Mediaeval Minds and Modern Persecution
(By Delbert Clark) large ideas, broad issues, and which In view of the outstanding success of suit to the genius of Marconi. With
Three or four years ago in an evil takes the alternate course of petty the experiment, there shoutd be no such an invention it is possible to de-
hour some minus-minded individual persecution and silly, totally destruc- question about its continuation as a light thousands of music lovers,
coined the word "flapper." We first tive criticism. permanent institution. Michigan broadcasting music from symphony
saw it on the screen in a moving should be able to offer culture as well orchestras and other such reputable
picture show, when some fond but Robert Frost has gone, leaving be- as business administration. organizations, whereas what the suf-
anxious mother exclaimed, "Mary hind him warm friends and sincere fering public actually gets is a by-
Jane, are you trying to look like a admirers. As a poet individual ideas A local theater ias installed an in- product comparable only to the first
flapper?" Everyone thought it was of him differ-as schools of verse dif- strument of torture in the form of a hideous offerings of the phonograph
funny, and everyone laughed-then. fer. As a man, there is no difference radiophone on the roof, /well out of companies, years ago.
But alas, how is the glory departedt of opinion. Robert Ri'ost is a man to reach of the outraged passersby. It
Well-meaning but misguided persons be remembered, a man of whose has a large amplifier, and makes day Today marks the end of the open
took the word up, made it their own, friendship anyone should be justly and night hideous with convention- season on freshman girls. Silenced
rolled it under their tongues, and spat proud alized sound from the Detroit broad- are the sounds of light-hearted but
it forth at every opportunity, or in- So far his place has not been filled. casting stations. Some of the atroci- determined revelry, as the last pledge
opportunity, as might chance to be The gift which financed his year of ties committed through the medium is ushered into the fold, and the stu-
the case. It has become an abomina-. residence in Ann Arbor was only for of a highly respectable invention such dent body settles back to its studies
tion, a burden in the land, like the a year, and no one has duplicated it. as the wireless telephone are an in- with a long-drawn sigh.
biblial grasshopper. No one, not
even the Sporting editor, - who was _
consulted just before I commenced
writing this, seems to know whero
the word originated, or what its root
meaning is, hut all too many of us
would give much to know where it is
going to'terminate its inglorious ca-
reer, and we would like to be invited AS
to the funeral.
Never in all the world, or at least in
the past 22 years, has a word been
made to serve so many uncalled-for
ends. Ministers of the gospel use it
ations from the pulpit; sociologists
and social reformers give it a sinister
significance-making it an abstraction,
a blanket expression which covers a G
multitude of sinners (female); news- art Glves
paper headline writers let it roll off
their carbon pencils in an orgy of Gloves may represent a small expenditure, but their im-
smataeckism, and bcuethe e nother ik9
millionsause it because they cnhthink portance in the smart wardrobe is unquestioned. They
of nothing better to do. And the end assist in upholding one's reputation for being well dressed
seems to be not et.s ut y-and come in sufficient variety to satisfy every one.
All of which leads up to a mighty Newly arrived imported glovesi te two-clasp style
question, expressed in one vast sigh ey.\veare in
echoed by millions of thinking people They come in black with contrasting embroidering in
-Why? Wh ythe petty persecutio , white, -in white with black embroidering and in tan with
that the word in all its silly meanings
typifies? Our whole congregation of white embroidering. We are able to offer these gloves
reformers seem to have run amuck., at a remarkably low price-$1.50.
and now are engaged in a wild, in-
ordinate dance, hurling "flapper" like
confetti at every unmarried woman
who does not suit their fancy. And Silk.Hose
the rest of us have become so ac-
customed to allowing someone else to Hose are among the necessary items of one's wardrobe r
do our thinking for us that we join
in the dance, forgetting for the occa- and yet they may be among the attractive things. The
sion that dancing is against our prin- careful shopper makes an effort to obtain hose that are
cItis all so chea, so narrowso at once good looking and economical and this special
short of vision! Twenty years ago if sale of pure thread silk hose will be a pleasing feature to
a young man and young woman sat shoppers. These hose have lisle garter tops, silk lisle feethil
together on a park bench or a sorority
divan in the evening and talked in and are full fashioned. They come in black, African 4
low tones, all the nice old ladies brown, cordovan, sand, and otter and are priced $1.59.
trilled "How romantic!" Today if
the same thing happens all the not-
nice old ladies-the nice ones are
elsewhere minding their own business Fall'N eckw ear
hiss "Shocking!" and cast suspicious
glances. A good many of us are The final touch of femininity on the most tailored cos
coming to believe that about two-Tfe
thirds of -the moral laxness that is tume lies in crisp, White neckwear - in trim collars and
found is due in large measure to this cuffs that are not only becoming to the wearer, but mark
very attitude of suspicion, this lack
of confidence on the part of an army ty and well groomed. Peter Pan collars and
of militant fogies whose own indiscre- V a cuffs for cloth frocks, lacy affairs for silk ones, trig sets
enveloped. haze of years has largely for suits, or ruchings and frills in profusion - all types
We are suffering as a nation from of neckwear that lend a touch of "finesse" to the Autumn
an epidemic of censorship. Every- costumes - are ready here to assist you - and they are
thing is censored. Each of us lacks
proper judgment to administer his moderately priced
own private affairs in an upright man-
ner, so the rest of us proceed to tell
him in one way or another how it'Hand-Bags
should be done. We cannot rest un-
less we are passing judgment on the It's the little things that count - and hand-bags add the
length of some girl's skirt, or the ab-
breviated condition of her hair, or final distinctive touch. What a pleasure it is to select
anything else about her that happens a new handbag from this extensive collection - whether
to Incur our displeasure.
If we are to believe a large group one wants a flat tailored purse or an exquisite mesh bag.
of our estmable citizens, our modern Every imaginable kind i included in the newest of leath-
:womanhood is in the last stages of era.Manyp o
'degeneracy, and we ought all to get purses f patent eater, equpped with large
busy and tell the poor things about mirrors and fittings are here as well as ohter styles that
it. As a matter of fact, the average charmingly reflect both fashion and service in their taste-
intelligent girl of today is by far the fl urface and fittings.
superior of her male contemporary. uisurfaceandorecon-
She 'thinks more sanely, more con-
structively, and on the whole she
leads a more respectable life. This
obviously does not apply to an in-
significant minority such as has been
found in every past age, and will be 3
found to the end of time. There isI
always such a class, but its existence
never has and never will justify
wholesale condemnation of the entire
sex. Such unthinking, if not actually
malicioun denunciation is the mark of
a type of mind too small to include