The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-29

written for the Topeka State JcurraI)
Superstitious Susie is a creature of the past
Now sensible Suzanna doesn't even look
aghast
When she walks beneath a ladder, opaIs
cause her no alarm
And she even breaks a mirror with no
thought of future harm.
New York Dec. 29.-Fashion GER
tainly is all powerful since it can even
overcome superstition and down it
without a struggle.
Poor but sensible relations who
couldn't afford to be superstitious
have reveled for years in opal rings,
scarfpins, brooches, earrings and even
necklaces cast off shudderingly by
Ger. oeramental and hysterical daugh-
tiers and sons of the rich who were
just sure opals brought bad luck, dire
calamity and everything else drea dful
and devastating. But poor relations
will revel no longer.
Just now Madame la Mode is
pleased to cast anything but black
glanccS on. black opals and in conse-
quence their erstwhile supposedly evil
blight is quite ignored by tickle and
fashionable females and the flashing
h -es of the bic tx opals scintillate on
their swan-like Threats (some of them
are more like pouter pigeons) on their
heaving and oftimes ample bosoms,
gle from their shell-like aural ap-
pendages. Smugly content in the con-
seriousness that they are smartly jew
eled. they wear the opals without a
shudder and as yet the list of casual
ties attendent upon such a desperate
act has been slight.
Lift Ban on Peacock.
Just why the blight of superstition
should ever have rested on the gor-
geous feathers of the peacock, that
favored fowl of June and long the
very trademark of vanity, is a deep
dark peacock blue mystery. This sea-
son sees the ban on peacock feathers
lifted, however, as the fan of peacock
feathers is unfurled. These fetching
feather fans either mounted on jew
elcd and hand carved ivory handles,
or of the open and shut variety with
very acme of feather fan fashions for
the fair.
Peacock feathers also wave trium-
plant from jeweled evening hair
bandeaus or from the smart street
turbans of metallic brocade and rep
licas of the entire bird CLEAN in
wicked iridescence from the fascinat-
ing surfaces OF the ubiquitous beaded
bags.
In the face of such tickle shifting
from superstition at fashions call it
would be foolish to still cling to other
Why not Danish the whole musty
medieval lot since Madame La Mode
has brave1y Llazed the trail.
Most of the up-to-date maids and
matrons have indeed adopted this
logic for their own and ladders are
now passed under dauntIessly by
opaled and peacocky ladies. They
turn back home to get something they
have forgotten and leave again by the
same door They beginNa new piece
of knitting on Friday or Saturday
without a qualm and even start jour-
neying on a fateful Friday. The
thirteenth of the month has become a
prime favorite as a wedding or an
entertaining date and milady now
cracks or breaks her vanity mirror
with as little conjunction as she does
a masculine heart.
"See Pin, Pick 1t Up"
If that side of her profile happens
to be the best Mis- 1917 looks over
her perfect left shoulder at the new
moon with airy nonchalance even
though the resultant good luck of
landing her escort sometimes turns
out to be bad luck.
So you see when Fashion turns
against superstition, superstition
might just as well get out of the
fashionable picture without any to-do
or fuss about it.
There's just only one hetle weeny
superstition that still continues to get