The New York herald., 1922-03-27
Sees SHlFTERS END
AS SECRET IS KNOWN
Gertrude Robinson Smith
Suggests They Now Shift
to Thrift.
CLERGY JOINS ATTACK
Rev. Mr.. McCaul i'm Brook
lyn Smites the Movement
as Moral Menace.
THOUSANDS STILL AT IT
Flappers and Stats, However,
Not Likely to Enlist Any
New Members.
THOUSANDS STILL AT IT

The Society OF Shffters Is sufferiny z
from too much publicity. How is a
Shifter to be expected to create otker
Shifters at 25 cents head If every
body knows the secret? Yet yesterday
thousands OF Shifters were out taking
the springish air-f1appers and stats,
little cabbages and goofs all done up
in sport clothes and flip hats and all
looking alike.
In the meantime the disapproval of
clergymen and Sunday school teachers
was turned upon their f'ippancies and
the Society Of Sh<ters began taking
It's place beside all the other useless
organizations or disorganizations that
nave come and gone like the hives.
he measles and last weeks salary.
While a number OF clergymen spoke
about the latest craze. always in q
manner indicating that they saw no
good therein, only few devoted 4
whole sermon to It and its related
fads.
The Rev. Robert McCaul, pastor OF
the Washington Avenue Baptist Church,
Brooklyn, smote the shfterhood hip and
thigh. He used as his topic for preaching
last night "Flappers, Finale Hoppers and
Cake Eaters" drawing upon the story
of Ruth for his Biblical backing. He
said:
The soul of its womanhood is ever
an accurate index to the state of civiliza-
in the growing girl of to-day. The wives
and mothers of morrow. the social
leaders OF the future are to-day at
school shaping their own and the ma
lions ideals.
Prototype of All Dccadcnce.
From their circle has emerged a
he shifter, the fapper. the finale hopper,
the cake eater and SO on Her insignia
contemp. for religion and sneer
'or morality. In her mind virtue is a
bubble and character a straw. Ladylike
demeanor. which was the mothers pride,
has become this daughters disgust She
Glories in her giddiness and treats life
as joke. She joins the society Of
shifters to announce that she has set
aside all maidenly reserve
Her pitIabIe prototype may be found
IN every dccadent era of the worlds his
tory. 1t is the old monotony of sin
which GLbbon depicts in the DAYS OF
I;ome's decline. Isaiah saw her on the
streets Of Jerusalem twenty-five hundred
Years ago and preached q sermon about
her. He noted the rubber neck, the
wanton eyes. the mincng step and the
clumsy tinkling buckles loose about the
ankles. This modern has been able to
add nothing to Isaiah's original He
connected her with the ruin of Jerusalem
prophesying that the disapp ,arance of
Nornanly nodesty and virtue would be
followed by the disappearance OF the
i,anhood Of the nation. And that when
he nation rose from her ruins Il would
be by adherence to the faith which these
Foolish daughters of Jerusalem despised." !"
Inquiry I'm Schools.
To-day George j. Ryan, acting Presi-
dent of the Board OF Education. pur-
poses comforting with William L. Et-
finger. superintendent or Schools, in an
effort TO ascertain the exteat OF the inf1u-
schools. Whereas four department
stores posted notices Saturday that the
@',litcr emblem would not be tolerated
upon the clothing of any employee, it is
believed that virtually every large mer-
camille establishment where signs of the
.nifters have appeared will follow the
department store example this week.
Gertrude Robinson Smith, president OF
lie Vacation Association, who discov-
cred that the graft that is the founda-
iion OF shifterhood was preventing many
self-supporting young women from con-
tinuing the saving encouraged by the
association. declared yesterday that she
believed that publicity had succeeded In
stamping out this altogether senseless
and demoralizing society"
Lest there be any Misunderstanding
as to our course In taking this matter
up" said Miss RobInson-Smith yester-
day, II should like TO make Il clear
that the reason was that we felt that
this absurd movement was causing real
financial hardship 10 many self-support-
ing girls and women who were bccom-
ing 'Shifters' without really KNOWING
what they we're assuming financially. or
the risks they were running OF dis
courtesies from the boys and men men,
bcrs, inclined 70 feel that being n
AAiftcr' gave the right TO take liberties.
The average self-supporting girl or wom-
an resents such action and we felt that
jt was necessary to warn them and
then leave II to their own informed
better judgment after such warning. to
decide whether or not to join such an
organization
No Anti-shiftcr society.
we have no intention as intimated