The Omaha Sunday
Bee
PART TWO
WOMEN'S SECTION
v PART TWO
SOCIETY
VOL. L NO. 38.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 6, 1921.
1 B
TEN CENTS
ma.n s
i o n
Sect
Gabby Takes
Issue With
Chesterton
By GABBY DETAYLS.
HOUSEWORK is monotonous
and ndlcss, The whole world
knows that. But like every
thing in life, it has its compensations.
Small though the sphere may be, the
woman s nevertheless1 chief ejcecu
tive of it. She catTdetermine, at the
very least, whether she shall mane
beds before she washes dishes.
Agreed. But Gabby fs not at all
sure that having the privilege of de
ciding between beds and dishes puts
woman in a more powerful position
than man. Gilbert K. Chesterton,
wh will speak in Omaha next
month before the Fine Arts society,
thinks it does. He says:
, "Of the two sexes the woman is
in the more powerful position. For
the average woman is at the head of
. something with whiclvshe can do as
. she likes; the average man has to
obey orders and do nothing else. He
has to put one dull brick on another
dull brick, and do nothing else; he
ha? to add one dull figure to another
dull figure, and do nothing else. The
woman's world is a small one, per
haps, but sh qan alter it. The wo
man can tell .the tradesman with
whom she deals some realistic things
about himself. The clerk-who does
this to the .manager generally gets
the sack,, or, shall we say (to avoid
the vulgarism), finds lijmself free tor
higher culture.
"Above all, the woman does work
which iyin some small degree crea
tive and Individual. She can put the
flowers on the furniture in fancy ar
rangements of her own. I fear the
bricklayer cannot put the bricks in
fancy arrangements of his own with
out disaster to himself and others.
If the woman is only putting a patch
into a carpet, she can choose the
thing with regard to color. I fear it
would not do for the offie boy dis
patching a parcel fto choose his
stamps witfi a view to color; to pre
fer the tender mauve of the six
penny to the scarlet of the penny"
stamp. A woman cooking may not
always codk artistically; still, she
can cpok artistically. She can in
troduce a personal and imperceptible
alteration into the-composition of a
soup. The clerk is not encouraged to
introduce a personal and impercepti
ble alteration into the figures in a
ledger."
There is so much truth in this, and
Ms so well said, that it is easy to be
tricked into believing, all of it. Gab
by thinks, with Mr. Chesterton, that
there can be creation and imagina
tion in abundance in housework, but
she thinks tftat a man, too in his out
side endeavors has similar opportuni
ties. In fact, it is the man -who us.es
imagination and his powers of crea
tion who travels farthest in his busi
ness career.. '
V "Piling one dull brick on another,"
says Mr. Chesterton. Most assured
ly thert is art in arranging bricks
fujly asXmuch. we think, as in darn
ing a shocking. And as for figures in
a ledger, just compare a few sets of
books and you quickly note that
some are the work of an artist,
while others, are the work of a dull,
plodding and subservient mind.
A typewritten letter (and what
could seem more mechanical?) may
he transformed by a good-operator
from careless "copy" to a thing of
beauty. The "makeup" man on a
newspaper, though he is merely
obeying orders, as Mr. Chesterton
suggests, may turn out a page pleas
ing, balanced and restful. But he
can't do it by simply obeying orders.
He has to put something else into it,
The good work of the world is not
done under orders. Initiative, indi
vidual creative powers, art, arc pres
ent when it is best done. . -
A woman setting her dinner table,
or a window trimmer at his task,
may be equally expressive. In short,
every act in life may be an expres
sion of art. And, too. the creative
mind will function whether in a
Kitchen or at the head of a railroad
system. '
GABBY thinks Mr. Drinkwatcr
himself- should have told us.
How an: we folks of the mid
dle west to know it. D-r-i-n-k
spells drink by all that's fair and
reasonable. W-a-t-e-r spells water,
according,, to all rules and regu
lations" of this country.
But you know over thefe, in. the
British Isles they do have their
own little ways of . pronunciation.
We are trained to a recognition of it
in such words as Worcester, where
the "r" and the second syllable are
slighted. But who would ever think
Golden Fleecer-Brilliant Luncheon
The Order of the Golden Fleece
has been a bright and shining or
ganization at. the University of Ne
braska ever since its birth several
years ago. ,
Eligibles to this exclusive body
are those whose tresses fall within
the following range of color:
Squash, carrot, pumpkin, orange,
brick, scarlet, flamingo, maroon,
copper, auburn, henna, mahogany,
magenW, sorrel,, strawberry roan,
russet, cerise, carnation, salmon,
shrimp pink and pink. Those having
the hues of lemon, ginger and putty
are barred as "nears" at one end-of
the prism; and those having "insipid
brown" are barred at the other end.
'"Chemicals" are also barred, it is
emphatically announced.
The annual luncheon of this bril
liant society will be held on Satur
day, March 12, at 12-30 p. m. in the
palm room of the Victoria hotel.
- Five prizes will be given at this
luncheon. There will be three
"firsts," one for the most brilliant
red hair the reddest of the red; a
second for , the "most fascinating;
scintillating golden glow" and a
third for the greatest quantity. Two
consolation prises will be given to
those having tresses nearest lemon
in shade and nearest brown. The
' . r11'111 " -a First Ladies of Jjand and State r'V
' f ppHE past week has given this land a new "first lady," Mrs. Warren f
. J I G. Harding. Omaha remembers Mrs. Harding from her brief visit
V jr here last October, when she completely captivated all who met her. v I
' J 'j She will, preside over her new "White llouse" home wun feracc, refine-f f, v-,4 V
P, M tnent and personal charm, wljile her keen perception, readv wit and broad- VjjK . .
1 lindedness, will make her a joy and power in national officialdom.. M&f f V
fik I & Jh A MNG Nebraska visitors in Washington this week, are Governor V "ST" C v
J fHvi Jf J A and Mrs. S. R. McKelvie, guests pf honor at the beautiful Edward ' -J s
'f j'J WSYM McLean home. Being "first ladv'' of the state is not a new role - V f
I M - I J - r for Mrs. McKelvie.. This is her second "term of office;" to it, she lends tJ&MF r-
i JW - fxlP 3t Y her ,nany exce,Ient qualities and markedly a deep sympathy and wide A f J? J
uj I f - Jr J&Jf cordiality of spirit. Governor and Mrs. McKelvie -were among the few $ . J sVjS v'jV
S" I Ml s C PJ callers received privately last October by. Mr. and Mrs. Harding upon the 'ssssssL W W I , i!J
Parent-Teachers
Of Central
High
The Parent-Teachers- association
of Central High school will meet in
the school auditorium Tuesday even
ing at 8 o'clock.
Mrs. Guy R. Spencer will speak
on "Class Assignments." Open dis
cussion of the subject will follow.
"What a Parent-Teachers' assoA
ciation Might Accomplish," will bh
the subject of a talk given y Miss
Zora Shields of the ,liigh school
faculty.
The program committee, includ
ing Edwin S. Jewell, chairman,
Henry T. Clarke, Mrs. J. J. McMul
len, Miss Sarah Vote Taylor and
Miss Zora Shields will recommend
that the liigh school faculty prepare
a set of questions to be answered
by the parents, for the purpose of
solving school problems and for the
betterment of the school in general.
Musical Event
The big musical event of the week
.will be in" the appearance'' of Fritz
Kreisler at the Auditorium Friday
evening, under auspices of the Tues
day Musical club. .
As a personality, as hi , musician
and as a -violinist, Mr. Kreisler has
won a vast and varied public.
As violinist,- Mr. : Kreisler is said
to have penetrated and mastered
every-technical secret of his instru
ment, drawing from it a tone of
manifold and lustrous beauty.
of "pronouncing Drinkwater,' as
though it .were Drink-ah-ter, slight
ing the "w" and accenting the first
and last syllables about equally.
On very good authority, Gabby
has this as the correct pronunciation
and she is smiling to think how
little, or much., tlie distnguishexl
gentleman so recently with us en
joyed our sounds, broad and plain
as the prairies upon which we have
our being. '
two' first prizes last year were car
ried off by Betty Kennedy and
Vivian Hansen.
Mary Gant of Omaha has been
asked to serve as one of the judges
and Miss Betty Kennedy of this
city, may persuade her mother, Mrs.
Howard . Kennedy,- to attend the
glowing affair.. Mrs.. A. Hugh Hip
pie, mother ci Dorothy Hippie, may
be numbered among the guests.
A special table, having excellent
view, will be" reserved for the four
judge's, according to the Daily TCe
braskan, the college paper. ' The
judges will be of eligible tints' them
selyes and will wear smoked glasses.
Among the features of the lunch
eon on March .12 will be a short
play on a red-haired theme, written
for the occasion by Magdalen Craft,1
whose hair 'is' officially termed
"pink." It .will be put on by the
four Airy sisters, Cozettc, Camille,
Cathleen and Caroline. Another fea
ture Will be a "pastel in prose,"
composed in honor of the occasion
by H. L. Mencken, author, and lit
erary editor of . The Smart Set,
whose sketch on the psychology of
the red-haired woman was read at
the luncheon a year ago.
Miss Louise Found is the faculty
sponsor of the organization.
Mrs. Ure Writes of Fine Arts Society
Mrs. 'William G. Ure, prominent among Omaha's matrons, is a member and past president of the Omaha
Sociclty of Fine Arts. She has contributed an article appearing on this page answering the question "Arc Lec
ture? Sponsored by the Omaha Society of Fine Arts Worth While?" . '
Mrs. Ure has returned from Lincoln, where she was the guest of h.cr daughter, Miss Mary Ure, at the
Kappa Kappa Gamma house for special festivities this past week, Mrs. Ure is a member of this sorority to
which her daushter also bcloiiKs. '' " -
? - - ; v . - ,
:
:!,,af?:, .... nV, , n , , t . ., ;cw
Are Lectures Sponsored By
Omaha Society of Fine
Arts Worth While
By MRS. WILLIAM G. URE.
Has the course of lectures con
ducted by the Omaha Society of Fine
Arts during the past seven years con
tributed 'in- an educational and cul
tural way to the men and wonkn of
Omaha? --
Has it been worth while for. the
six or seven hundred members, "of
the society to support such a course
from year to year?
To me there seems only one cor
rect answer and that is that the lec
tures have been most profitable.
Miss Tobitt of the public Mbrary, in
answer to these questions, said:
"The lectures have certainly stim
ulated reading, for the demand here
at the library is far beyond what we
can provide. , toth before and after
the lectures JUe bocks are much
sought after. Already the shelves
are emptied of Gilbert K. Chester
ton's books and his lecture was an
nounced only a shoit time ago."
Also we find the same story from
the book dealers an increased sale,
not only of the late books but of the
best in literature and art. The wide
publicity so generously given by the
newspapers of the city makes the
benefits far-readiingx'
It-is said that on account of the
newspaper publicity many, are led to
read and study who, because. of other
duties, are unable to attend the lec
tures. The first ;regular lecture course of
the society was held in the- Y. r.
C. A. auditorium in 1914-1915. The
next year, on the completion of the
Fonteneile, it W3S decided to hold a
course of 4 o'clock lectures in the
Fonten?;ie ball room. There "were
those who despaired of filling"' one
corner of the -arge ball room, but
the more optimistic ones fe that a
permanent lecture audience ' of
men and women of Omaha could be
built up. The records of that year
show that several of the best known
speakers drew an audience of. from
600 to 700. The pian adopted then
has been carried out from year to
year ami a large and interested audi
ence is r.ow the ru'.e rather than the
exception, at all. lectures. ' -
We have to recall only a few of the
many speakers who have appeared to
give proof of the quality and. stand
in S of the course.
Prof. AVD. S. Hamlin and Ralph
Adams Cram, authorities fpn Gothic
architecture; Dr. James ' Breasted,
noted Egyptologist, and Lorado Taft,
sculptor, have given scholarly cours
es. Alfred Noyes iA a reading of Ins
own poems, wc remember with
pleasure. His musical voice car
tied the audience with him through
a varied program, and at its close
we understood better the full meali-
rjng of his words, "the basis of po
etry is me sence oi riiyium uu
sense of rhy'J.m is universal. The
heart beats in rhythm, the - world
moves in. rhythm, lhythm is the
greatest commcn law of the uni
verse." ,
Our own Nebraska poet, John G.
Neihardt, also read from his poems.
His is a more rugged poetry, which
he read with the impressivencss of
the great epics. In conversation one
noticed his familiarity with Homer's
Iliad and Milton and his ability to
quote almost any passage. During
the war all minds and hearts were
5 I
turned toward war subjects aj)d at
t,he close of the war speakers were
brought with this idea in mind. Hon.
William Howard Taft drew a large
audience when he delivered his mas
terly lecture on "A Real Peace." He
was followed by John Masefield,
who gave us -Tvjd and interesting de
tails of the Gallippli campaign. One
speaker who perhaps impressed the
audience above all others was Sir
Johnston Forbes-Robertson. Those
who heard him cannot forget the si
lence that seemed unbroken while
the once great actor appeared so
modestly in his "Interpretation df the
Art of Shakespeare." i
These are only a few of the many
great speakers who have brought us
their messages. I should take time,
however, to mention John Cowper
Pows, who did so much in the early
part of the course to stimulate read
ing of the' "grand masters" and
whose faultless and'beautiful use of
the English language in 'all of his
lectures pleased so many students of
literature. -
During the. last six years the fol
lowing women have held' the office
of lecture chairman: . Mrs. A. W.
Jcfferis, Mrs. William G. Ure, Mrs.
Edgar A. Scott, Mrs. Leonard Ev
erett and Mrs. Louis Nash.
This year the lecture course is un
der the management of Mrs. Warren
Elackwell.
Every effort has been rriade to se
cure the most eminent speakers on
fine arts and kindred subjects.
' The appearance of. John . Drink
water in lOmaha recently and of
Gilbert K. Chesterton in the near fu
ture is evidence that it is the desire
of the society to keep. up the high
standard of the lecture course.
Junior Musical to
Give April
Recital
.An interesting musical event of
the future is the benefit recital to be
given Friday evening. April 8, at the
First Central Congregational
church for the church by members
of the Junior Musical club, an or
ganization of the younger musicians
of the city. Only the more accom
plished members are to appear on
this program, which is not one of the
regular recitals of the club.
Piano numbers will be given by
Edith Victoria Robinson, Dorothy
Sherman, Ellanour Baxter, Elizabeth
raffenrath, Nancy , Hulst and Rich
ard Bender. '
Those giving violin numbers wil
include Rose 'Dubnoff, Truman
Morsman, Samuel Carmcl and Ber
nard Hanighen.
Helen Nightingale will give a
vocal number.
Appearing on the program will
also, be a " group of boys from St.
Cecilia's vested choir.
Lorcnda, Tlielma and Allan Skeen
will play a violin and harp number.
Thclma Skeen will play the harp,
and the others the violins.
Three sisters are to appear on the
program. Desclla Straw n, violinist;
Elizabeth Strawn, cellist, and Cleda
Strawn. pianist, will give , a grtnip
number, .
Girl Writes
OfkMerrie
England"
While stories float back to Omaha
of the banyan tree and purple hori
zons of Hawaiian land to the west
ward, there wafts also acros to this
prairie country from our travellers
afar, a suggestion of fragrance of
hawthome buds, and a picture of the
berries, boughs and hedges of Merrie
England. x
Miss Esther Gunnison, Omaha girl
student at Oxford where she is spe
cializing in languages, writes letters '
rich in descriptive beauty to her, sis
ter, Elizabeth Gunnison of this city.
In a letter shortly after arrival in
Oxford some weeks ago, Miss Gun
nison wrote:
"The days are so perfect and I
long so much for you to share them
with me. There are so many won
derful new things, I can scarcely
keep up. You see I want to stand
still and love and wonder at the
beauty and charm of things; but if
one were- to satisfy that desire one
wouldn't know half the wonders that
await 1
"I wish I could tell you about
Oxford. It is like a different nvorld
altogether; the magnificent old build
ings mellow in color from age; spires
of the cathedrals rising high and
pointed, and quaint, narrow streets
in places with lovely roads and drives
everywhere. The college buildings
are scattered and such magnificent,
historic, Old lecture halls as we have!
Oh, it's all new to me, so quiet and
restful and full of inspiration. I
am loving everything.
"The houses are oS mansions with
quaint old gardens, hedges around,
nd stone tences like the becret Gar
den' story. 1 , London is near us,
only a few hours away. .
We are walking miles and miles
each day through the country and
villages of Oxfordshire. Some days
we start in the morning, carrying
sandwiches with us. Then we wan
der away, following a beautiful wind
ing road, that leads tis to some lone
ly old hamlet. Oh. the quaintness
and mellowness and joy of these
hnglish villages! Ihey seem to be
built along a road with so many
turns one is always excited to know
what is beyond. The old, old homes
are so cozy and sweet with thatched
roofs and lovely little gardens and
hedges everywhere. !
Always we look lor the parish
church, for there it is that one finds
a concentration of art and history.
The churches, like other buildings,
are hundreds of years old, and they
are always beautiful, for have not the
people, however poor, always given
their bit gladly that their temple of
worship might be holy in loveliness!
Jhe great massive doorways admit
one to a room that seems dull and
cold at first. But one soon discovers
rays of sunlight coming through
deep windows. (The walls are sev
eral feet thick). Many, especially
those near the altar, are ancient
stained glass windows, faded by
time, and many are sadly patched be
cause of destruction during warfare.
"In many of the churches are
famous tombs. Beneath the church
es rest the ashes of ancient person
ages. The floors are ftill of inscrip
tions and epitaphs and we arc always
interested in trying to decipher them.
The ceilings are things of rare beau
ty, some times of richly carved arch
es that join and some tiines-sa-heavy
crossed beam ceiling of oak. I must
not forget the church yards just -but-side
the littje churches. Wc wander
among the quaint old tombstones
and I. think of lines from Grains
Elegy:
'Each in his narrow cell forever laid,
'The rude forefathers of the hamlet
sleep.'
"At S o'clock in the afternoon we
stop at some sweet inn for tea, bread
and butter, cakes and the inevitable
marmalade. At six the 'angelus
sounds and the workers in the fields
bare their head3 in reverence. A1-'
ways we hear bells chiming the half
Land quarter hours. Always we love
ana aamire rne inns ana ine neains
and the lovely autumn color fading
in the distances to mellow, misty
blueness. ,
"In Oxford there is always new
charm for there are many, many
places to know. Yesterday we went -
to Magdalen College where the
Prince of Wales received his higher
education. We looked into one of
the old halls where the younger boys
are taught. -Each little lad wears the
same long gray trousers, liitle round
jacket, stiff white collar (Buster
Brown) and over that costume tiny
academic gowns and caps just like
their older brothers.. I shall get
pictures of them!
"We have wandered hours through
winding wooded lanes where some
of the poets of England have wan
dered, no doubt receiving inspiration
for the beautiful and true in poetry.
"And all this between lectures for
we are hearing many good things.
But no one takes heavy programs ot
lectures, for there is so much to
learn through walks and a study
of the history of the many places.
"We often go the country for ber
ries, hawthome boturhs and lovely
golden foliage for decorating. Per
haps a nice English pony cart taKcs
us. There are only .0 American
girls here."
Citizenship School:.-
The subject of the Citizenship
school lecture, by Mrs. H. H.
Wheeler of Lincoln, Friday after
noon,- 3 o'clock, council chamber
citv hall,' will be "Counties." Mrs.
J. T. Maxwell will review briefly the
talk of last rriuay by rrot. 1.. t.
Aylsworth on "Municipalities.
The handbook bv Mrs. II. T.
Bailey on "Municipalities" was rec
ommended by Mrs. II. II. Wheeler.
Copies may be secured at a small
charge at the meeting Friday. March
11. Copies of Mrs. Wheeler's hand
book for Nebraska citizens, dealintr
with state government, may also be
secured at that lime.
