Omaha
Sunday
. PART TWO
SOCIETY SECTION
PART TWO.
SOCIETY SECTION
QlJl
VOL. XLVIII NO. 36.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 16, 1919.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
JLi
Omaha's Acknowledged
Society Leader and
Red Gross Worker
Mrs. Charles T. Kountze
Gave Full Time to
Organizing War
Workers
TTTilEN it dawned upon Oma
yy bans that our city needed a
Red Cross chapter, without
knowing why, a thousand thoughts
turned to Mrs. Charles T. Kountze
for help. Not because Mrs. Kountze
had any more nime than many
Dthers. hut because she is a born
executive and organizer a promo
tion "man" and an absolute neces
sity. It was the concentration, per
haps, of thousands of minds which
caused this woman of energy and ex
ecutive ability to turn her, efforts
to assisting in Organizing the Omaha
chapter of the American Red Cross.
Society had, in the past, made
preat demands upon its leader and
she always was true to her friends
and social position, but when the
world demanded bigger things it
found that "May" Kountze, as she
is affectionately called, could or
ganize and lead a Red Cross chap
ter as well as she could organize
jewing clubs and lead the "pink tea
line." She gave all of every day to
her new work, chairman of the wom
an's division, bureau of personnel.
As fast as one branch was organ
ized with a good and sufficient leader
to steer its course. Mrs. Kountze
England's Newest
Queen May Be
American ,
Girl '
milE "Ah-Ia-Ia-la-!" from prance
and the "Oh. By' Jove W from
England echoed to our American
shores when the news came through
that the next queen of England (if
queens are not abolished at the peace
table) may be an American girl, the
prince of Wales shortly will visit the
Uni!td States and may return with
an American bride. King George
himself, I understand on excellent
authority, is not averse to this.
The war has narrowed the",vfield
of choice for royal marriage's on the
old lines of historic tradition and
precedent. There is a keen desire
here that the prince should be al
lowed to choose for himself an
American wife. The enthusiasm on
both sides of the Atlantic would be
unbounded and the union would go
far leward cementing the bond of
friendship, tiow closer than' ever,
between the United States and Bri
tain. The fact is there is nothing to pre
vent an tmmarried sovereign, of
Ore-it Britain marrying whom he
chooses, providing the proposed con
sort is not a Roman Catholic. The
idea of a royal caste exclusively
marrying within itself is no part of
Finish law and forms no written
part of any continental constitu
tion. -
It existed only as a part of the
"house laws" of the different Teu
tonic dynasties. A member of the
caste could only marry within it.
All olher marriages were morgan
atic end incapable of royal inheri
tance. But the democratic principles of a
real fighting "he-man" like the
princ. of Wales can't see this un
written royal tomfoolery interfering,
and Canadian officers who have
fought and worked with him on the
western front give? it to me firsthand
that he'll marry whom he plosses
and make her his queen sans mor
ganatic, sans historic precedent. -
"Why, he's a real man. There's
none of the aristocratic bunk about
him. D'ye know, while I was with
him on the western front we had a
helluva time keeping him out o' the
front line trenches. He'd try to
sneak into 'em and fight with the
boys. Of course we couldn't let him
risk the chance of capture, because
there would be one big German hul
labaloo and raising of the boche
moraie-. but it goes to show -where
that kid stands. And when it comes
to marrying I got it from him
iraic.ht, he'll pick out a girl he loves
no matter whether she's a princess
or the daughter of the butcher, the
baker or the candlestick maker."
Thus Lieut. Jack Gillies, of De
troit, characterized the prince of
Wales.. He's an upstanding, clean
shaven, athletic type of a youngster
in his early twenties, and during the
war he has been connected with the
Royal Air Force as an officer. -
The exact date of the prince's trip
to the United States and the Do
minions has not been decided, but I
understand it will be soon and may
probably result in a romance, the
example of which would be infec
tious and doubtless open up dra
matic possibilities.
Already in London it is whispered
the embryonic romance centers
aUout a young American heiress at
.Newport, while there are other
mentions of "eligibles" in New
York, Chicago, Boston and other
American centers.
There is a story tha when Great
Britain declared war on Germany
the prince of Wales's first remark
1o his sister was ia heartfelt thanks
giving that they would both be spar
ed German partners.
Princess 1 Marie of Roumania,
Princess Elizabeth of Roumania, or
Princess Margaret of Denmark
might be chosen, but the prospect
would arouse little enthusiasm.
Princess Helena of Greece is no
longer talked of as a future queen.
smiled; bowed gracefully, and made
her exit to take up the work of an
other branch of the service. Her
latest work is state chairman ,of
nursing survety.
Omaha society would have missed
this famous hostess had it not been
for the fact that where she leads
they follow not because they are
sheep people, . but because Mrs.
Kountze leads so beautifully, so
harmoniously, so graciously that the
following becomes a pleasure and at
the same time lifts the burden of re
sponsibility from many another per
son. She plays tennis, golf, drives
her, own car, swims, has a wonder
ful old fashioned flower garden and
is the mother of two children.
"What shall you do when this war
work is all over?" we asked of this
woman who never quarrels.
"I hardly know," she replied, "but
there will be plenty for all of us to
do. The world has changed consid
erably during this struggle and I
think the woman mind has devel
oped. Her taste is different and it is
doubtful if she ever will turn solely
to society again. This great work
has given her a vision and when she
has finished her Red Cross and oth
er war work there will be civic and
philanthropic problems to take her
attention. I think most all women
were dreadfully tired of society by
itself it meant so little."
Denman Kountze, though a mere
boy, is serving with the American
army overseas and it was after he
left that his fond mother ' scoured
the attic for medals, school trophies,
photographs and other reminders.
"These things didn't mean much
while I had him with me, but now,
I couldn't part with one little thing
that belongs to him," and as she
smiled the merry "May Kountze"
smile, a tear tried its best to come
all the way through.
Mrs. Kountze has, without know
ing it, won the love of all who know
her. It is the tender, affectionate
tone that accompanies the "May"
from friends that proves her popu
Heart Beats
- By A. K.
It's complimentary
But awfully distracting
When people call
Us over the phone
And expect us to
Answer every
Imaginable question
Under the sun. ,
One of our friends '
Called us today
And said she was on
The program
For a paper to be
Read at her literary
Or political
Or social science "
Club
And she wanted to know
About the peace
Situation and the
Develqpements
In Europe.
Her mind was a jumble
Or perhaps it was a
Jungle we are not
Sure
From reading and trying
To digest the latest
Press news
Our own opinion is
The subject is too
, Involved for a
Woman's club
Or a man's club
But we did our best
And told her that
From what we could
Learn by reading
Public print:
Japan will be
Satisfied with the
Annexation of China
Serbia asks only
North Italy and
Half of Greece,
Greece stands pat for
The annexation of
Serbia and a large
Portion of Roumania
Switzerland demands'
Freedom of cheese
All peace representatives
Favor disarmament of
Every other power
The I. W. W.'s insist
Oh less peace and more. '
Bloodshed
Allied governments
(whoever they are)
Have ordered the
Foles and Huns
To cease warfare , v
Lloyd George is greater
Than King George
And Wilson sailed
From France Saturday
Without having 1
A motorcycle ride
Or any serious
Social or moral
Entanglements
So far as we can
(Learn. ' .
This is the situation
In a nut shell,
As we see itl
SELAII1'
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'3dr&Chas.T.Kbutibc
cktiowIcJei 5ociefij leader
Uniforms Must Now Take
Second Place While
Creations Reign
This May Be Gayest Spring in Several Years for
Beautiful Colors.
Spring a la Model
It's just like this girls whether
you like these new styles, at first,
or not, you might just as well fall
in line. The hang-backers are the
gray mice.
We have remarked that the styl
ishest style for skirts permits of
only 40 Inches around the bottom.
These skirts are being attacked by
a few very conservative women in
this fashion:
, "Scat!
"They are indecent and im
moral!" ,
But under this scathing arrange
ment our modish maids and ma
trons will continue to don their nar
row robes the narrower the better
and the fashion will flourish.
For, since the days' of our child
hood haven't we heard a certain
group of women' -wax hot with in
dignation over the latest styles.
Why, the plain front skirt was a
disgrace; the small hat was bold
and the large hat was a character
signal of distress. The plain skirts
were vulgar and the short, full
skirts of recent vogue were sinful.
Now that the skirts are long and
narrow they are imparing ,thc
morals of our maidens.
Asa matter of fact, they are
dangerous; and if we are not care
ful, in crossing the street, we may
be crushed beneath, a Ford or a
Wattles electric. Aside frora these
points, we. see nothing terrible
about the 40-mch skirt.
Ora Cne, that wizard of fashion
and lightning-artist in "building"
gowns from odds and ends and bits
of sofa pillows, rugs and lace cur
tains, turned on the X-ray and we
discovered that silk will soon be a
thing of the past unless we are
able to import more of the raw ma
terials. Silk workers are idle, in
the east, in groups of thousands.
But with every gesture, Ora Cne
thinks a thought. Just at this point
in the conversation, he exclaimed;
"But they can't beat usl They
can't beat us! We will fashion beau
tiful hats and gowns from American
materials ginghams, calicos and
percales and we will make them so
beautiful, with such artistic, fascin
ating lines that the silk worms will
stop weaving and listen to the death
knell of their long-flourishing busi
ness. Wnite Elephant sales wouldn't
propser if we all were like this gen-
tus and if we are wise we will take
' . J&s.- fifth ': ... "'M
our tips from the man who, when
he enters a room, casts his eyes over
its contents, gathers up the unneces
sary decorations or ornaments or
diapes, swoops a silk drape toward
the east, a lace curtain toward the
west, tacks the ends together at the
south, loops with a pin at the" north
and, behold! we have a new gown,
stun..ing, original.
J'rices are . so high, despite the
forecast of lower prices, that the
woman of modest means must pur
chase her gowns with extreme care
and judgment. To offset these war
priccf, however, our fashion design
ers and manufacturers have given
us such very substantial materials
as indestructible voils, for transpar
ent combinations, to take the place
of delicate chiffon and flimsy nets.
Men have an easier time, to be
sure. Each one of them may dress
like his neighbor, and all is well.
But that happy time has not arrived
for women, if it ever will arrive.
They are still known, as the cre
atures who are beautiful, and
though the type of their beau
tiful dressing has changed material
ly, it must still be beautiful. - The
change involves a change in the
point of view that is all. '
Line and material, then these
are the two important phases of the
new home dressmaking. One is a
matter of brain power and under
standing, the other of dollars and
cents. The clever combination of
the two is a union that will gain
for itself recogriition wherever it
may happen to be, and much satis
faction lies in store for the woman
who successfuly accomplishes the
trick.
Can Women Acquire
O 1NCE the day when Adam asked
J Eve to meet him at the garden
gate there has been a complaint, re
sounding from masculine throats
down the ages", that women cannot
be on time. Father makes it, broth
er makes it, it is the first fault every
man finds in his sweetheart. If the
meeting is to be at 3, she comes
along at half past, or 4, and her ex
cuses are always fluent and plausible,
- "But if yon can't be on time for a
social affair," say; the men, "how do
you suppose you! are going to suc
ceed in business?"
But are women late in business
hours? Look around you in your
office. Who is it comes in last of
all? Is it a woman, or is it a man?
A woman whose business it is to
oversee the 300 girls in a department
TASK
How various her employments, whom the world
Calls idle, and who justly in return
Esteems that busy world an idler, too!
Friends, books, a garden, and perhaps her pen,
Delightful Industry enjoyed at home,
And Nature in her cultivated trim.
Dressed to her taste, inviting her abroad. Cowper.
store in New York talked freely on
the subject. - " .
' "I do not have any trouble with
my girls arriving on time, beyond
the natural delays one meets when
there is trouble on the cars." I check
in, my girls, and a few years ago I
was timekeeper where men were em
ployed, and I find that girls are more
punctual, as a class,- than the so
called superior sex. I do not claim
the srirls are beyond criticism. I ob
ject to the time wasted in powdering
necks and noses, but that does not
represent a waste of time equal to
that the men spend in lighting and
smoking cigars." ,
"That is my only complaint of
women in business," said a man who
is at the head of banking concern
which employs several hundred girls.
"They are teliable; they are neat;
. k .
Trait .of Punctuality?
they are painstaking and accurate,
but they cannot, to save their souls,
be on time. I am not stating this
a fault-finding way, for I. have dis
covered that if Miss Jones is 15 min
utes later than Mr. Brown, at the
next desk, and their work is identi
cal, she will cover one-third more
ground than he before the day is
done.
.' "It is an interesting study, and one
that convinces me that women should
never be chained to the clock. Let a
woman show the results in her work.
Don't ask for so many minutes and
houis. Ask for results, and you
have them, in a manner so creditable
you arc kept employed raising your
hat to the sex,
: "But keep an appointment on
time? See that girl coming into the
room? It is 10 o'clock., I asked her
Gabby Does Not Vouch
For
Anything, but She
Usually Tells Facts
" Ot?&atiizer
lite T?e. Cross
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to be here promptly at 9:45 to take
dictation. Listen to her excu: s."
1 he girl came forward with note
book in hand, but if she had r.ny ex
cuses to make, she ignored the fact
in the pleasant, impersonal sort of
way which she said, "Good morn
ipg." Her employer looked puzzled.
Then, as he had arranged for a flow
of oratory about late trains and de
lays, he felt that he must somehow
pull it off.
"You are late," he remarked, mild-
ly-
"Am I? . You said half-past 9, but
as ycu are never here when you say,
I thought it foolish to waste the half
hour waiting for you. The letters will
be ready for the morning mail."
: Thcv were, and the execution was
faultless. "I'd like to know," grunt-
V
bled her employer, when sie had
j
Oh, Cne! Your Home
Grown Models Are
Frights. Ugh! Help 1
w
E are expecting it to hil
Omaha most any minute!
And when it does, there will
be nothing in New York or any
where in the world, more enthosi'
astically welcomed than the "Splast
Tea."
T;ring of tango teas, pink teas and
of the dansants, New York his found
a brand new way of serving this in
dispensable beverage. The idea was,
we presume, taken from the sea
nymph and the rules and methods
of acquiring the necessary agility,
from the Japanese acrobats.
By-the-way, we refer to the
"Splash Tea" as you probably know
after reading the second paragraph
of this chatter. This "splash tea,"
served in a swimming pool, is the
newest fad.
Remember the last time you bal
anced a cup of tea on one knee and
a plate on the other and expected
the worst to happen? Well the re
quirements of the newest tea party
are that one must be able to swim
out to (he center of the pool with
one hand, balancing the tray with
tea, things above water with the
other. One's most proficient guests
must swim about the tray and take
their cups. Then tea is poured,
sweetened,- flavored, stirred and
drunk. Splash teas are never served
in water less than six feet deep.
"The tea promises to become
popular in New York," says our
Manhattan authority, "although from
the nature of its requirement it is
not likely to attain to the rage on
Broadway that some of its predeces
sors hav had, as it eliminates one
of the cfiief 'raisons d'etre' of the
old-fashioned tea, namely, gossip "
There are several places where
Omaha women might learn to ac
complish this feat we mention the
Y. W., the Athletic club for im
mediate use, although, if the fad
doesn't hit us for a few weeks we
m'gbt add a few of the resorts
within automobile reach of the city.
Still mentally wandering around
the metropolis, we notice that the
society women have organized a
Tank Corps club as a means of
keeping together the "Treat 'Em
Rough corps upon their discharge
from service. The dub rooms will
contain all that is attractive to the
ex-fighters. Of course, we are only
surmising or suggesting or hinting,
but we venture to say that a "Tank
club" might be a popular organiza
tion in Omaha. It might also be a
means of keeping husbands and
wives together at the club, of
course with "everything attractive,"
and refreshments, we presume at
the "Tank club," but, then we may
be mistaken, since there are several (
definitions we're only taking the,
well, er, the popular Um, yes, now
that that's settled.
One swallow does not make I
summer but two straw bonnets and
Ora Cne do make a spring and we
were on our tip-toes when the little '
man cf fashion in his sealskin coat
came fn to invite us to a really, hon-est-to-goodness
style show at the
Blackstone Thursday. Our hopes
were tinged with rose, for surely
we expected to be whisked from
prosaic Omaha into the ivry and
gold of Lady Duff Gordons Paris
shop.
But after all it was only the ball
room at the Blackstone, with a few
palms added and oh, such a
squeaky orchestra! Ora Cne came
out finally, with his nicest bow, and
gave us a very clever little metro
politan atmosphere. When he spoke
of his "charmant" models, we
brightened, for we felt sure they
would be Junos or Billie Burkes or
something.
A soft (?) lilting little note from
the violin, and the lights flickered
out. We sat on the edge of. our
chairs and Miss Model Number One
stepped out. She w,as pretty but
vaguely familiar and her suit was ,
very ,smart with its little blue hat
trimmed in wheat and roses, but
stilt she looked very pale poor girl,
perhaps she was tired. After twirling
about several times she skipped off
and another of the mannikins step
ped forth and at the same , minute
bang, went the spot light.
We gasped, we, choked! Merci,
such a sallowness. We longed' tc
rush forth and lend her a little pink
from a small and wicked box lodg
ing in our bag. And you should have
seen the poor lady walk really it
was dreadful. Of course, she wore
one of the new slinky skirts and was
probably afraid of skidding," but she'
had the funniest little hop, skip and
jump. She held her arms out straight
in front of her, just what she ex
pected we do not know, probably a
bouquet or something.
Finally we had them all named and
the pretty gowns were almost
eclipsed by the Omaha goddesse4
who wore them. There was M iss Hep
and Miss Mouth Open (she had that
"adenoidy" look, you know!) And
then there was Miss Sunbeam, she
really was sweet, gave such a pretty
little smile when she emerged in a
new gown.
But wait! These were only the
street suits and afternoon dresses
and we trembled when we remem
bered the sleeveless dinner gown.
(Continued on rate Two.)
gone back to her typewriter, "what
she d'd with that half hour she de
cided not to waste in waiting for me.
O'lHss you just have to take women
a i the I.nrd made them, and find no
fault. She does twice the, steno
ctiphic work of any man I ever had,
bill she is never on time to L-'
! it."