Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-15


world in the art of woman's
apparel. Then France took
~ the leadership out of her
hands. won her spurs through
distinct superiority, sent her achieve
ments out into the farthest spaces,
and the world. not ungratefuiH but for
getfui. forgot Spain.
The glory and the wealth Of artistic
workmanship, celebration, line and
curve that Spain had created and put
upon a willing world went back to the
musty shelves. together with Ger
vantes and the armada. So.
But the art of Spain was not dead.
1t merely slept.
Today 1t has been awakened by the
war. Even France. when the founda-
tons Of her country rocked and she
kept her head above water only
through her belief in the art Of
woman's apparel. turned to her an
sient enemy. Spain, for inspiration.
Then there came about a curious
tumbling out of wonderful things from
the cornucopia that is Spain.
She produced the great novelist of
the war. Ibanez. with his -Four
Horsemen Of the Apocalypse" which
caustic critics say is the least COM
mendable book he has written, easily
became the dominant figure in modern
literature.
San Sebastian. that marvellous bit Of
color on the coast of Spain, washed
up by the sea against the mountains,
became the playground of a fashion
able set. And the painters of Spain
became names on the lips of those who
had never before heard of Goya or
Zuloaga.
Women began to dimly perceive that
the apparel of Spain. the fashions for
women and men, which once governed
the civilized world, were coming for
ward into this tumultous hour. Into
the turbulence and turmoil of a seeth-
ing universe the farthingale. the man.
tilla. the fan. the laced slipper, the
deep rufle. the velvet jacket were
creeping forward. ever forward. into
positions of power.
Three years ago, before America en-
tered the war. three Of the great Paris
houses that control. in a large meas
ure, the fashions for Europe. went or
sent to Spain for their inspiration for
the seasonal output.
America got the result. She did not
accept 1t. She did not like the way
that Cabot and Lanvin and Poiret ex-
pressed themselves in the ornamental
and seductive clothes of Spain.
But America wasn't ready for the
Spanish influence. She had to be
trained to accept it. 1t was the right
idea at the wrong time. All that the
present generation remembered about
the country was the Spanish American
war and a jumbled set Of fragmentary
ideas about Cuba. yellow fever. the
Maine. the Philippines and typhoid
epidemics in camps. This was the sole
mental connection between the mass
OF Americans and the land of the
Pyrenees.
This was certainly not a good foun-
dation upon which the build passion
ate ardor for things Spanish.
This season America il prepared for
the soft, seductive influences that
float over the ocean to US from CASTLE,
via Paris.
Would you expect one amazing
soprano like Barrientos and one mas
ter Of tango music like the author Of
the Land Of Joy" to bring an entire
food OF Spanish music. dancing and
costumery into the minds OF thousan ds
Of Americans?
Yet. such is the case. There was
even good attempt at a Spanish
theater in New York this winter. =
So by this time. as you very well
see. the American mind is ready for
the advance Of Spanish costumery for
women.
These odds and ends Of Spanish in
filtration have been strengthened and
co-ordinated by the increasing number
OF students of the Spanish language all
over the American continent.
The Pan-American Union has foS
tered this study. John Barrett Ia
always felt that ignorance of the Span
ish language by the American people
Is a sad deficiency In our education, as
we must necessarily deal more and
more, commercially and socially, with
the stupendous continent that was
separated from us by a small canal.
Everywhere that one goes in the
commercial world one hears ardent
conversation on the subject Of the up
building Of close industrial relations
hat ~