Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-12-10
What Every Woman Knows


TIME shopping damozel looked down
L On bargain counter heaven;
Her bag was heavy with the weight
OF gifts for Christmas Even;
She had three bundles in her hand.
And the names on her list were seven.
TT WAS the subway mezzanine
That she was standing on;
Herseemed she scarce had been day,
Albeit ten hours were done;
The lights thrilled toward her, circlewise,
Each like frctfui sun.
A ROUND her, shoppers, newly met,
"A With sudden, loud accaims,
Spoke evermore among themselves
OF just remembered names:
Wrought garlands stirred continually,
Like green and crimson flames.
LJER steps still sought the portals of
IL The lift, for downward fight;
In the sheer gulf below, she saw,
Beyond deep wells of light,
Gents furnishings, in circlng charm,
Mid dummies clothed in white.
CIT WISH his gift were come to me -
Her voice was hushed and slow:
"Not endless unity of socks
But some new thing to know
Occult. withheld. find it not,
Seeking it high and low.
uNN OTHERS have ! meety fixed:
" Uncle. and Cousin Fan,
And the five relatives. whose names
My shopping list began
Emily Albert, Marguerite,
Henry, and Mary Ann
r HEARD her moan. But soon her path
Was vague in distant aisles,
Where the clear ranged, unnumbered ties
Shone in fierce rainbow styles,
And then half -comforted, she paused
And bought. q saw her smiles.)
CORINNE ROCKWELL SWAIN.
We regard the above as the best parody
the Dish has been honored with in the
course of its existence. We wish we might
hear from Mrs. Swain more often.
Every philosopher welcomes a chance to
have his creed tested by msfortune-par-
ticularly by the misfortunes of his friends.
Democracy. observed some powerful
thinker, tends to bring life to a dead level
of mediocrity. We recently had a chance
to confirm this doctrine Our friend the
Onizeditor began treating himself to a very
| fine brand of mellow, expensive and richly
favored tobacco. But 1t was not long before
| his colleagues smelt the difference, and as he
| moved among his encyclopedias and statis-
| teal almanacs they noted the rich blue
| trail of aroma that fumed, from his pipe.
| Naturally, this being a democratic Office, they
| began TO use his pouch rather than their
| own red and green tins 1t was not long
before the learned Quiz found himself com
nellcd to return to the general smoke stuff
Of his colleagues. Thus, by the sound in
| stinct of the Demos, any man who seeks to
raise himself above his fellows is promptly
| penalized.
There is only one way, in a democratic
| community in which an upper social stratum
can be preserved permanently without dan
gerous upheaval The only chance for the
| 0uizeditor to have continued to smoke that
| alluringly fragrant and Opulent blend would
| have been IL there had grown up a lower
order of smokers, n kind o: villein class, who
had been so long sunk in degradation and
| hitter shag mixtures that their palates re-
fused TO respond to the delights of the more
| aristocratic fumigatiOn. Our friend Demos =
themes McGinnis, for instance, has smoked
his violent and cruel mixture so long that
nothing else contents him. The Quizedtor' 4
handsome leather pouch offered no tempta
tion TO him Unfortunately for the luxurious
Quiz. his other colleagues were not SO hard
ened IN apathy.