Lovely Lisl

The restaurant crowds at Grinzing under the linden trees, singing, drinking wine, looking out over the lights of Vienna, had something special to celebrate last week. Dark-haired, demure Lisl Goldarbeiter, a true and typical Wiener Maedel (Viennese girl), had been chosen "Miss Universe"-- winner of the Galveston, Tex., International Beauty Contest. From Schubert to Schnitzler, Austrian composers and writers have insisted that Viennese girls are the world's prettiest. Here were the sober judges of Galveston in obvious agreement.

Virtually ignored by the U. S. press, the Galveston tournament was Big News elsewhere in the world. In Paris, Madrid, Vienna, Rio de Janeiro, editors frantically cabled for longer and faster reports on just what Miss France, Miss Spain, Miss Austria, Miss Brazil were doing, wearing, saying at each instant of the final ceremony. U. S. reporters endeavored to supply the demand. In the Galveston City Auditorium behind the horseshoe platform on which the beauties paraded, were a dozen correspondents and as many telegraph operators. Minute by minute the correspondents dictated their stories. Sample dictation:

"8:10 P.M. MOTHERS AND CHAPERONES FOREIGN GIRLS FILLING BOXES AT EACH END FIRST ROW NEXT TO STAGE STOP ANNOUNCED BOX OFFICE HOUSE ENTIRELY SOLD OUT ONLY STANDING TICKETS LEFT

"8:28 P.M. MUSIC BEGINS PLAYING LIVELY MARCH HOUSELIGHTS GO OUT ONLY BLACK VELVET CURTAINS ILLUMINATED STOP MEGAPHONES ANNOUNCE MISS GERMANY WILL FIRST APPEAR STOP BAND THIRTY MUSICIANS STOPS OVERTURE STOP PAUSE THREE MINUTES FOLLOWS ALL FOOTLIGHTS TURNED ON.

"8:34 P.M. MISS GERMANY WEARING STUNNING ORCHID GOWN BEGINS SLOWLY PACING HORSE SHOE GREETED THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE. . . ."

In Brazil more than anywhere else the Galveston contest was treated as an international affair of first importance. For weeks Rio de Janeiro papers had devoted entire front pages to the daily doings of Miss Brazil (svelte Olga Bergamini De Sa --TIME, June 10). On the night of the Contest two special wires carried the story from Galveston to New York, thence by direct cable to Buenos Aires where special United Press editors hung over the keyboard to relay the story northward to Rio de Janeiro. Huge crowds were gathered in front of the big Rio newspaper offices to watch returns flashed on the screen.

WHEN MISS BRAZIL APPEARS STAGE TONIGHT [the first wire from Galveston read] WILL WEAR SEVERE BLACK CHIFFON GOWN ON PINK SLIP WITH GARLAND ROSES RUNNING DIAGONALLY ACROSS BREAST STOP NO HEAD DRESS FLESH COLORED HOSE BLACK SHOES ALSO DIAMOND NECKLACE AND DIAMOND AND SAPPHIRE BROOCH CENTER CHEST.

The Rio crowds cheered wildly when word came of applause in Galveston for rose-garlanded Olga. Two hours later, dismayed, they saw the words flash up:

MISS AUSTRIA WINS 6 to 1 STOP MISS AUSTRIA DARK CHESTNUT HAIR GREYISH BLUE EYES OUT STANDING FEATURE IS THE UNSURPASSED ARISTOCRACY OF HER MIEN STOP HER BEAUTY BEST DESCRIBED AS ETHEREAL.

Hoots and catcalls filled the Rio streets. Enraged Brazilian editors headlined their stories: "Pure Deception." They swore that, like Italy. Brazil should never participate again in such a contest.

Ten prizes were distributed, from $2,000 in gold and a large silver plaque for Miss Universe, to $100 consolation prizes for minor beauties. Miss Brazil did not even place, was dubbed Miss Also Ran by irreverent telegraphers.

Irene Ahlberg, a Manhattan stenographer, 18 and blond, won $1,000 and second honors.

Despite the rage of Rio, the choice of demure Lisl Goldarbeiter was enthusiastically greeted elsewhere. At the sight of the slender Viennese, trembling with emotion in her green silk bathing suit, even veteran press correspondents were affected. The mother of another contestant rhapsodized:

"Miss Austria's beauty gives me an impression of holiness, something not be longing to this world!"

This and a thousand other comments were pored over the next morning by Herr Goldarbeiter, ethereal Lisl's father, in his leather goods & luggage shop where Lisl used to be cashier and salesgirl. Proudly he told the neighbors again how Lisl had been warned not to enter the contest by no less a personage than the Bishop of Galveston (TIME, April 15) and how Lisl, though profoundly impressed by the cleric's warning, had decided to enter anyhow.

Still demure after the contest, Miss Lisl Goldarbeiter "Universe" blushed when offered a $15,000 theatrical contract which entailed appearing in a tight bathing suit four times daily. "Papa must decide," she said.

Papa's decision was that she must return home. Accordingly Miss Universe left the U. S. at once, going home by way of Cuba. Hearst-thinker Arthur Brisbane commented, of course, on the contest. The traditional Brisbanality at such a juncture would have been to the effect that the noblest thing Miss Universe could now do would be to go home and marry some good man and be a good wife and exercise woman's richest function, Motherhood. Instead, Mr. Brisbane Brisbantered:

" 'Queen of the Universe' seems rather a large title. Miss Goldarbeiter would probably be amazed if she could see the young ladies on some planet one million light years away from this corner of space and those far off interstellar young women, perhaps 1,000 times as big as Miss Goldarbeiter, and each with 1,000 eyes, perhaps, would be surprised to see her."