The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-29
Frederick Haskin's Letter
fspeda CORRESPONDENCE ArEusI
FLAPPERs HAVE ALWAYS FLAPPED

MANHOOD which were once given
to them" But as far back in the
past as 1884 we find Mrs. Sber-
wood registering the same com
complaint THE American nam
ma" wrote Mrs. Sherwood. treats
her beautiful daughter as if She
were very common piece Of Delft
indeed, and as if she could drift
down the stream of life, knocking
all other vessels to pieces, but es-
Gaping injury herself"
Chaper0nes Always a Myth.
Much of the modern flapper's
waywardness is attributed to a lacE
of chaperonage on the part of her
mother, but as a matter of fact
chaperones in this country seen,
always to have been largely a myth
Even in pre-Revolutionary DAYS
we are told by Mrs. Alice Morse
Earle, in her interesting book. Sol
oniaI Times and Good Wives
young men escorted young girls
to dancing parties and also ac-
companied them home after the
dance was finished" And although
the automobile, to which is ascrib-
ed so much current iniquity, was
not known in those days. one
handed driving evidently was.
judging by some protests Of
the period.
Indeed. the modern flapper might
also herself gasp if suddenly con
fronted with the bold damsel Of the
eighteenth century Miss 1929 may
pride herself upon her capacity
for cigarets and home brew, but
she has not yet adopted the habit
prevalent among her prototypes OF
the year 1731-namely, the delicate
inhalation of snuff. That it was
not accepted with equanimity on
the part of her elders is shown by
the following letter. signed "Old
Subscriber" which was published
in his favorite journal of May 81,
1881.
This silly trick of taking snuff
is attended with a coquet air in
some young (as well as older gen
tlewomen, and such q sedate mas
culine one in others that l cannot
they are equally disagreeable.
AS " AuO6E ~ AZ GdhG IL lDI
pretty action to fill up little in
tervals of discourse, can bear
with them; but then they must not
use it when another is speaking
who ought to be heard with too
much respect to admit of offering
at that time from hand to hand
the snuff box.
But Flavilla is so far taken
with her behavior in thu kind that
she pulls out her box (Which is in
deed full of good Brazile)-in the
middle of the sermon, and to show
that she has the audacity of a we'll
bred woman she offers it to the
men as well as to the women who
sit next to her. But since by this
time all the world knows she has
fine hand I am in hopes she may
give herself no further trouble in
this matter.
"On Sunday seyen-night, when
they came about for the offering.
she gave her charity with a very
good air, but at the same time ask
ed the church warden if he would
take a pinch. Pray sir Cto the edi-
tori think of these things in time,
and you will oblige, sir, your most
humble servant"
Ancient Faces Painted.
The use of cosmetics by flappers
was also strenuousIy objected to
in those days, not altogether with
out reason, since beauty specials"
were not in a high state of perfec-
ton then, so that numerous deaths
from poisoning resulted Husbands
were particularly averse to having
their wives use face paint, concern
ing which aversion some amusing
tales have been written.
Thus, we are told that one lady
of high degree was accustomed to
using the cheapest white paint pos
sible, which she left on for so long
a time that it had to be scraped
off with a knife. In another case
recorded by a gossipy diarist a
disguised spouse chased his wife
around the dinner table with a
knife ito catch her and wipe the
paint off her face with a napkin
because he thought it TO be the
cause of her i'll health"
Besides such lurid incidents Of
the past, the case of the recent Ar
kansas flapper who was expelled
from school for using a iipstick,
pales into insigujficance. In fact.
there is nothing like a long look
at the past to make US appreciate
the present, with all of its CuTiosl-