A Fork as a Weapon of Defense?

Old Smith and Wesson advertisement designed to appeal to women – ‘The fork has become a defensive weapon, superseding the hat pin, the finger nails and even the revolver. “Women who are held up in dark streets can best protect themselves by carrying and using a common kitchen fork,” said Dr. Sawyer.’

Etiquette Cast to Winds as Table Implement Comes to Fore: It’s a Woman’s Latest Weapon of Defense!

The lowly kitchen fork has been admitted to society.

Instead of reposing daily with the bread knife and the potato peeler, the fork will lie hereafter with milady's filmiest negligee, or under her pillow.

This unusual state of affairs was indicated today when Dr. E. O. Saw yer, former county health officer and main expert witness for the defense in the New case, announced his theories on the etiquette of the fork

SUPERSEDES HAT PIN

The fork has become a defensive weapon, superseding the hat pin, the finger nails and even the revolver.

"Women who are held up in dark streets can best protect themselves by carrying and using a common kitchen fork," said Dr. Sawyer.

"The fork inflicts a bad wound when properly handled," he said. "It was successfully used by women after the War of the Rebellion."

Where to carry the fork is a problem, however, over which the house-wives are wrinkling their brows. Some women suggest that it be carried in the hair, saying that it could be made an integral part of the head-dressing and disguised with ribbons or feathers.

WHY NOT A SCABBARD?

Other women believe the belt to be the proper sheath. The flapper appears to disapprove of this idea. Her reasons? She will give none: she only blushes and repeats that the waistline is not suitable for the reception of a fork She favors a small scabbard, which, she states, could be made quite fetching if de- signed and executed by some artist.

Dr. Sawyer said the muff was an ideal receptacle for the good sword Excalibur. He was not concerned with the problem. He seemed to feel that in making the original suggestion he had done his duty.—Los Angeles Herald, 1920

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