Evening star., 1922-05-28
BY. STERLING HEILIG.
LA ROCHELLE, France. May

~ put French country maidens
~ 20 in a cruel dilemma. Our girls
have got their goat, in a
strange way. Generous and liberal
handed, friendly. kindly. democratic,
our girls, all the same.,know what is
what, and appreciate beautiful
things-especially at a bargain.
Touring through the French coun-
tryside, our girls have picked up
bargains in colts. And whereby
hangs tale Colts are the old
white caps, stiff starched, of linen
often handmade. or of fluffy nous
seline or tulle, embroidered jbeauti-
fully by hand. often decorated with
real lace and often monumental in
proportions. which French country
girls have been wearing these SOC
years past-and are now ashamed of!
Our girls buy up the colts, OF
course. to cut them up for their old
linen and embroideries and lace
But the French girls do not know
this detail.
They think they are going to wear
'em..
The colts, of course, are pictur-
esaue .s~
Up to the war most European coun-
tries knew that picturesqueness
pays. Russian fete days were glor-
ious with the bright t-colored '"koko-
all Russian historical paintings.
Austria and Italy, where the peas
ants still looked like a comic opera
chorus. rejoiced tbefore the wary not
to have made too much progress.
But in France the costume of the
province" trembled in the balance.
\ + +
FRENCH writer's and painters glori-
fy it. In their hearts the peas
ants love their gay fashioned
styles. Whole sections of France
still live upon the picturesqueness OF
their land and dress. So, they rear
rich tourist harvest. But when
the city folks have gone. the harm
is done. They have excited fatal ad-
miration. Girls and youths of re-
mote villages. misled by ambition
spend their tourist money to bloom
out in city Clothes.
1t threatens ruin to French tourist
trade, for tourists wish to see the
things they have heard about, and
are disappointed to see country girls
in city hats. Yet the French govern
ment cannot pass sumptuary laws,
and the beaux arts commission.
watching jealousy. with full powers
over architectural relics, may not
even give advice for the preserving
of beautiful old local styles. How
shall 1t tell country girls. Your colts
are beautiful. Your city hats are
sillyr'
The local boosting syndicates
Csyndicats d'initiative'D are scan
dalized and frightened, and as they
belong to the big towns Of the girls
districts they hold local costume
fetes" and offer valuable prizes for
tie prettiest girls who are best
dressed in the old styles, and even
take them up to Paris and on tour
to show them on In vain, for when
the girls have had their trip they
bring back city c-es
"Girls" cry the boosting syndi-
Gates, you're hurting tourist trade!
Put on your coifs!" ---. 4. ~. ...-
They won't.
That is to say, they wouldn't.
But now. they are hesitating. The
American tourist girls have got their
goat!
A MEXICAN tourist girls. abroad are
= doing a beautiful thing-noth-
ing less than tipping the scales to
save French picturesqueness! 1t is
true that they are doing it uncon-
sciously. They buy up the despised
colts everywhere they can, and when
they get them home they cut them
up to make rich, beautiful inser-
tions, etc. Motoring through the viii
lages. they give good money to the
peasant girls for the headgear they
had deemed no longer fashionable!
I have seen a Golf out of which a
seven-lnch square Of rare old Maran-
daiss lace was cut bought at the bar
gain price Of 80 cents, and 40 cents
apiece for old danes caps has been
currently accepted. But now. less so!
Speculative native women, in many
localities make it a business to have
fine old colts in stock by the hundreds.
which they have picked up for a
trifie and sell at dearer prices. They
were family treasures. Yet they had
cost work only. Girls embroider
them while tending geese. Mothers
weave handmade linen while the
baby sleeps. Wives make little
squares of lace while they watch the
pot boil. The local speculator seeks
them out. When they have their nat
ura1 cream color from lying fifty
years in a drawer she respects the
L.. 4,