The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-08-04
Khaki Dresses
Win Not Help
Defeat Kaiser
Make Yourself Look Worth
Fighting for" Advice Of
Keen Woman Writer.
BY N;xoIa Greeley Smith.

On April s. as we all know, the
United States declared n state of war
with the imperial German government.
It was April 10 that my Dung friend
Penelope appeared in hor uniform. the
first possible moment that Penelope's
tailor could mobilize her. and It was.
of course. out of the question for
Penelope to appear in one Of these
hOrrid. ill-fittirg ready made things.
Today. at the beginning of August
Penelope still hesitates us - which OF
half hundred organizations she will
join In order to most effectively do
her bit"
Penelope loves that trite and silly
phrase as much as I hay, come to
1oathe 1t. She loves her uniform. She
wears 1t at the country club 1anccs.
shops in it. motors in it. plays golf
in 1t.
Feels She's Hurting Kaiser.
She has seemed TO feel that in some
mysterious way hersappearance in q,
plain khaki two-piece gown with
choker collar is helping the allies to
smash the kaiser.
aren't YOU ever going to wear a
uniform" asked Penelope. reproach-
fully, the other day. 1t was the tenth
asking, and I feared that in her pa
triotic fervor she might touch me
with white feather to show me up
as sartorial Stacker
why should wear n uniform
Penelope" I asked. I'm not going
to war;
why. to be patriotic. to inspire
people. to keep the idea of the war
before the public she answered.
Don't YOU suppose ii must be very
inspiring to our young men going off
to war to see that women. too, are
doing their part?"
What Will Soldiers Remember.
II am sure II is" 7 replied ''but I'm
equally sure our young mon would be
much more impressed by you if they
saw you in one of the little white
dresses YOU wore last summer than
in pointless imitation of their own
garb. Don't YOU suppose these men
are storing their brains now with pic
lures to look at when they lie in the
trenches and haven't seen a pretty
woman for a month?
''Do you think any mans imagination
will be fired by the thought of girl
wearing khaki? Penelope. do you
really think that hot, uncomfortable
gown is becoming to you?''
Doing Her Bit
Penelope made a sudden plunge into
her vanity bag for mirror and at
tempted to Judge the becomingness of
the criticized uniform from the tip of
her nose and the immediate section of
face surrounding it. which the tiny
n
whether it's becoming or not" she an
swered. I'm doing my Bit
"Now. the only thing l am sure YOU
are doing Is to cause the discharge
of employees in stores because you in
sist on wearing one dress all summer"
Unanswered. IF 1t We're only that you
waited to go around looking like a
freak I shouldn't argue with you."
what woman cares how she looks
in the country's hour of reril:" replied
Penelope nobly.
Should Care More Now.
Every woman should care-should
care more now than ever" ! answered.
because every woman today will typ
ify to some man who goes to France
the ideals he will fight for There
never was a war before in which the
issue between might and right was so
clean cut. the duel between force and
justice so defined. Everything that
women hope for from civilization
hangs in the balance. If the Prussians
win You might as we'll learn how to
polish boots or get ready to be a con-
script mother. because that is what Il
Prussian world would mean for every
woman: eventually it might mean Il
state lethal chamber In which all
womne past the age of child bearing
could be put out of existence because
obviously 1t would not accord with
Prussian notions of efficiency to keep
IL lot Of useless females alive and eat
ing their heads off,
What has all this got to do with
my uniform? asked Penelope petu-
lantly.
Look Worth Fighting For.
Just this: That if men are going
out to fight for YOU. you might as we'll
let them take away with them the
memory of some one who looks worth
fighting for. You know. when a
Frenchman goes back home from the
trenches his wife or sweetheart tries
to appear her pretticst, and is smiling
and gay and frivolous. quite as If there
were no war going on. She seeks tc
give the man something to remember
afterward by making him forget now
Penelope made another dive for the
vanity box before she answered: I've
hated these horrid things all along
Just despised them-and now, if yol
really insist that it is my patriotic
duty I'll go right up town to buy the
loveliest violet linen I saw on Fiftl
avenue yesterday. really think
will be worth remembering in that,