Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-29
For and Against
"GOOd Old Days"
Writer Traditions While Another Champions
ia Melodies

chestra accompaniment and jazz
chorus"
And here, on the other side of the
shield, is Mr.. Wrights satirical
picture of the old as contrasted
with the beauties of the new:
Religion has become more SEN
sible, more intelligent, more human,
and, above all, more tolerant. 1t
no longer holds that whatever
the devil and, therefore, to be
avoided if one would lead a right
eous life.
And as for education, it, too,
has become broader and more hu-
man and more practical.
The Gingerbread Whatnot
Gone is the gingerbread what
not in the corner with its riot of
shells, gone with the wax flowers in
the glass case resting upon a knit
ted wool dolly, the marble topped
center table with the plush album
and the stereoscope with scenes
from the Grand Canyon and Niaga-
ra Falls. Gone, too, is the haircloth
furniture with it's pricking stray
hairs and its slippery surface. The
stuffed owl has disappeared from
the wardrobe, and the Moody and
Sankey hymnbook no longer leans
against the rack of the square
piano which was always out of tune
and which had at least four keys
that didn't strike.
Surely the absence of these
denominations is a sign of progress
and advancement. To-day the shell
covered whatnot has given way to
the sectional bookcase, with here
and there a readable book among
its contents. A cloissone vase
| stands in the place of the wax
flowers. A mission table. simple
/ and sensible in design, occupies the
center of the drawing room. and
the album and stereoscope have been
replaced by travel books.
Better Furniture Now
"One may now sit upon chairs
and sofas without sliding off or hav-
ing sharp points penetrate one.
And regard the books that were
once read and the authors who
were held in high esteem. The
great writer's of Europe were un-
| known. Our grandfathers content
ed themselves with the pallid chirp-
| ing of such mild and uninspired old
gentlemen as Longfellow, Bryant
and Whittier. Uncle Toms Cabin
was regarded as a literary master
piece; and James Fenimore Cooper
was thought to be a greater genius
| than BalZac, F'laubert or De Maui
passant. Why should one wish to
return to such barbaric conditions? I?
| "All dancing was based on the
| theory that the emotions were
criminal. Hence, the quadrille, the
! minuet and the preposterous polka.
To-day's Mental Attitude Frank
q 1.
! outgrown their honor of all gen.
/ think the modern dance is desir7
: able. 1t is at least more honest,
| just as jazz music is more honest
than the elegant and genteel dance
compositions of yesterday.
This honesty and frankness
seems to me. to be the cruX of the
whole argument. The mental at
titude to-day is cleaner than it was;
it is less hypocritical and more
natural.
This is shown by the fashions
| of to-day as compared with the
! fashions of yesterday. What is
there so terrible in the fact that
woman reveals her curves and
angles? The false modesty of our
/ grandmothers appears to me to be
the real immortality. An1 do the
wcepers for yesterday really prefer
a pretty woman swathed in bulging
garments, which conceal and dis
guise her utterly, to the close fit-
ting and abbreviated attire of the
rlodern woman2
Look ut the Bathing Suits
and the bathing suits! Come
with me to the beach, General, and
l will convert you to the modern
standard! There is more freedom
to-day than formerly greater
mental and physical tolerance.
las for comforts, there can be
no comparison between the new and
the old regime. Steam heat and
open plumbing are not to be shifted
at. And I will wager that ever
the old-fashioned gentlemen use
elevators in preference to the stairs
safety razors in preference to the
naked blades. and typewriters in
preference to quill pens. And what
is this hear. General. about your
recent acquisition of an automo-
bile? What! With all the Dob
bins available and all the one-horse
shays?"