Evening star. [volume], December 19, 1947, Page B-4, Image 37

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
1). S. Writer Dislikes
Role of 'Conqueror'
On Visit to Vienna
By Helena Huntington Smith
VIENNA (By Air Mail).—For the
last two weeks I have been feeling
and acting like a member of a mas
ter race. This creeps up on every
body over here. You can’t help it.
The other evening I went night
clubbing with an American civilian
In Vienna, who told me this was his
first American date in over a year.
He said: “You know what I noticed?
You kept me waiting for 10 minutes,
and it felt like home. No Austrian
girl would have done that.”
It’s the same here as in Germany;
the pitiful availability of girls and
women who will do anything to go
out with an American, even to giv
ing up their feminine prerogative
of keeping a man waiting.
In the night club, with a feeling
of princely generosity, I bestowed
one cigarette as a tip on the old
woman attendant In the powder
room. The cigarette was worth a
good quarter to her, but at the tax
free post exchange price of 8 cents
a pack, it cost me around a third
of a cent.
PX Is Always Jammed.
The PX—maintained for American
personnel in this foreign outpost—
is something. It is always jammed
with soldiers and civilians and their
wives buying candy, soa»\ ri'*”-'-'f—
Kleenex, fruit juice, face cream and
simple articles of clothing—everyaay
necessities of American life, but they
represent the wildest dream of
luxury to the Austrian girls waiting
behind the counters, who aren’t al
lowed to buy anything for them
selves. It gives you a guilty feeling
. to come into the PX out of shabby
Vienna, and see the conquerors wal
lowing in their plenty. Legally, of
course, we are not conquerors; Aus
tria is a liberated country, not an
occupied one, but one forgets that.
Europe’s demoralization is re
flected in the fact that whenever
you" go in the war-torn, hungry
countries, you are advised to keep
everything under lock and key. But
. one American gazed around at the
| pre-Christmas shopping scene in the
PX and remarked: 'Tf it were the
other way around and I were an
Austrian working for us, I’d steal
everything I could get my hands on.”
Not Mach Stealing.
Actually, there is not much steal
ing from the post exchange. Man
agers are human; defective pack
ages, with tom labels or chocolates
that have gone a bit stale, are given
to the employes and these trifling
gifts keep the theft problem to a
minimum. Also a great deal of
I American candy ends up where it
' will do the most good.
The head of a Europe-wide relief
agency bought $100 worth for per
sonal Christmas gifts. I met an
other American, who, on a modest
civil service salary, was giving $200
worth of chocolate and toys to a
Viennese children’s hospital. A big
barrel stands by the candy counter,
collecting offerings for Austrian chil
, dren’s Christmas parties. It’s filled
I up every day or so.
Despite their own shortages of
food and comforts, the British do
themselves very well in the matter
I of clubs—it’s an old imperial custom.
Their officers’ club in Vienna is the
18th century palace of an Austrian
nobleman and is known, with superb
understatement, merely as Kinsley’s.
Near the door is a very British sign
[ stating that members of the club
- may bring only one guest at a time,
who must be an officer or a civilian
of equivalent rank. Translated, this
means: “No Austrian girl friends
allowed.”
Velvet Covers Walls.
Fat, life-sized marble cuplds
prance on the balustrade of the
grand staircase. Upstairs at Klnsky’s
the walls are upholstered in crim
son velvet; overpoweringly magnifi
cent crystal chandeliers hang from
ceilings as high as a house; the Im
mense rooms go on and on like the
Metropolitan Museum, only much
chillier.
In the Grafs state dining room,
paneled in what appears to be white
and gold porcelain, you may have a
British austerity meal of corned beef
hash, but it is served by a swarm
of tail-coated Viennese waiters who
fall over each other just as they do
in American dining places. Some
of them look as though they pre
ferred the Nazis. In the ballroom
more Austrian manpower makes
music for the conquerors—there is
that wrong *word again.
I have seen Austrian girls—Aus
trian ladies—introduced to Ameri
can women and seen their faces
stiffen as though they expected to
be snubbed. There is a reason for
that look. American wives have
come over here and, In spite of
having men of their own, have
sharply resented the fact that unat
tached American men should go out
with Austrian girls. (This com
plaint comes from the unattached
men.) In fact I heard of one party
at which the Austrian girls and
their bachelor American escorts
gathered at one side of the room,
while the American wives remained
frigidly on the other, not speaking
to them. It wasn’t very gay.
Some of the more responsible
Americans here are thoughtful
about their role as the new Herren
volk. Just as the GIs you met over
here during the war wanted no part
of being conquerors, so this occupa
tion crowd never asked to be a mas
ter race. They wonder what is going
to come of it.
(Released by the Bell Syndicate, inc.)
Three Area Army Men
To Be Graduated Today
Three Army men from the Wash
ington area will be graduated today
from the Northwestern University
Traffic Institute where they at
tended. a month’s course in mili
tary traffic control.
They 'are Capt Fred. W. Aron of
Fort Belvoir, Va.j Capt. A. Caseria,
attached to the ground safety divi
sion of the Air Force here, whose
home is in Arlington, and Lt. Col.
Clark W. Coleman, provost marshal
of the 11th Air Force, Harrisburg,
Pa., whose home Is in Washington.
Burma plans to raise its cotton
production to the prewar average of
100,000 bales a year.
LIGHTING
FIXTURES
Refinished - Repaired
SINCE 1893
Gatlins9 Inc.
1324 N. V. Are. N.W. NA. 0992
--THE CHRISTMAS SPECIALTY SHOP OF 1001 APPAREL GIFTS
IdtomafL
<L JUH
. . . here's the answer to Her favorite
Christmas wish ... a scarf of exquisite furs
... so soft and luxurious . . . worth having,
worth owning and worthy of your giving.
I One, three, five, or more magnificent skins
| for your lady fair. Kaplowitz-labeled,
^assures their value and integrity.
£ j _ |>A| lur/V deep' 9'owmg shades of Mink
imc l\ U L I lx O lx T or Sable, wonderfully long wearing. lu» P*r sh,n
... the fur of magnificance for its
gorgeous MINK deep tones and ex9uisite texture, na- on ,.
° ° tural or wild ranch_ ^
... the softest, the silkiest fur of
BAUM MARTEN “7 * 65. * *.
.-FOR THIRTY-ONE YEARS THE SPECIALTY SHOP FOR QUALITY FURS
HORACE J. MEYERS
SALE!
In Time For Christmas Giving
ENTIRE STOCK OF
LAMPS
CHINA & GLASS GIFT ACCESSORIES
20% OFF
All Sales Final • NO COD or Phone Orders
• %
Just Below Dupont Circle • DUpont 5742
Choice of noturol white with
blue nylon lining or brown
antique.
Train (ox
(shown ot left)
14"x8'/i"x9J4",
with removable
easel mirror ond
velvet jewel
case_$72
Over night or
Week End Case.
1«" _$60
21"_$63
126" Pullman Co*a_$78 24" Man'i Two-Suiter, soft
,, sides ---$96
21" Ladies' Cruise-Aide Ward- 21" Man's Companion Bag,
robe Case_$87 soft sides-$72
AU Pricee Include Tax
511 11th St. N.W. NA. 4242
Trunks, Saddlery, Gifts and Riding Apparel
m
Gifts
FOR LITTLE MEN
4.
y
A. Genuine leather jack
ets. Several styles to
choose from. Sturdy,
well made, warmly lined,
zipper front. Sizes 3 to
12.
from $895 to $]£.95
)
8. All-wool eton suits,
variety of fabrics, tweeds
or flannels. Well toilored,
fine quality details, all
famous makes. Sizes 2
to 8.
from $895 to $] 495
C. All-wool sweaters in
V many styles, turtle neck,
J V-neck pullovers, cardi
1 aan, classic styles or
p fancy patterns. Sizes 3
to 12.
from $ | .84 to $4.95
D. P a j a m a s of sturdy
broadcloth. Worm flan
nelette or balbriggans.
Fine quality features, full
cut, well mode ... in
stripes, colorful prints or
solid colors. Sizes 4 to
12.
^ from $2-50 to $365
f
Boys’ Dept.
C.
0.
\
1225 F Sf. N.W.
Shown: Quilted
brocade brunch
coat I n pastel
•hades, 18.95
Satin trousers, 8.95
✓
*
. Excellent Gift Idea!
QUILTED BRUNCH COATS
10.95 to 22.95
Feminine and very flattering, a brunch coat
Is not only a pretty fashion, but very useful.
Come in and see our stunning array in a wide
assortment of fabrics and colors. All sizes.
Both Our Stores Open Every Nite Till 9
Connecticut /Ire. at M Street
Bethesda Branch, 7115 Wiecensin Avenue
She'll love the queenly touch of a
FUR SCARF
by William Rosandorf
Give her the truly fabulous gift, a
luxurious scarf by William Ro^ndorf.
We have on elegant collection of
-3, 4 and 5 sxin arrangements . . .
every skin full and rich looking . . ,
furs soft and silky ... to odd the glorious
final touch to winter costumes.
Set ef 4 Jumbo dyed Kolinskys-$95
Set of 4 Natural Wild Mink-,145
Set of 3-skin Natural Stone-Martons-295
Set of*4-skin Tipped Baum-Marten-375
Dyed Russian Squirrel Capes-250
Dyed China Mink Cape Stole_545
ALL PRICES TAX INCLUDED
THESE LOVELY GIFTS BOAST
FAMOUS NAMES ...
FAMOUS FABRICS
Lucy Lorcom's Tailored Treas- ^
ure _$3.50 ^
Luxurious multifilament rayon
crepe, long wearing, easily
laundered, constructed with
famous Lucy Larcom precision
fit. Lovely slip—little price!
White, pirrik, black. Sizes 34
to 44.
Miss Swank's Slip in Magical
Bur-Mil Nylon-Rayon Satin,
$7.95
Glamour slip of lustrous satin
frosted with sheer embroidery
. . . long-lasting slip, emerges
fresh and beautiful from every
laundering. White, black. Sizes
32 to 40.
w
Horrio' Pint Floor
Wonderland of Gift Lirvgorio
MASTER FURRIERS FOR OVER FORTY YEARS
* w i V