Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-03-24

order that the boss's wife might
rest in peace and comfort. Mrs.
Kefauver Is not especially interest
ed in the welfare of boss's wives,
except insofar as they interfere
with the success Of business
, women.
"The business woman may not
realize 1t, but it is not fair to her
self to dress for the office in un-,
suitable Clothes" she says. Tine
time has come when entering busl-
ness with q woman does not mean
merely the filling of a gap between
school and marriage. 1t means as
much today to 4 girl as it does to
her brother. She must therefore
avail herself Of every opportunity
to make 1t a success. What would
we think of a man who wore a
dress suit to the Office in the
morning? And yet women go into
Offices in gowns suitable for tea or
dinner"
Mrs. Kefauver knows Of one case
where a young Office worker, doubt
less victim of glad propaganda
about the goodness Of the human
race Iii you only look on the
bright side of things), lost her
position through dressing a trif1e
too exuberantly for the role OF
clerk. Happily unconscious Of the
unfavorable impression she was
making upon a cynical public. she
| went about the efficient perform
ance of her duties until one day
the wife of one of her employers
clients happened into the Office and
saw her. That lady Immediately de-
manded that her husband take his
legal business to some other office
where the young women employees
were less gorgeously attired, which
SO upset the young clerks boss
that he fired her.
II the present reform campaign
were confined to the dress and
manners of Office workers, one
would not attach so much import
ance to it, but even chorus girls
have become infected by the desire
to be sober minded. 1t is not I'M
usual to find whole companies of
chorus ladies diligently knitting
while waiting for the cues in the
wings; while one company playing
here in New York has organized
the Irene Thrift club, which is an
organization for promoting the
wear of sensible. muslin lingerie.
These girls have repudiated ALI
frivolous apparel of this type. and
have espoused the coarse. practical
and economical garments Of their
grandmothers' days.
Nowhere else in the world do
wage-earning, or for that matter
other kind Of women, wear such
foolish and senseless underwear"
declared the leader of the club, the
other day. who is said to be the
daughter of a British peer and only
! in the chorus because she has to
earn her living. Whether the peer
is bankrupt or not is not divulged
by the young lady, but she is by no
means reticent concerning other
members of the British nobility,
whose taste in underwear she de-
scribes in great detail. After an
nouncing that the Duchess of Port
land, the Duchess Of Devonshire
and many other titled ladies on
friendly terms with her grand
mother, were partial to unbleached
muslin, the organizer of Irene
Thrift admitted that the present
generation was included to favor
silk, but that this frivolous taste
is now being suppressed by a popu-
lar wave of reform.
AS evidence that they are speak
ing nothing but the truth and the
whole truth concerning the pur-
pose of their club, the members
will take you back to their dressing
tables and show you their small
portable sewing machines. costing
S. apiece. wherein they manufac-
ture lingerie between the acts. "Of
course, you know, such practical
garments cannot he bought" said
the leader in exhibiting her speci-
mems of thrift. (which shows how
demoralized the public taste has
become, and how frivolous!"
Thus. with even the stage de-
veloping an antipathy to frivolity,
the future holds much hope for the
extinction of gladness. With so
many reforms under way and gath
ering furious momentum. there will
soon be nothing left to be glad
4 about. Yes; there would be much
hope for the weary in the future
were it not for one disquieting
possibility. Suppose everybody
went right on being glad, anyway?