The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-08-09
THE PASSING
OF THE OLD
Victorian Viewpoint Civ
ing Way Before the
Cinema Era.
ny VERA GORDON

ia rcino est mortc--vive la
refine" IL what We say when past and
future poiguantly meet. This Is the
message which, all uncOnsCiously.
The illustrated papers have been
heralding abroad as they chroniclcd
coincidently the setting Of an old star
and the rising ~ new one
or should one say. the final sink
ing to rest Of tired. long faced
moon, as the orb OF day climbs to It's
zenith. Within fortnight, Eu.
genie, crst while empress OF the
French, is released from her long
exile. and Mary, queen Of the movies,
tNakes her triumphal entry into Lon
don. Tho end Of Eugenie's career.
but who would dare to say the zenith
OF Mary's- Nevertheless. 10 be half
Killed by tho kindness Of myriads. to
collapse under the mad alteration OF
tho largest city In the world. II at
least climatic point In her arc OF
glory.
so we saw thcm side by side, en-
press and queen, and in them an
epitome OF tho old order Td the new.
Look at the Imperial pair. They
stand before stiff plush curtain, ac-
curatcly posed Louis Napoleon In
his square froCk coat. immense top
hat, waxed muEtachios. Imperial
and cane. ElnncinE at us haughtily.
Eugene hangs upon her lord and
master. turning her beautiful profile
towards us. Her two hands are meek
iy folded In the crook ~ his left
arm. ms becomes q wife, her eyes
| modestly downcast. aa becomes a
| lady Her body is swathcd in shawls
her legs. from waist TO carpet, fes-
tooned About with hoops and floun.
ces.. Her little bonnet sits fashion
| ably on the back OF the slecckcs Inn
| Mrs lie head Not the tinIest tiI
OF the lobe of her car peeps out un'
| der tho shining hair-perish tho
| thought And as for instop or an
| kle, We may not even be aware that
| they exist The polite are bound &c
assume that stiff -flounced pedestal
| from which not even tho point ol
n slipper emerges, to be the SOLE
support Of the upper half OF tho fe
| male body DO we not know th'
battlc-cry OF our grandmothers; Gov
or II up.
Now skip these fifty years and
! look at Doug and Mary. Practically
| every standard has been reversed"
even the Fashion in eyebrows. Eu
! genie has the dropping arch beloved
| OF her time. Mary the level line We
admire They sit at ease beside ar
! old punt. hatless and comfortable
| They face the camera as though theN
| had Just smoked their after break
fast cigarette and would shortly TAKE
n pole and meander up the river
| Their only concession to appropri'
ateness is the hearty smile 1--WE dare
not call II a grin, though our grand
mothers would have blushed to sho"
so many tcath) which their subjects
expect OF them. Mnry's loose CIR
died tunic and Dougs easy tweed'
are pleasantly rumpled, and Mary''
hair has certainly felt the wind
| She clasps her knees, disclosing some
eighteen inches OF trim white shoei
| and stockings Pretty as they are
| we do not care--the sight OF wo'
mans ankle has ceased to be an emo
! tional event even to the most sus-
ceptihle OF senile roues. Finally. ooh
| perfect symbol of the new age)
| Mary sits apart from Doug, secure
and self possessed. This is not q
| chief-and -squaw menage. this Is a
| free and equal partnership; and We
know Mary is her own mistress OF
! the multitudes.
One wonders whether we of the
new century can properly understand