The daily gazette., 1880-04-10
THE COST OF A WIFE.

r
LOVE AND FINANcE DrscUssEp IN A
| PARIS sALON-soME OF THE Mystic
RIEs OF A FRENCHwoMAN's TOILET.
| WHAT 1T COST TO MAINTAIN AN "Es.
TABLIsHMENT" AT THE GAY cAPI.
tai, WITH .occAHIOHAL VISITS TO
WATERING PLACES. IL Ri
Paris Correspondence OF the N. Y. Sun.
PARIS, March 24.--1n France mar
riages are made.not In Heaven, but in
the notary's parlor. A man with a
position, worth so much, can marry a
wife with dowry of so much. II is
all reckoned according to a sliding
scale. Theoretically the wife ought
to have dowry, the interest on the
capital of which il equal in amount to
the annual earning Of the husband.
This is the theory the practice de-
parts from it but very slightly. Mar
riages of love are rare and marriages
OF reason are not on the increase. l
do not propose in this letter to treat
the question of marriage in France
from the, point of view of statistics
which would more than bear out nv
statement above I viii simply treat
it from the point of view of French
man. by reporting as faithfully as |
can remember conversation which I
happened to overhear in salon few
nights ago. The salon was in the
Boulevard Malesherbes In one of those
luxurious abodes where the modern
stockholders live like princes. Two.
men, still young-that is to say, on the
right side of 40--were lounging. in
corner of the room, with eyeglasses
fixed, and restless eyes, seeking to see
rather than be seen. At the moment
when the orchestra gave the signal for
a fresh quadrille, the elder said sudden
ly to the other
''Look, my friend there is the
charming person whom l wished to
show you." A GG 85 III
"That little brunette with a white
rose in her hair ?''
yes"
"Very pretty, indeed; large blue eyes
and long iashes." rs tIs -
well, you have only to ask her
hand, in the old style. You will OBJ
tain it." l,It.
Gone question Permit me. What in
the figure of her dowry?"
"Three hundred thousand francs"
"a mere nothing l might as well
at once buy a rope to hang myself with.
Merci, mon tres cher"
What I Three hundred thousand
francs; do you call that nothing 2, .,sI
Certainly yS ~
Explain yourself, I pray.ps 8
"Three hundred thousand francs
in 1880. The game is not worth the
candle"
"Wellp"
"For safety's sake, in order to avoid |
dowry of three hundred
thousand francs would be placed In
State securities at 3per cent or else In |
railway stock guaranteed by the
State"
Admitted"
consequently it does not bring in
per cent. Nevertheless let us suppose
that the dowry when invested does
bring in 5 per cent; that means the in.
come of fifteen thousand francs. The
little brunette with a white rose In her
hair would cost more than that"
"Ah, you don't mean that ?"
"You will see, my dear fellow. I 90
20 bourse every day, and must be al
owed to know something about arith-
netic. Now let us consider and make
,ur calculations. The little brunette
s pretty; therefore she must be seen,
md therefore she must be we'll Dress
I'd. She must have at least two dress
IS each season, which makes eight
costumes year. These costumes win
,ost the trihe of six thousand francs
It the least, considering the present
'rice of ribbons, silk, velvet and Dress
Makers work.
"Good; six thousand francs"
"Love, and by love mean marriage,
Ikes linen white as driven snow. Linen.
ace, gloves, hair dressing, perfnmers,
swelry, will cost say two thousand
rancs and that is q ridiculously small
um. Then have not reckoned shoes.
he has the feet Of fairy, and SO she 2
eeds silk stockings, chamber brode- y
uins like those of Cinderella, and +
hat not. Put another thousand II
-ancs."
swell, that will bring us up to nine
francs" ef.s-. as.se "a i.
"Have included hats and bonnets
rtificial flowers, feathers, walls, muffs.
,lse hair ?-for the fairest use false
air. No! Well, let me be libe.al for
nee and not reckon those items Still
,ere are certain small expenses which 4
re indispensable there Is the piano and
le uning Of it., new music, new novels, u
n illustrated Journal Vie Parisienne, a.
rting materials, postage stamps, wool ol
ork, seat at church or synagogue, ., o,
to be bought, aims to be
iven. For all that let us say fifteen hun. 81
red francs. Tolal, ten thousand five 10
llndred francs. beg you will remark
nat have, out of pure magnanimity,
ot said a word about the necessary
lings of lfe-house rent, table, cellar
nd servants. have not done SO, be-
ause in the actual state of society it Is !
Omitted on all hands that wife is no q
,nger an object of utility, but an OBJ 10
,ct of luxury. We must, therefore, 81
ontinue our calculations on this n.y. a.
othesis. Now IN dame, having brought -
-ith her a dowry Of 100000 francs, IL
links herself al.nost a princess. Be- q,
des the other servants, she must have :"
femme de chambre, specially devoted m
, her service. the wages, board, lodg- =,
lg and presents of this chambermaid al
II, cost at least 1000 francs" al
"very good 12,50O francs" te
"There is an item which l ought to v, "
ave mentioned among tine first-it is 6