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Young Ladies Years Ago Copied Their Mothers' Style

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In looking back over the years, it seems that even the younger people were fearful of not being "in style." The young ladies wore their long puffed sleeves and "bertha" collars just like their grandmothers. Styles come and go as do hit tunes.

Year ago it required more material, more trimming and more real art to make a stylish dress than it did in later years. It does not take a very imaginative person to see how short is the life of a fashion in any dress.

The old buggy remained in style as long as a one-hoss shay, if it could hold together that long.Not so many years ago buggies were a very rare thing.

Those who owned one felt like he was really up in the world. The old horse pictured belonged to a Presbyterian minister. The four little girls felt like they were up in the world too when given a chance to ride.

A few years after the buggy came the rubber tired-buggy. A few around the county owned this styleish up-to-date carriage. The children enjoyed following it around hust to see it"start and go."

Naturally it traveled very slow over bumpy streets. Sometimes the driver carried a switch to scare off the children when they got too near. They thought it fun to jump on the back and ride a little distance. Sometimes they were permitted to ride in the contraption and it was their dream of a life time.

Then too, there were the tooth-pick shoes that "had their day and ceased to be." While they lasted, it was great to own a pair of these long, slim shoes that ended in points that gave them their nick name.

Along about the time or a little later the high button shoes for classy young women came into existance. They were the rage for several years. It was half a day's job to get all the buttons set with a shoe buttoner.

Then too, they had to be sewen on ever so often. It was necessary to have two shoe buttoners for families with several children. Most of them hung the buttoner on a nail in a handy place so the whole family could find it when needed.

The young men were style setters also. Some of them wore detachable collars. The stylish young bucks changed with the styles, sometimes wearing collars that were so high they must have interfered with talking and swallowing.

Some of the men were so "sot" in their ways that they hung right on to them for years. To be out of style was almost a crime.

An old timer said, "I'd rather be dead than unstylish."

picture...CLOVER PICKING---Four little girls could amuse themselves for hours, picking clover. Clover chains were very stylish several years ago. Some little girls wore them as crowns, necklaces and wrist bracelets. The girls shown here are left to right: Lila Gregory, Hattie Hall Cawood, Edith Skidmore and Edna Hall Smith.

Sunday May 23, 1954

Volume 53 Number 120

Pages 1 & 5

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