Love of Love and Luxury, pitfalls of young women in the city.

I am in the process of writing Biology and Ambition, the story of Marion Nicholson’s life as a teacher in 1908-1913 Montreal, the follow up to Threshold Girl about her younger sister Flora and Diary of a Confirmed Spinster about her older sister Flora.

In September 1912 Flora writes home that she has seen Everywoman at the Princess and been enchanted. Is is the best thing she has ever seen. Everywoman is a popular ‘morality’play making the rounds: it is a cake and eat it too morality play, preaching about the dangers of youth and beauty, while featuring many beautiful young actresses in gorgeous clingy clothing to gawk at. A reviewer in the New York Times pointed this out.

It is a play aimed squarely at young women like Flora Nicholson, working in the City.

It was made into a 1919 movie and then the story fell into obscurity, unlike say Peter Pan or the Wizard of Oz and other era books that have lived on through the century in many incarnations.

The theme of this play, where a young Everywoman decides to become an actress and becomes seduced by the bright lights of the city, all its pleasures, including shallow men who use her, has of course lived on in many incarnations. Everywoman is a veiled warning about falling into prostitution, actresses being about one step above that. This is the age of the social evil, after all. Many people blamed the love of luxury for luring women into prostitution.

Biology and Ambition, unlike the earlier two parts of this digital trilogy to be called School Marms and Suffragettes as a complete book, is really a composite of letters, and era information. I believe I am going to put bits of  Everywoman in the story. I assume it is public domain.

Beauty, Youth conspire to undermine a young woman’s future happiness in Everywoman. Actresses loved playing in this play. Adele Blood, ‘”the most beautiful blond on the stage’ portrayed Beauty in the Montreal Production.

Everywoman warned of the pleasures of the city to young women who were experiencing the pleasures of the city, many for the first time. The play went out of favour unlike say, Pygmalion, written in 1912 for reasons pretty evident. The play contained pleasant enough poetry(and musical numbers too)  but how can a person preach against narcissism in a day and age where female narcissism is beginning to propel the economy, thanks to all the jobs available in the city for women.

Start of School 1909 and 1910

Dominion Park, postcard, colourized. The woman looking at the camera looks like Marion! Similar white dress!

This is one of my favorite letters from the Nicholson stash. Margaret is talking about being forced to buy a big hat…Hats were getting big in 1909. But the latest fashions are worn by young women. Trouble is, in towns like Richmond, in 1910, young women (like Edith and Marion) were moving to Montreal and buying their big fashionable hats at stores like Ogilvy. So the local town milliner had to push her hats on reluctant older buyers. (Seems that way.)

Anyway, Edith spends TWO days ironing to get ready for her work at Ecole Westmount Methodiste.

She starts later than Marion, who works on the Montreal board. I was just writing a scene for September 1909, when both Marion and Edith start jobs in the big bad city, and Marion has already gone in and visited Dominion Park.

Margaret warns her not to see Pauline. Pauline is a hypnotist.

Edith tells her mom that she has no interest in going to Dominion Park, but Marion had to go because their brother Herb has gone many times and told them all about it and Marion is not to be outdone.

Dominion Park was a thrill park opened in 1904 in the East End of Montreal. It had a fun house, an exhibit re=enacting the recent San Francisco quake and famously, the Infant Incubator exhibit, with real babies on display and nurses taking care of them. Shades of things to come with the Dionne Quintuplets.

October 2, 1909 Dear Marion, I had a letter today from Father written from the Queen’s. You saw his new suit, do you like it. He says it is all right. Also said he met Edith at the train. He did not say he met Charlie G. Of course, that is their last flirtation as he is going to Mexico. Grandma is here and we are not entirely alone but we feel lonesome. Father said you were well. You have got over your cold. I am glad that you are out of the church. Today we had Mr. Ross of Montreal as it was our Anniversary Service. Tomorrow we have our usual supper and entertainment. After seeing E off I went to Miss Hudon’s to cancel the order I had for a hat. She had already trimmed it, she did not wait for some trimming I was bringing. I think the hat too large. It would look well on you. Still, Mrs. Montgomery thinks it is becoming to me so I shall have to wear it. I met Edith McCourt at the church door with an immense black one on so I told her to come and sit with me. Mine would not look so large. So she did. So I guess it was all right. I don’t know whether Healy could see the Minister or not. We had a grand sermon, so I forgot about the size of my hat. I heard an old story that suited me about an old Scotch man who had two sons Jamie and Willie. Jamie went away from home to earn his living. The old man was praying that Jamie might be kept from all danger, sickness and evil temptations. But he said, don’t bother your head about Willie. I’ll keep him straight. I was telling them, that was like me, always worrying about the absent ones. Edith went away being tired. Just as you did, she ironed for two days. Have you heard from Herb? Write soon, Your loving mother, Margaret

The Greatest Play of the Century??

Lillian Kemble Cooper and some unknown actress.

I have to get to work on the new http://www.tighsolas.ca/ website, but after spending about 20 minutes on Dreamweaver, I decided this wasn’t the time. I have no idea what I am doing. Cascading Style Sheets and such.

So I spent the morning going through piles of Tighsolas material to use in the collages I am going to make for the photos at the top of each page. What are they called? And I used to work in advertising.

The house is a mess. I turned it upside down looking for that one photo of the house that is clear and perfect for the collage.

I went through all my boxes and found all kinds of stuff I had forgotten about… all good for the collages… and some letters that for some reason never got transcribed and put on the original http://www.tighsolas.ca/ website.

Here’s one from May 11, 1912.

It’s from Flora to her mother. She is still at Macdonald, about to graduate, and visiting her sisters. I have to type it out for the new website, so here goes. It’s an interesting letter, as it happens.

Dear Mother,

Received yours and Edith’s letters and think you are pretty sporty with your days at home and banquets.

Tucker is coming out with me. Will be on the 7:15 train. Tell Edith to invite some of the numerous young men as I want her to have a good time.

Hasn’t this week been lovely. I suppose everyone has their cars out. Oh, for a ride!

Marion and Hugh went to Three Rivers Saturday, coming back today.

Tell Edith to send me a sample of her suit if she wants a decent petticoat and right off quick as I want time to look around.

Saturday afternoon Marion, Tuck and I, went to the Orpheum. They played Our Wives. It was very funny. Lillian Kemble and Chas. Mackay are as nice as ever.

This week, Tuck’s brother is taking me to see Kindling. I think it will be good.

I hear you have a very swell hat and dress. How about Miss Edith. I bet she is going to swell out too.

Write soon,

Love to All,

So Father is coming home for the Masonic Affair. That will be fine.

Lovingly Flora

Let’s see. Lillian Kemble was an actress who eventually went on to movies and had parts in Gone With the Wind and My Fair Lady, as Lillian Kemble Cooper

I found an ad in the May 11 Montreal Gazette that claims she and Mr. Mackay will be performing in another play at the Orpheum starting on the Friday. The Witching Hour by Augustus Thomas. That play is The Greatest Play of the Century, according to the advert. A little hyperbolic which is in turn a little oxymoronic. I’ve never heard of Augustus Thomas, so I went to Wikipedia where it is suggested he was a mediocre playwright who catered to the taste of the masses. And made money doing it, no doubt.

Well, whatever. The Witching Hour is supposedly his best play but he also wrote the Earl of Pawtucket, another play Flora sees in Montreal.

The Tucker Flora mentions is a girl (I recently uncovered her marriage invitation but forget her first name. ) Oh, I found it:Gwendolyn. Lovely.

Now, Tuck’s brother is Herbert Tucker…and that is significant.

I have blogged about Herbert, posting his letters from the Front in 1918. He is injured in the fighting, but suffers only a hurt finger. His older brother Percy is killed. There is a huge mix up with his death. First he is declared dead, then alive, then dead. The Nicholson girls write home about it and the story also makes the pages of the Montreal Gazette.

So these two had a romance of sorts.. Hard to tell.

Oh, the same May 11th newspaper has an advert for Dominion Park. The big feature, a camp of 25 Sioux Indians. Terrific horseback riding lariat throwing.