Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-08-09
By BETTY BLYTHE.

VIENNA, Austria, Aug. 9-This morn
Ing I observed a man in the principal
business street here who appeared to be
removing the glass front OF his shop
completely. Another look revealed that
be was only opening the front Of his
shop to take an article out Of the win
dow.
The huge plate glass windows In all
Of the shops here are on hinges and tilt
out on the street when opened. The
hinges are at the sides and the window
locks at The bottom. When they trim
che window It is not done from the in
side, but from the street.
! saw a little screw top bottle in a
window, the cost Of which was about a
quarter in American value. When !
sought tie article In the shop the man
took his KEY, went out on the sidewalk,
unlocked his window, and brought 1t in TO
me. They do that kind Of thing all the
time At night every shop window In
Vienna-in fact every shop window in
continental Europe-is covered with a
great curtain Of sheet iron dropped from
the top The porter comes out on the
sidewalk and catches his iron screen with
a big iron hook, and draws it down. The
curtain is then locked at the bottom, an
ETOu 5[ItEu uAdhA a+AVao NhT NhNA1Aa~N
door to the shop and locked.
The proprietor then turns cOmplacently
home,
In Prague, the capital Of the new
Czecho -Slovakia republic. every single
shop is closed for two hours at noon.
As some close between 1 and 3 and
others between u and ,, or even from
70 30 it can readily be appreciated that
shopping must be nicely calculated as 20
time The natives take. It all as a
matter Of course, but IL Is hard on for
eigne-s-
WASTE OF GOOD
WINDOW ADVERTISING.
1t was an extraordinary spectacle to
see all those shopkeepers come out with
their big hooks at noon time and start
the business Of rendering their shops
impregnable as a fortress; for they lock
up in the same thorough manner at
noon as at night, and cover up the
window displays.
Now ] submit to any member Of the
advertising club-isn't that the most rot
ten waste Of good advertising? Think
Of all those potential shoppers abroad in
the streets from i to 3. denied a chance
70 see what they might desire TO buy,
were they not denied the chance to look
around
Here there IS absolutely no attempt at
advertising - according to American
standards. 1t is true that any form Of
advertising designed to reach the buying
public here would necessarily have TO
be written in the dozen languages making
up the foreign population, since these
people alone buy. No Austrian is ever seen
In the better shops unless, indeed, he
goes there to try to sell something. For
eigners have reaped harvest of charm
ing articles here-the people are not only
selling kheir household goods, but the
women ara bit by bit, disposing OF their
iewelry. their laces, furs; anything that
will bring them few kroneD, to keep
away actual starvation.
This morning I bought six embroidered
towels from formerly prosperous
physician whose wife is terribly i'll, and
who Is selling the things from bis once
beautiful home in order TO buy food.
The price was small in American value,
and I am telling you that one feels like
a crook to buy things that way, but IL
they could not sell these things. God
alone knows what would become Of thou
sands of these people. Shopkeepers, Of
course, give them so little for these