The Washington herald., 1918-07-05
By DWIc

Special Correspondent Of The Washington Herald
New York. July 4.-The matinee
idol has disappeared from the cos
mopolitan Rialto of New York. One
may look around Longacre Square
for days now and not find a matinee
idol on parade. The once familiar
and provocative figure. cynosure of
all feminine eyes. is extinct.
The last of the matinee idols van
with the soulful eyes. developed
tundity of waist line. Broadwegian
depended on other than the native
romantic atmosphere Of stagedom.
for their glamour.
But down on Grand street-which
Is Jewish New York's Rialto and
Broadway and Fifth avenue rolled
into one-there is less sophistica-
tion and. 1t may be. a less spoiled
capability OF seizing life's smaller
zestfulnesses as they pass. Grand
street still has its matinee idol.
Every afternoon and evening the
matinee idol, stately, benign, brim-
ming with self satisfaction, leaves
his theater after the performance,
enjoying to the full the sensation
cused by his advent
He wears a silk topper. colored
gloves and a flower in his lapel
Hero worship Is in full bloom Old
ladies in the shawls rub their hands
as he passes. loung olice faces
light up with expectancy-hoping
for the bestowal OF a smile.
He Is generally large and red
checked and he swing his cane
with easy nonchalance. II he stops
at a coffee house he will soon find
q crowd at opposite tables casting
admiring glances. Young and old.
rich and poor. delight in their hero
worship.
To Jewry. Jerusalem is either a
memory or a hope now. New York
has become, among SO many other
superlative things, the metropolitan
city OF the Jewish world. a strong
ly racial community OF several mil
lion souls. It lives a life of its
own, q closed book to outsiders.
inee idol still, Jewish New York as
a whole has many a custom, man
ner and institution Of which the
average New Yorker knows nothing.
Down at the Bryan Park Canteen,
Mrs. Jay Gould in cap and apron,
was hustling from kitchen to coun-
ter one day last week when a free
spoken and hungry private saunter-
ed into the hut and addressed the
lady as follows:
Ham san'wich, jelly roll and cav
fee-don't slop it-and get a move
on. cause gotta catch q rattler
for camp"
Mrs. Gould is the granddaughter
of q Hawaiian princess, but she
broke all hut records in serving the
order and smiled when she did It.
Some waitress" remarked the
private, as he backed out of the
hut. Mrs. Gould is not the only So
ciety woman who is devoting her
time to canteen work. Among others
are Mrs. w. K. Vanderbilt, jr., Mrs.
Willard D. Straight and Miss Mar
ion Hollins.
In one OF the Broadway glitter
ing and gouging dancing places. the
chorus was singing 'Td Like to See
the Kaiser With Lily : in His
Hand" A bus boy loaded down with
a tray of dishes, but who had an
excellent tenor voice Joined in. His
voice rang out superior to the pro-
fessionals. The boys name was
Karl Liebergrot and he was born
in Berlin. He was trained for the
operatic stage but he became SO op-
posed to German kultur that he
came to America shortly before the
war. He studies by day and at night
he acts as the walters assistant
Already fashion plates of Fifth
Avenue are appearing in skin~tight
clothes as the result of the govern
ment,s desire to save clothes. The
coats are short too. A man wear
ing a loose suit of clothes is 60
ing to be about as popular as q
hAng-nail in New York.