THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAU PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 22. 1907
W NEED I
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THE EXCUS
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" GOING IN FOR TRADE "
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ELLOf hello Is this the coun
tess of Essext Yes, I mean the
laundry establishment of the
tountess of Essex.
"Hello Is the countess of Essex there?
West This is Mrs. Tweedledum-Robinson.
Td like to know, please, when my laundry
xvill be sent home.
", HYesit's been there since Wednesday.
Til get it tonight? Very well; see that it
tomes, will you?
"By the way, I was not at all pleased with
four work last week. That lace fichu was
'done up abominably. Really, I'm afraid
liows that? You have jus: secured a com
petent Swiss laundress. Very well, then I
ihall give her a trial. Good-bye."
A fancied conversation, you say? Not
necessarily. The noble countess of Essex does
conduct a laundry, and doubtless such phone
talk is sometimes heard in her place.
This fact indicates the woeful financial
pass that British society has come to. Al
I 1 though the title of nobility doesn't fly with
I i tnce, and in England wealth is flying from
I Ufnany castles on speedy wings.
f ' But the nobility is rising to the occasion.
if not the noblemen, then their wives. In the
'Mread emergency, many an Englishwoman
fa-ed within castle walls has turned to trade
Af . Xnti stki or hrtnfnr0 rtrirf with tiU .
tible horror.
Such is the abysmal fall of the duchess
Abercorn, Lady Essex, Lady Duff -Gordon,
i Lady Algernon Gordon-Lennox and a num-
; ' per of others.
II Some of them have taken to the dairy,
:yVthers to the laundry, others to the millinery
itore, still others to the house furnishing busi-
tttess.
When Miss Esme Wallace the other
day became the bride of Viscount Tiverton
er trousseau was made at the dressmaking
thop of her mother, Lady Duff-Gordon.
A
MONO the first English noblewomen to feel the
stress of reversed fortune was Lady Duff-Gordon.
That was several years ago.
One of the gayest of the butterfly creatures
Vbo made high life one continual round of pleasure, she
was compelled to take a seriuus view of life when she
I lound herself actually growing poverty stricken.
J ,,, (She had waded in beyond her depth.
9 Tltlf) to a great demesne In Great Britain is no longer
f guarantee against want. British laws do not permit
i the bleeuing or a fortune out ot ttie suuJecis, as In feuaal
time.
, I Poverty, like genius, has become in England the
' v region of equals.
When a nobleman becomes deserted by Plutus he
doesn't despair; be translers his allegiance to the god
' Cupidity, enlists the aid of a mock uupia, and lays suit
, ' to un American millionairess.
"., When a ijoblts woman finds her fortunes depleted, she
s baa no Buth alternative; American millionaires are not
( 1 , B susceptible.
r ' 6o Lady Duff-Gordon had to do something, and the
only tiling she cuuid think of was tu Stan a dressmaking
eatabllshaiPni.
Ulie knew all about dresses; she had paid as much
as 1000. or $o(, ror a single rrock. There was hardly
an ' thing else that she knew enough about to use as a
. ' vehicle to a livelihood.
BtartiDg a dressmaking establishment In London, she
c began right lustily to battle with the red wolf of want
" that gnashed his teeth menacingly at her palace door.
S jt It must be said In her favor that she was very digni
fied and Very sensible about It. She showed an Induslrl--'
.." ous nature; got up and started to work at the hours jot
the ordinary dressmaker, directed the work of her em--?ltoyWyorieH
Iff person, "and manifested a deep Inter
' eet In the affair of the shop. She was not too proud
1 ewn up that ahe waa in trade.
And It must be said with admiration that her artsto
cratle associates did not look down upon her. They
' transferred their trade to her, and paid her high prices.
This was no more than rietlt for her work nntaw1
ni mom: ana aid n
not levy tribute for her name and
position alone,
Nor Aid ahe seriously lose cast This is evidenced tr
m m mm w turn
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the fact that when her daughter became of marriageable
age she was not looked down upon, but was able to
choose her mate among the mightiest.
Viscount Tiverton is a scion of one of the old fam
ilies of highest standing. He cared not that Miss Esme
Wallace was the daughter of a dressmaker.
Rather than forsake her because of her mother's de
cline In fortunes, he determined to ennoble her by lend
ing to he- tne benefits of his own fortune.
And now that her aaugliler has become the bride of
a wealthy man, does Lauy Duff-Gordon propose to desert
the shop? Mo. Htio declares tnat Hie work Is so fas
cinating that she will adhere to it.
In uermany royal women make theif own trousseaux;
not being able to do this, Miss Wallace was at least
proud to own one made In her mother's establishment.
One of the most beautiful and cultured women in
Great Britain, Lady Algernon Gordon-Lennox, has under
taken the comparatively plebeian occupation of being a
bottler of fruit.
At one of the royal balls given at Sandrlngham
palace a few years ago, Lady Algernon Gordon-Lennox
was said to make the handsomest appearance of any
woman present
AN ENTRANCING PERSONALITY
i
She is of average height, with a wealth of soft brown
hair, which she wears i'syche fashion, tufted about her
forehead in a moBt bewitching way.
Her face is of the Mauonna type, round, waxen,
spirituelle, and the expression of her dark brown eyes is
exceedingly soulful.
On the occasion In question, she wore a magnificent
quintuple necklace of pearls, and when she entered the
hall her white cloak, with dainty triangular projections
on the shoulders, suggested something of the angelic.
Her fine estate. Broushton Castle, near Banbury, haa
long been one of the sights of the country.
It is the same Banbury of the nursery rhyme, and
om of Lady Gordon-Lennox's ancestors might be the
original of the couplet:
Ride a cockhorse to Banbury Cfrois .
To see a tln lady upon white horse.
But now one would have to paraphrase the rhyme
somewhat Perhaps It might appropriately be made to
read:
Rids a cockhorse to Banbury curves
To see a 11ns lady a-maklng preserves.
That la what you would aee her doing. She says of
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her new venture:
"I no reason whjr fruit canning; may not be madn
to pay here & well aa In America or Oerwiany. I take
from local fruit growers all the. fruit they can supply at
market prices, and send It forth daintily bottled, so that
It brings a good price on the market.
"Tha demand for preserved fruit Is Increasing con
stantly, and In taking advantage of the market I am not
only making a good living, but am engaging In a line of
work fhat Is especially attractive to me."
The lady personally supervises the operations of the
cannery, and has become known as a ahrewd, capable
business woman. ' "
Running a laundry end giving up her automobile
marks the necessity that drove the countess of Essex
Into trade. She la a former New York girl, daughter of
Beach Grant.
Willi leverses In her husband's fortunes, a Jam
months ago. she conceived the novel Idea of conducting
a laundry for profit.
To be sure, she did not become an ordinary washer
woman; she took only fancy washing, and took pride In
turning out a higher class of work tfti'an any laundry In
London.
Some fine pieces of Irish point lac exist In England,
and they are too valuable to be intrusted to ordinary
laundresses.
Much of this waa given over to Lady Essex, who com
manded a good price for the work. While not doing the
actual work herself the business. In fact, soon grew far
beyond her personal capabilities had she desired to do
the work she superintends the operating of the estab
lishment And now cornea from London the news that, after
running over a boy, she his decided to do without her
automobile. But there are many of her friends who pro
fess to see back of her decision the grim, gaunt hand of
need.
ATONES FOR SPECULATION
Another British peeress who has lately gone Into trade
la Lady Auckland, wife of the fifth Baron Auckland,
who haa opened a furniture and decorator'a establish
ment In the West End of London.
Unfortunate speculation has dwindled the Auckland
fortune. That la why the lady haa been compelled to
go Into business.
Well grounded In art, of exceptional native taste,
she Is well equipped for the business of planning, decorat
ing and furnishing artistic houses.
Frankly she admits that she has been compelled to go
Into business In order to support her husband, her two
boys and herself. t
It might have been obviated, she admits, If she had
been willing to take her boys out of school and put them
to work, but this she would not think of doing.
"I simply love furnishing and decorating," she said
to an Interviewer. "It gives such scope for the artlstlo
side of a cultured woman's temperament.
"That there is a great field for me la certain. Ameri
can and London firms have asked me to take positions,
but I prefer to carry on the business for myself."
And so the list of titled Englishwoman who have
found it necessary to join the ranks of the tradespeople
could be Increased.
- - V
I "I no reaion why fruit cannlnc may not b raadrt I V. W iiMuv
The Passing
M
OUKNFULLY th- old shoemaker glancod
about bis little shop shop now so seldom
seen as to bo almost a curiosity. He was
sad.
"There was a day," he said, "when it was all
very well for the cobbler to stick to his last, but
not any more.
"lie hasn't any last any more the modern shoe
factory has either taken it away from him or by
competition has left him too poor to make any use
of it."
THIS sounded astounding enough. From the way the
old shoemaker looked the gloom on his brow,
the tear standing on his cheek he was deeply im
pressed. His hand rested hesitatingly. In a disheartened sort
of way, on the shoe he was half-soling, and the awl seemed
to quiver. His blackened French briar went eut unheeded
and was laid absent-mindedly on the bench.
"Cheap cobblers can still get along and may be able
to for awhile, but there Is no more use for us high-class
shoemakers," he mourned. "There's nothing left for us
but to either get into some other business, become clerks
In shoe stores or hands in shoe factories.
"Now, you must recall" his eye brightened with the
recollection "when the custom shoemaker was one of the
prosperous city residents, when he could have a glass of
beer and a sandwich It he wanted It That's all past and
gone.
"Why, not so many years ago, one wasn't considered
any pumpkins unless he had his shoes made to order, at
anywhere from 6 to 16.
"The factory aboea didn't fit as they do now. The
man who could measure your foot and fit it with a view
to such peculiarities' aa corns, bunions, swollen joints,
abnormal Instep and ' that- sort of thing why, he waa in
constant demand. Many were the fortunes made In that,
way. Alas I I didn't save mine, for I thought It would
always last
r v mi hi . vuuu huh. hi i
u limi W ' !f I fill fcJfMCs
There is the duchess of Abercorn, who has a creamery
at Baronscourt.
It ocourred to her, when her fortunes began to go
downhill, that if she could prov.de from her herds milk
fit for the nobility there ought to be in the venture a
pretty good living.
One of the first persons In England to learn of the
famous Pediatric Society, formed In Denmark for
the purpose kf securing better standards of milk, she
fostered the Idea, and undertook to produce and sell milk
containing the smallest possible number of microbes to
the cubic centimeter and a large proportion of butter fat
Bo successful was she that she had no difficulty in
securing the certificates of the Pediatric Society to the
excellence of the milk, and was thus able to charge for
the product twice as much as milk In England usually
brings.
Thus, with her herd of magnificent Jerseys, ia she re
cuperating her fortune.
An artistlo needlework shop is conducted by Lady
Rachel Byng, daughter of Lord Strafford, who from the
of the Custom
"These things the earlier factory didn't pretend to do.
If the factory shoo didn't agree with your foot o much
the worse for the foot
"You had to take what the factory gave you ; It was
a workman who would take no orders.
"And this was what gave the custom shoemaker his
advantage. Why, I have .seen the time when I had
twenty-four pairs of shoes on the shelf at one time, and
all made on a single order for the same woman. The
price which I got for that Job was J300.
"They were of all kinds high, low, buttoned, laced
and clasped; white, black and russet; strong, delicate and
medium ; and they were made of leather, cloth and lace.
"But the day of the custom shoemaker la about at an
end. This Is because the factories rose to their oppor
tunities. "Have you ever noticed the strides, that have been
made by the factories in the way of pleaalng the public?
WHY THE FACTORIES LEAD
"Today, instead of going tothe custom shoemaker,
one goes to a shoe store, or the shoe department of a
department store. There he Is shown samples of shoes
ranging from the moderate priced to $20 and $26 a pair.
They are all factory made. Yet there are few feet, even
to the Byronesque club, that cannot be fitted there.
v "This Is easy to understand when one considers that
in even a small factory today there are kept In stock
$100,000 worth of shoe lasts.
"No custom shoemaker could afford to keep that
many ; that Is why the factory has taken such a lead. '
"And even If there be nothing; In the store which the
customer wants, the expert attendants can, by measuring
..Ms JqpU. order ttom tlJ factory wd lvt Mm pair of
shoes that will fit like glove.
"There is positively no need for a:.y one. to have corn
nowadays if he will place himself In the hands of a compe
tent shoe clerk, for any kind of deformity or abnormality
can be accommodated.
"There are lasts for wide feet narrow feet.' Igb in
steps, low Insteps, bis bunions and- little bunion''
ICS-TV
profits of her business is able to maintain her position
In high society.
Even Lord Dunraven's daughter, Aileen Wyndham
Quln, Is not above running a violet farm for profit
A daughter of Lord Wolseley, Lady Frances Wolae
ley, presides over a school for gardening, glaS to receive
the revenue therefrom in lieu of a diminished fortune.
Mrs. Bertie Dormer, niece of Lord Dormer, Is a mil
liner. Lady Duntze, wife of a baronet, is preparing to start
a newspaper at Dlnard, the Mtonte Carlo of the Brittany
coast.
Then there is Lady Howard, wife of the Honorable
Cecil Howard, aunt of the earl of Suffolk, who haa taken
to raising Jersiy cattle, and haa thus not only found
relaxation from the strain of the drawing room, but haa
to a large extent recuperated the family fortune.
A few noblemen of England have also had to take to
trade or drop to a lower level.
Lord Harrington, for Instance, runs a fruit stand at
Charing Cross.
Lord Roslyn has been in the perfumery buslneae
and several others while the earl of Hardwlck la tn the
cigar trade.
Is It any wonder that the wags over In England are
asking: "When is a noblewoman not a noblewoman r'
Sleeping Under Water
TO REALLY enjoy aleep, one should sleep under
water. It Is there Morpheus really reigns, along
side the throne of Neptune, and pleasurea de
nied mere land beings are graciously dispensed to
those bold enough to visit the depths.
To be sure, a diver's outfit Is essential, unless one
desires to pursue the nap to infinity.
A sea. captain who has devoted much obaervatlon
to the fondness of divers for sleeping under water
explained:
"In the Mediterranean, for Instance, the practice Is,
not at all uncommon. I once descended myaelf to visit)
a wreck on which dlvera were engaged, and there found'
several of them comfortably snooting- In the cabins.
They prefer to get inside the wreck when they want
a nap, because there is then no danger from ground
sharks. But It Is hard on the employers, because the
divers are paid by the hour, and get vary high wages.
"Divine- aDDllances are so perfect nowadays, tha
in spite of Its risks It la fascinating work, and then
Is something about it. too, that makes a submarine
nap quite a luxury. There is a soft, undulating motioil
under water that, with the perfect Quiet, la moal
soothing."
Shoemaker
Here the shoemaker digressed:
"By the way, do you know what makes a bunlo
No? Well, It Is simply getting shoes too short In
short shoe the foot cannot follow the dictates of growti
lmDosed by nature. But it simply cannot keep fr
growing. '
"So the tissue and bone and flesh that should go in
the toes is simply sidetracked Into a bunch wherever!
can get the easiest and forms a bunion."
This said, the shoemaker went on :
"I was speaking of the various lasts designed to I
At
every kind of foot Now, the styles o: feet don't changl
bunions and corns and Insteps and ankles are alwl
pretty much the same but still the styles of lasts
change. The reason? Simply to stimulate trade.
"You would be surprised at the slight differences made
In 'these changes. The customer would not notice them
at alL But the salesman magnifies them, and thus secures
big orders.
"It Isn't wholly the fault of the dealer or the manu
facturer, either, for the swell customers are always ask
ing for the latest thing, and would be disappointed If told
that there had been no late change.
"Why, there are tanneries now that send samples of
new leathers the newness principally consists In color
and gloss -to the retail dealers Instead of to the factories.
"When a society woman asks for the latest in shoos
she is shown these sample leathers, chooses the kind she
likes perhaps to match a dress and then the store orders (
the shoes from a factory, giving the number of the
leather.
"If the factory has none of that particular leather In
stock, it must order some. Modern business; see?
"But the shoe factory hands have their troubles.
What they dlsllke mdsl of alf Is the task of culling shoj7,
out of cloth to agree with a lady's dress.
"All kinds of cloth come tn. In many Instances
work cloth is received with orders to make shoes
It and then comes backing up with other cloth anc1
delicate feats In cutting, But t$e ladles 'are
pay. " Butt get what tbty want"