Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1914 — Short Furrows [ARTICLE]

Short Furrows

“Abe Martin” in Indianapolis Newi

Purty soon now, as th’ war progresses, well begin t’ miss some little thing ever’day that used t come from Europe, an’ as a result our celebrated Yankee ingenuity an’ creative ability ’ll be put t’ a test. In some respects th’ situation is a lamentable, but no cloud is without its silver linin’. Th’ general demoralization o’ our commerce gives promise of shuttin’ off Paris ''ashions. This is as it should be. It is high time American women had some jurisdiction over ther waist lines.. Fer years a little handful o’ Paris modistes have been decidin’ whether it wuz th’ thing fer a woman t’ be flat or round. Fer over a year our bulkier women have been hidin’ around waitin’ fer a tip from Paris before venturin’ in th’ open, while ther thin spaced sisters were allowed ever’ freedom. Whose tastes are consideded by th’ men who create th’ Paris fashions? Innocent American girls appear on our streets dolled up like th’ brazen race track habitues o’ Budapest, while their mothers are decked out an’ scented like th’ Clydesdale matrons o’ Monte Carlo. Why can’t th’ women of this country create ther own fashions an’ design ther own doo dads? If we kin invent churns an’ twine-binders an’ phonergraphs an’ car couplers an' cherry seeders an' steam shovels, why can’t we all pull t’gether ah’ turn out a respectable skirt, or a pair o' opaque hose? Why should our autumn gowns toiler th’ Turkish idea instead o’ th’ Zanesville idea? If a dressmaker in Urbana, 0., created anything as terrible as th’ “Spectre de la Rose’’ transparent dancin’ gown, wherein th’ lower extremities are held at bay by a frail curtain o’ point de Alencon lace, she’d be whitecapped. But th’ modistes o’ Paris kin design with impunity. Ther should be enough creative genius even in Peru, Ind., t’ turn Gilt an’ evenin’ gown that would leave a little fer th’ imagination A nifty American close reefed, modest priced turban fer ever’ day is .another thing that should be as easy matter ter even th’ milliners o’ Elwood. An’ it seems i me that jwith our vast resources an’ native blond tiimmers, some means could be provided whereby a fair lookin’ Sunday hat could be devised on this side o’ th’ Atlantic—somethin’ that would half way resemble th’ price an’ still leave a little tobacco money fer th’ husband or father.

Why should American women wear a gown whose dominant note suggests th’ nearly fergotten spirit o’ th’ French revolution? Why not wear somethin’ that’s a reminder o’ how close xye come t’ mixin’ it with Mexico? We read in th’ fashion notes: ’ Again you see th’ exceedin ly narrow skirt grown a trifle fuller at th’ knees than ankles, but ample in th’ straight, somewhat heavy, drapery o’ th’ graduated ripple tunic. ” Yit our women are anxious an’ ready t’ tackle th’ momentous questions o’ th’ lay at th’ polls. Now that we re all fairly familiar with th’ female figure, let us hope that one o' th’ consequences o’ th’ European war will be an era o’ concealment, rather than revealment in our styles fer women.