Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-01

and most of us don't" And there's so
much fun in 1t, because the knitter
| never knows what the article Is likely
| to turn into in the end. or to what use
the soldier may have to put it when he
| gets ii. and the most popular story here
abouts is. that one every knitter hears
| at least once every day about the SOL
| dier who wrote back home about pair
| of socks sent to him: Il use one for a
helmet and one for a mitt. but who in
the world ever taught you to knit?"
|
1 Lady Onslow feels very deeply on the
subject Of wartime economy in every
static OF
English Noblewoman life. and is Of
D..., the opinion
| that only now
people are realizing all over the world
the things that it is best and most
| necessary for them to do without As
| time goes on, she takes the view that
possibly things will become even more
difficult before the final victory Of the
allies is settled definitely Speaking re-
| Gently. Lady Onslow remarked:
1T Is no use saying that, generally
| speaking, 1t is not an advantage to
woman to be we'll dressed in what
ever station of life she happens to be
placed. Indeed, ] cannot see why, in
ordinary times. women who can afford
1t should not be what is called by
those who have not much money 'ex-
| travagant.' Before the war women
| with sufficient incomes spent a lot of
! money on their clothes, on theaters,
| bridge. cooks. motor cars and other
luxuries. Now, however, we are not
living in normal times and l think
| strongly that no mere amusements
| should be allowed to absorb time,
| money. energy and material that could
be more usefully employed in winning
| the war"
Lady Onslow went on to say that
when she goes to dressmakers and
| milliners she feels that many of the
men and women employed nowadays
in the production Of costly garments
| would be employed much more eff
GENTLY and valuably by the govern
ment elsewhere. Two or three coats
and skirts for everyday wear and
couple of evening gowns are quite
| enough for any one just at present"
| This is the recipe that Lady Onslow
| lays down for her wartime economy
knows as well as any one what she is
talking about But she made the OBJ
servation in the presence of good
many girls Of small means who have
the. very excusable love of pretty
| things that Is the heritage of youth
heard one of them remark after her
ladyship's structure in the matter of
clothes: ITS all very well for the
Countess of Onslow to talk like that
She has probably any number of beau
! tiful dresses left over from last sea
son or the season before. that can be
| converted quite easily, but we who
have not either her ladyship's ward
| robe nor her purse must content our
selves with an even lower range Of
| economy than she suggests, and some
how l don't think it works out quite
the same way in the end.
| I am told by several Philadelphia
mothers whose daughters should UNI
| der ordinary circum-
Quaker City to stances come out"
| n.n next winter. says a
| om1t DeDuts. writer In the Public
Ledger, that they have. by common
| consent. decided not to do so. There
are few families of which a member
has not enlisted and gone abroad or is
awaiting orders. Under such conditions
| it would appear unseemly for daugh-
4 ter, sister, sweetheart or wife to set
her entire mind upon worldly gayety.
whatever she may feel; and. with
| ing how our people could feel suf-
ficiently detached from the tragic
scenes enacted abroad to cultivate
frivolity as they all did last winter.
Not that l feel in the slightest degree
critical about 1t. only l wondered how
| 50 many could live in the world and
yet be SO entirely out of its atmosphere.
| Among the mothers alluded to above,
who say that neither they nor their
young daughters could bring them
selves to the proper point Of cheerful
ness necessary to enjoy successfully
winter Of frivolity. Is Mrs. George w.
Boyd. Several. times. her name and
that of her daughter have been men
toned as likely to swell the list of
participants In the gayeties Of the
coming season. her young daughter
| being Of the age of the approved debu-
to the war conditions. they could not
bring themselves to entertain success
| fully, and Mr.. and Mrs. Boyd have de-
| cided that she had better go back to
school for another year.
| On the whole. 1t Is my BELIEF that
next winter will be a busy one for
the women of this country. too busy to
| admit OF wasting time and money In
the usual frivolities.. For one thing,
with the best men away, 1t could be
only an unsatisfactory season at best.
| And when added to this we think of
the discomforts and dangers to which
| these dear boys of ours are to be ex-
posed. I am sure that our girls Will
not have much inclination for the
| merry whirl of fashion and giggle, nor
for the light fantastic. One must be
carefree to enjoy that kind OF fun.
Talking of novelty, by the way, on
Wednesday morning last a curious pro-
| cession of mo-
Philadelphia Boys tors filied with
Doing Their Bit. Bows in blue
! blue ieans-wended its way through