Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1940-06-27
MONTGOMERY
Nl SIDELICHTS
BIZ ELSIE WHITE HA1NEs

the week of the Rural Women's
Short Course at Maryland Uni
versity, and "God Bless America"
was certainly the theme song.
Imagine nine hundred women
singing it with the deep feeling
that only events like those taking
place over seas could bring-with
seemingly half the world home
less or insecure.
We could write much of what
we saw and heard, had we the
space-all seemed to think that
the address Of Ruth Bryan Owen
Rohde was the outstanding one
and we missed it-having been in
vited to Gaithersburg to meet the
Bentztowm Bard, who was the
guest of the Women's Club that
day.
We were so impressed with the
happy, smiling faces Of the wom-
en-they had evidently left all
cares at home, always ready to
ask "What County are you
from?"
The Fiesta on Thursday eve
ming was a thing Of beauty
there was Norway, Sweden, Den
mark, Finland, France, Holland
and all those countries now in
torment, portrayed by the various
county groups. Howard County
represented England, and did the
Morris dance so beautifully-lit-
tie Mrs. Howard Brown was seat
ed on the ground near us, we
congratulated her and she proudly
said Howard County always
does WELL" We loved to watch
white-haired Mrs. Brown-keep-
ing time with her hand and pat
ting her foot at the song periods
which we had for fifteen min
utes, several times each day. She
too, usually was up front, but
we suspect she got up early.
Montgomery women had charge
Of the milk bar at the fiesta-we
sold ice cream thru the crowd
dressed in an old-fashioned panta-
lette costume, shivering with the
cold-most of our women were
dressed as pioneers in long skirt,
shawl and sun bonnet. and at
tracted much attention-You prob
ably saw Mrs. Selby and Mrs.
Knsey-photoed under a "No
Parking" sign.
Then there was the morning
our group Of so sang grace be-
fore breakfast "For health and
strength and daily food we give
thee thanks o Lord" Think Of
seating 900 people at once, and
serving them delicious hot food
tool At tables for eight or ten,
each served by one of the boys
Of the University, working thru
the summer-they were so good
to US all.
One of them did confdentially
ask "Why do you women drink so
much coffee?" How did they
think we old girls could keep up
with all the events without a
stimulant?
The morning after the fiesta.
the writer unblushingly drank
three cups-how else could she
have attended two classes and
modelled a swanky white dinner
dress in the fashion show-an be-
fore noon?
We enjoyed Miss Rooney of
Cecil County-we called her little
Anne but she said her name was
Minnie who announced in Pub
lie Speaking Glass that she was
hair dresser, and had listened
to women talking for fifteen
years, and now wanted to do some
talking herself. And Mrs. s. j.
Sachs of Ellicott City, whom we
considered one Of the best dressed
women there; and she could tell
others how to dress, tool
There was the woman who had
come all the way from Iowa for
eight successive years. And the
women from Caroline-we remem-
Der the name of only one, Mrs,
Tom Williams, former neighbor
of ours.
In our own Montgomery group,
housed in Delta Sigma Phi house
attentively watched over by hand
some Dick from Baltimcre-never
did hear his last name--nice boy
there was first of all dear little
Mrs. Pitt, with her gazoot, never
a dull moment with her around
not even at six in the morning
when she began to lament IT can't
get 'em up" She confessed tc
being sixty eight but our Oldest
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