Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-26
The Wild Buyers
BY Frederic j. Haslin.

New York. May 23. AT laat cause
for the high cost of living las been found
which Is satisfactory to everybody the
newly rich
These picturesque victims Of sudden
| prosperity havc always been assoclated
i with all that is crude and naive m or
national makeup Nothing seems more
ludicrous than the prOletarian suddenly
turned piutocrat Humorous accidents OF
this kind run through all our most popi-
lar fiction; they fill our comic sheets and
they occur with unccasing regularity on
orr stage So what more natural than TO
make the newly rich responsible fnf the
high cost Of living fcre Is something
that everybody is familiar with and which
does not hnve TO be lah0riously figured 0ut
like the initiation Of currency Here also IS
n splendid excuse for the prulitecr, for
what can q poor proGteer de- against tie
| loud demands of Il new crop 81 million
aires insisting upon the privilege OF buy
ing goods at high prlces2
There arc the retailers 0f feminine luTir-
ics, for example. They complain thai lhey
cannot put their prices up high enough -
satisfy many of their preHaturely wealthy
customers while manufacturers tell you
with tears in their eyes hat they cannot
i think up enough useless luxtrlcs 10 meet
! tie demand Never have the shops becn
So crowded with purchasers oi costly
novelties. Never have the small acccssnr-
ics Of feminine apparel played such "a
/ important part ia the fashions = the
moment The newly rich like to wnHr as
many brilliant badges as possible TO pro
clam their wealth.
THE UMBRELLA MAGNIFICENT
Thus the humble umbrella has beromo
n thing If great rcspendence. with fragile
bones n fine sli.on body and proud
handle rs proitisf'v carved ard painted as
n totem pole Some umbrellas oven bear
the carved portraits of tho favorlte doInea-
tie pets Of their owners Whllc the PLAIN.
sturdy. cotton-cioth umbrella IS stIll
greatly in evidence upon = rainy day, 4 II
steadlv losing ont n the department
stores which under fhc domination If ttr
newly rich. are handling utmost wholly ihe
| elaborate twenty-five 70 fifty dollar
varieties
Tho feminine, handbag. also, IS ro
/ longer simple. utiltarian article, hfnlt
npon practical lines, but = gorgeo1siy
! beaded and bejeweIed thing designed
/ chiefly for ornament There nay he
many women who still pay no more than
| five dollars for handbag, fflt there are
also inany who pay one hundred dollars
and more II IS simply amazing % stand
~ department handbag counter and of'-
serve what women will pay, and are eager
To paw. for little bits IF tortoise sheit and
satin.
Ina Fifth avenue store. the other day
y brlIliantlv-arraved aid eoplousiy per
/ frncd woman stood lingering snatf
nurse resembling an oid-faehioned CART
case. one side Of which was shell and the
other suede
How much Il thIs2 she asked j weary
saiesgrI at last
aOb said she 0f tho brilliant feathhr~,
haven you anything nctter than that
NJ. this j. the only thing III is knd
we have. explained the glri. Il + really
/ D very great bargain. You see, the 1n-idc H
| divided into two compartments, this one
of suede il used for money, while th.. orc
/ Of white kid is intended for jewels
For Jewels, repeated the c'ls' 94ner.
much impressed. Well i take II
HfGH-rRIcED HIsr0RY.
# this same counter ras displayed
novelty designed solely for the tradition
! aIIv credulots newly rich q folded purse
+ m billb9ok form. made oL leather or % iInc
satin, with inset panels OF what were siip-
posed to be blts Of rare necdleW0rk tapes
/ trv. obtained from historic pieces winch
we're damaged in the war. FOR purse oi
/ thus type. al well as he story 81 he original
i tapestry which goes with a. women pay
over 4 hundred dollars
Rut the department stores are not the
! orlv institutions which suffer from tae
prosperity which the newly uch insist
mon sharing With them. There seems tu
Ee a general epidemic oi i among aI
kinds of merchants only the other DAY.
II was an interior decorator vino lItted Up
his voice III loud lament hat he shodl3 IS
compelled 70 make 81 much money from
selling atrociouS antiques 20 the uI--
cultured wealthy VINO crowded has ~Gidio
According 10 hun the newly rich are stu
running true To type.
They always want furniture treelE
i decorated with glIt, ana Ihses 9e
French he gonplatqea bitterly sIts
Get the LOUIS. all uINed ~. lous Nil
and lonl- NJ are I'll 1ae -..nle g theiA.
Moreover. f.ey can ~ee ~ reason Atss
hey should not il9Vc eaas siomcraftoa -
aI kinds IL fgrultaie u o4e room. -
s I5ng ~ It Is expensive Aud a room never :
furnished III their esttnlaton ulle>~ T +
we'll filled with feGa,tte, oraaase s.
pictures ard brie-ss-I.Iac heE #9t.a3tE
refuse even 10 look a . suite d furniture
:
bargain ii max be They ask for .onlethsae
around s.. .00o bar fneN 5on he1f' + ~
Interested until you add smother slpaer -
the hgure
"Ne had ore ease 81 a socially am
bitioes Young woman from Texas, vaoee
husband rad p~t maae his maHey Through
ii fortunate ull venture ms Womaa Nae
80 anziots, a. uaahe her boi1e rank w1a
her bank account tt9t >ae chaHget SseE
decorating nlans eacb week, after vts.ta&
+ her iavorite moving plcilHt teeaieg aHd
noting the details 81 the vafiona moT.e
sets until NJ bad g throw m the work
+ ta keep onr sanity, despite the money she
Uas handng over 80 rs.
The automobile agencies also peuaat
/ themselves occasionally to leeome 81
| Ijenant over the tremendous oraef~ tael
ara receiving from people who ara FtsflEe
under the burden Of large oauk accounts
Although the demand for tie lowerpgee3
cars has IN no Nay fallen OIL tbat Ter tuzh
priced machines Is greater IhaR It eyer
/ was before The eianof IS alWaNa lor 5ae
hest. but fortunately there IS vide
] difference 81 opinion as - which s he
! best car on the market which ykeep- all 81
/ the automobile companies teNershly busy
rilr cKAlE FoR CHATS