The Monroe journal., 1921-05-03
The Worlds Wallingfords Have
Taken Up Their Home in Vienna

The worlds Wallingfords have
come 10 Vienna In the graceful cul-
tured city on the Danube have grow
two circles-a wealthy and eNtrava-
CANT inner city where Wallingford
makes his money and spends IL and
broken. heart-breaking outer city
where the ghost of starvation and
misery stalks the streets, says a
Vienna Dispatch TO the Greensboro
News.
In the inner city the population is
almost exclusively foreign. Italians,
Czeehs. Hungarians. Jugo-Slavs. peo-
pie from every part of Europe have
come TO profit by the rate of exchange
and buy and live cheapiy.
Hotel rooms are almost unobtain-
able in 'Sheba." as they term this
inner city. and the hotels are a babel
of language. There are women In
furs and men with diamonds. The
opera is blaze OF light and color.
And the music-vienna's swan song
lis the most beautiful II has ever
been.
A passion of bargain hunting
drives the people who come to Vienna.
The Fifth avenue of the city. which
is lined with beautiful and artistic
shops, is the Mecca OF women of all
nationalities. Gowns. beautifully en-
broidered, sell for fourth of the
price they would command in any
other city. Shoes are made TO order
for sc or 81. Hats and gloves are
sold at bargain prices. Paintings and
miniatures-bits of art from the
household of some old nobleman can
be had for almost nothing.
Bargain Day Nearly Over.
But vienna's bargain day" is al
most over The shops are gradually
being sold out. and when the present
stock is gone they will be unable TO
replace il. Even now some of the
articles sold are marked made In
Germany. How Germany can send
products into Austria to be sold at
the lower rate of exchange. and still
make a profit. is another OF the post
war mysteries.
~
proudly that an English countess had
just taken back ten pairs of shoes
with her. There had been Ave dances
in one night at the fashionable ball
rooms, he said. and his stock had
been almost cleaned out to supply the
demand for dancing slippers.
And at the same time one heard
he. q do Of et,ia
men who hold the world highest
rank in their profession-could not
go TO attend their patients because
they had no shoes to wear.
Never since the days of the ancient
kings have such extremes of wretch
edness and prosperity rubbed shout
ders. The foreign postwar protiteers
and the Austrians who made money
during the war have most OF the
things that money can command ex-
cept white bread and butter. And Of
ten will hotel waiter whisk mys-
terious parcels Of white bread from
under his coattails Ii you look at him
in the proper way.
While outside the ring" among
the pooi, anu tht ploitsSiuhdi ptopiS
and the nebloes. who for once are
classed together in their misery. life
Is nothing but wretched effort to
keep alive until tomorrow.
Last Possessions Pawned.
Hundreds OF thousands of Aus
trians people OF education and breed
ing. have pawned or sold their last
possessions OF value, and have abso-
lutely nothing left to live on. They
cannot work because there Is no work
TO be had. Their incomes. on which
they lived before the war, have
dwindled to nothing.
Among the people who come week
ly for food to the American relief
Offices are two shabby old women. In
whom disease has almost destroyed
the traces of former beauty. They
were two OF trio OF court beauties.
whose sister married high noble In
the court. The sister died, the hus-
band and son were killed and the two
women we're left alone unified by
disease to face the poverty before
them. Only the food provided by the
Americans keeps them from starva.
ton.
Other dedicate. refined women are
doing washing and other drudgery to
support their children. suffering from
the inevitable tuberculosis.
There is a children's hospital in VI
emma supported by the American
Quakers and a group Of New York
doctors.
Hundreds Of white-faced. under
developed children. suffering from
ricketts, and tuberculosis in various
forms, are cared for. here by devoted