knew to be a good
wife. loving mother. a sweet Sister,
and an honest woman on her own
clever account, stood there looking
like a creature from the Paris pave
nf M lN,tf ri, Ep.- -,,>t
or the pavement at that,
Her skirty coats were too tight too
short; her shoes were too small and
too low: her stockings were too thin
and they had bea6y things sparkling
on them so you just had TO look at
her decent middle-aged ankles wheth-
er you wanted to or not-and she
had on funny little hat made for
most as big as my grandmother
feather bed.
And yesI She was painted. too,
You have TO paint, they say, TO carry
on these bright colors and To live
up TO the general style OF the gor-
Geous dress and the amazing hat and
the ridiculous mum You can't dress
like an odalesque out OF "A harem
and wear your own complexion.
And her HART Was II always as
red as that2 And. oh the dingle dam
giles. and the iildals and the dildals--
that effect never cost less than a cool
three hundred, anyhow and five years
ago that woman thought long while
for hat or 81 for pair OF
shoes.
And her husband isn't making a
penny more now than he was then.
! saw MIN the other day and Won
dered what made him look so wrink-
led and old and anxious.
She has n daughter, my friend,
sirl OF 16 or so. They tell me her
daughter wouldn't think OF hat
that didn't cost at least SEQ and as
for furs she has to have three sets,
one for each street costume.
Where does 1t all come from. this
money TO pay for all these things?
Are salaries so much higher these
ordinary at that's is about the regu-
lar thing-no stockings but silk; q
twist OF silk around a plain hat. a
little knot Of something hanging down
the back. "twenty-fiyee please" and
death and still behind in the wild
scramble for outlandish dress.
Where is It going to end and what
are VIC going to do about It?
on no, you needn,, sit pacl and
blame. too. as much as the woman
who runs you into debt with her fine
feathers
You talk about simple clothes, oh,
yeo. you ABOUT tlGms Dut your
wife isn't blind. she sees which wom-
an you look at which one YOU ad-
mire whenever you go out together
1t isn't the one with the old hat made
over. and the plain neat little gown.
You'll pass her by every time for the
woman In glitters and dingle bangles.
you know you Will. and SO will every
other man in the place.
what was the story Ruskin told
about the ,children's party In the beau
dancing lights, the soft music. the
flowing fountains, and in the midst
OF all the beauty and the music and
the glory the children at the PARTY
were lighting over VINO could carry
home the biggest lot OF shiny but
tons they'd begun 10 pick off the
things2
And they fought and they fought,
and they hurt each other, and they
cried, and all the music was drowned
fountains, soft plash was forgotten,
and all tho flowers bloomed in vain,
because all that the guests at that
party could see was buttons, gilt but
tons.
Button, button. who's got the but
tonT We're all going crazy over the
game. Dipgle danglc, Jingle fangIe,
blue and silver and scarlet and gold
SILK and satin and furs and lace--yyeIl
have them n We have to die 10 get
them.
Well have them II we have TO sell
our very souls. Well have them If
We have to drive the man we pretend
10 love TO suicide and starve the little
children OF their need OF mothers
love. Ten dollars a week the stanog-
rapher gets, and eight OF 1t goes for
clothes. and such silly clothes at that.
Ten thousand a year the man gets
whose d!ctation she takes. and he has
TO walk down back streets to escape
from his duns, all gone for fea theirs.
fine feathers. for a very ordinary bird
indeed.
Fuss and finery, shine and sheen
and sparkle, Are we all going crazy
or what? Do help us out Mrs VII
son. You can do IT, Start the fash
Jon In simple, inexpensive dress. and
the women of this nation will rise up
and call you blessed as soon as they
come out Of their wild delirium OF
dress.
'T couldn't think OF dressing on less
than $4,000 a year." said smart
woman In New York the other day.
Couldn't you. indeed, dear lady, could
mt you. indeed7 Well, wouldn't
say so much about II II were YOU.
7 really would not. Il Isn't quite wise
or kind or polite.
Some woman whose baby will die
because she can't get enough clothes
10 keep the poor little thing warm
might hear you, and then---but what
should you care what such a woman
thinks? She never had thousand