The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-10-27
RenpIe ExtrayaEanee,

FemaIe ExtraYaganee,
FEpA RGpsFss Rarar.
It's the fashion just now to attribute
all the evils of the day to the manifold
extraVagances of women. Since the
clever Mr.. Anonymous drew the pic
ture OF the Girl of the Period3D his
conception has been taken rs the type.
Of modern women, and changes have
been rung on the text till our dinned
ears can scarcely distinguish fact from
fiction. One or two of the errors which
have come 10 be accepted amidst tnls
confusion may as well be potnteu outs
First, il Is safe to say that wtyes.very
seldom ruin their hu8bAudss In these
days OF colossal fortunes, made ana
lost in an hour, gigantic speculation5s
and visionary projects of all sorts, 10
saw nothing OF clubs, fast horses, ra-
cling, Gambling, and kindred amuse-
ments,1 the money that the most
extrayagant woman can Equander on
her personal adjournment, after ALI
counts for little compared with
which she sees around her. Set a
spendthrift man and woman side by
side, and the prodigality ofthe latter IS
but drop in the bucket as compared
with that of the former. The brother
of the young. girl who hnds an allow-
ance of q thousand year tnsumclent
for dress, will probably grumble at hYe
thonsand for pocket-money. The wo-
man who sees her husband, brothers,
or SONS scattering money by handfuls,
in business or pleasure, soon accus-
TONES herself to think that so small q
leak as her own expenditures can not
matter much, and that II the ship hnaI-
~ goes down, she VIII at least nave ave
saved something from. the wreck.
When a merchant prince fails-and 1t
Is this small class alone whose wives
and daughters have in their power TO
indulge in the marvellous prodigality SO
often Quoted-it will generally be found
that this prodigality has not been the
real cause of their downfall, however
plausible it may be to make the as
sertion. i .7s2i ~ sEsi- s1e
This Is not said 10 encourage foolish
girls and FRIVOLOUS women in wasting
their substance on jewels and laces1 or
in making themselves ridiculous by
Grecian bends, stilted shoulders, and
erotesque chignons, but only to defend
Justice, and put the blame where It be-
longs. The idea that this class is to be
taken as an exponent of modern women
is equally unjust. 1t may represent
what ia called, "socletyn-thati is, GER
tain close corporations in large cities
outside their circles nobodles, sneer at
Intellect as prosy, and labor as de:
rrading, especially in women, and
estimate persons by their wealth.
dress, equfpage, fashion, and capacity
for small talk. But by what right
are these cliqnes regarded as 5ePresen-
tative typesf No one is. found therein
who has a capacity for aught above
fashionable gossip and the intricacies
of the German. What man or woman
OF any intellect whatever could be CON
tent to feed on the husks found IN
fashionable drawing-room The truth
| is, the real leaders of the world, both
scorn on the so.called asocletY't as 6
pestilence which devours time, energy
| and money, Without rendering any
| equivalent beyond mere ceremony
| and in which there is SO little of rea
1 acquaintance that cards often continue
to be sent to persons for years ate
their death, their names not happening
| to have been erased from. the visiting
book of their so-called friends. :.
Back OF these few hundred fashion
i able Pariahs lie millions OF earnest
thoughtful, proyident women, who ar
/ panied and scandaliZed by the diatribei
indiscriminatelYl launched against Iheil
4 sexes These are the true modern wo
men, whose families form The bone aut
sineW of the land Life to them Il
something more than a pastime. They
have nothing in common with the fas
| women who make sueh fine targets To-
would-be wits. They inform them.
selves about their husbands affairs
when they will let them. worse luck 10
| them If they. do not. Having learned
their exact income they adjust theil
i needs to It with wonderful accuracy
They manage their household viii
economy. Their tasteful but inexpen
siYe wardrobe they fashion as far as may
be with their hands or under thei
eye, perchances by the aid OF, our owl
BasG1', for It is this class that chiefly
benefits by our efforts. And we, viii
say here TINT if a comparison Is insti
tuLed between their dress and that Of
their husbands, the result will not be
very unequal. They train up their
children to life of honor and useful
ness, and have time enough left to read
the current literature, and form intelli.
gent opinions on the questions of the
day. Or IL unmarried, instead of lead
ing a purposeless life, they seek some
fitting avocation by which to secure an
independence, ennoble existence, and
raise themselves above the rank OF
dTones. Such are. the average modern
women as we have found them, and we
counsel our friends the reviewers. 10
seek their acquaintance ,.tsss,s. go