The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1921-02-23
WEALTH AND
POVERTY SEEN
CITY VIENNA
VULGAR DISPLAY OF EXTRAvA.
GANCE SEEN DAILY AS
WELL AS ABJECT
POVERTY.
Associated Press


taurants here while only few blocks
away hungry and scantily-clothed
persons are being poorly fed in COM
munity kitchens. Visitors to Vienna
are shocked by this paradoxieal eco
nomic condition. Others are either
hardened to the contradictory sights
or, in their inability to alter either
extreme can only shut their eyes
to them.
Crowded theaters and operas at tre-
mendously advanced prices, concerts
sold out in advance, masked ball fol-
lowing masked ball in an endless riot
against the coming Of Lent, cabarets
whose risque dancers would bring out
the police in New York and where
nothing to drink but wine is served,
cafes and restaurants with never an
empty table, not a room to be had in
the big hotels whose prices go up
from week to week-that is one pic
ture. On its reverse, foreign relief
straining itself and demanding un-
ceasing contributions in aid of a suf
fering populace.
In Austria it is the custom on
New Years Eve to bring squealing
sucking pigs to public dining rooms
and the red ribbon with which they
are decorated is distributed in bits
to guests as talismans for the COM
ing year, The newspapers report
that in one fashionable resort wo-
man seized the pig and bathed it in
cooler full Of wine. Other women
caught the original idea and initiated
it to the cost Of many bottles. That
restaurant, incidentally, has had its
license suspended for constant viola
ton of the food and closing regula-
tions.
Viennese claim that in all these re-
sorts where display and expenditure
of the most vulgar kind are -evidenc-
ed not one real Austrian can be found,
that they have not the money. They
say they are supported by the horde
of pxofiteers Of every race and ev-
cry nationality that infest and in
feet the city.
A recent demonstration of the pop
ulace is acknowledged to have been
inspired by this prodigal display of
extravaganza and ready money on
the part of this small element of the
population.
The workingmen demand the gov
ernment shall suppress profiteering
and eliminate the sheba (profiteer-
ing wholesaler or middleman) and
the sleichandler (llicit trader) in an
effort to lower the daily mounting
cost of living, else they will under
take to do so on their own account.
They carried a miniature gallows in a
recent demonstration
The authorities and thoughtful
Austrians acknowledge that this su-
perficial froth Of extravaganza and
display Is doing great harm to the
CITY and the country. Casual travel
lers who spend few days in the in
ner city, visit these gorgeous resorts
and see the high-class restaurants
crowded at every meal, tea dances in
the afternoon, exceptionally well
dressed men and women and the dis
play of furs and jewels and articles
of luxury in the shop windows prob
ably unexcelled in any capital, are
hard to convince that beneath this
veneer lies widespread privation and
in certain strata actual bitter SUI
fering.
Some 100000 children are being
fed one nourishing meal day by
American charity. Through Amerl-
can aid the hospitals are being re-
furnished with long absent necessi-
ties. Nearly 100000 Austrian chill
dren are charity guests in other coun-
tries. Indeed charity OF all non-su1-
fering peoples is being extended
bountifully to this country regardless
Of creed or race, and all investiga-
tors who dig deeply into conditions
acknowledge it is needed.
But not infrequently the visitor
especially the American, when ne IS
told this, gazes on the evidence Oh
wealth and well-being about him and
remarks that it might be well TO
spend some of this money at home
instead Of demanding aid from other
lands One answer is that this phase
If Vienna life brings money In and
teeps It circulating Another is that
the temperament of a people must be
considered,
One American told the correspon-
dent that in the Black Exchange, a
little street where these operators
Gather and trade, he saw one man
with $4,000 American money, and