The Washington times., 1915-11-24
War Brings
HOn1eLeSSOn
On Vdnities
Winifred Black Wonders If
Europe's Struggle Came to
Teach That There Are
More important Things
Than Dress and the Jingle
of Money.
BY WINIFRED BLACK.

'NopyrkHt. Ne"bpapeF Feature service. Incl
vyTHo buys them-the' wonderful
N/ things we sec in the win
W dows? And who pays for
them. l wonder and wonder?
yesterday went out after something
simple and well cut and becoming for
a little dinner.
Nothing too smart" I said to my
seh, ana nothing too frumpy-good
material. beautifully cut, and some
Thing shiny and sparkly about it-soft
gray. perhaps. or rich black. or nice,
pretty. becoming. obliging white-that's
always new and always fresh and never
tiresome-with a wreath OF roses or A
knot Of violets or one Of those new
weary things for the hair-and a pair
Of smart slippers-voila!" | said to my
self THE very idea" said myself to
me. and away we went together ana
myself on quite delightful terms, as
Gay as grisgs and full OF hope and
anticipation.
The Amazing Prices.
At the very first window we saw it
black. drapy. clingy. simple, rich.
sparkiy here and there. You'd never
notice II In a room-full. and yet when
YOU came to see It
How much?" said to the sales
woman. "the simple one in the win
DOVE"
Two hundred and nifty" said the
saleswoman-and she never biinked.
She showed me. and she showed me.
and she. showed me-lovely things,
sweet things. charming things. Some of
them were ruffily and some Of them
pleaty and some OF them drapy and
some Of them clingy. Gray. the color
II pearl by moonlight. green with tho
sheen Of tho sea upon IT, blue with tho
color OF the sky. and simple white
and not ono of them was less than q
hundred and nifty dollars.
Not 4 single one-and she seemed to
think they were very cheap.
I went on to the next shop-and they
were all tho same.
Where Does Money Come From?
1t didn't make the least bit Of differ
cncs about the material-heavy or light.
thin or thick-silk. satin. velvet or plain
cloth-a hundred and fifty dollars was
the cheapest Of the lot.
WHO buys all these outrageous frocks
and who gives them the money to pay
for them?
How is the money earncd-do they dig
It out of the ground. or what?
can remember the time when a
woman OF moderate means thought she
was extravagant when she paid sixty
dollars for party dress.
My sister had one once-biack lace.
caught Up with violets-and she was
the sea andal of the neighbors when she
wore 1t; 1t got out somehow that she
had paid scvcnty-flve dollars for that
Rown. and people came and called on
sister's health.
You could see they thought there was
something wrong with her brain.
And when 1t was discovered that she
she wore with 1t the world stood aghast
and horror stricken.
Feared Brain Affected.
Eight dollars-why. you pay that for
. pair of everyday shoes now and think
nothins Of II.
Twelve. fourteen. sixteen dollars .
pair. the really smart shoes in the real
~ smart shops! Who buys them. who
wears them. and why?
Hats-fifty. sixty. seventy::hve dollars
Msy hat Il y9% %ouT get fendE. sIenE With thns
you're either stinCy or pauper. and
they either hate you or pity you for It,
according to The particular disposition
Of the particular friend.
Mothers Dress Allowance.
Did YOU ever wear a veil that you paid
half a dollar for and feel quite comfy.
in Il. thank you? No moreno more
$50, 81. Sand not a cent left for car
fare.
And the dear men wondering why you
can't manage as well as his mother did
with the same dress allowance.
Where does 1t come from-the money
who earns II?
DO the women? | don't believe It,
Do the men? Do they like to work so
hard lust to buy fine feathers for their
fine brds-the men?
What are they wearing over there In
Europe now. ! wondcr-where all the
fashions used to come from?
Lesson of War.
Are they quite so silly about clothes
a. thev used to be?
DO they spend the last dollar that
husband or father can man,S<e to scrspe
together lust for few f'uffs and fall
dals. oh have they awakened at la st
from their dream OF folly?
Black Is the fashion there. thcv saw
unless YOU wear the white Of q hosnital
nurse - and nobody worries about
smart" shoes and the --latest" hat any
more.
Sometimes wonder IL we had 70 h,vo
the war lust To make us rnalizo that
there is something on earth hosidas
dress and vanity and the Jingle OF
money.
hone We'll learn the lesson over here
without going tn war 70 do It,