Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-11-03
-33.
WEAKNESSES:
Shabby Gentility--HOw New York Women
Seek to Hide Their POverty--Their
Fondness for Coach Riding.

"One-half the people in New York
live," said a philosopher the other
day, land the other half pretend to
live" This is truer than most peo-
pie suspect. The number of persons
who give their lives to making an ap-
pearance is astonishing, and the de-
vices to which they resort to be
thought genteel and to avoid work
ing for a living would astonish the
world if fully exposed.
One of the most interesting cases
of shabby genteel will be found at
the Family Hotel. Every one OF
these establishments has one or more
dodgers who live in tie top of the
house in the cheapest apartments.
next to the servants; who take their
meals at cheap restaurants or beer
saloons, but who dress we'll, and use
monogram nCte paper, and receive
their company in the hotel parlor,
and generally assume the style and
airs of retired we'll to do people.
In one case recently brought to the
attention of the writer lady and her
two daughters occupied rooms at one
of the most fashionable hotels in the
city for two years. Her daughters
furnished the income by very hard
work-one of them as a copyist, and
the other in large telegraphic house.
But no one i'll the hotel ever suspect
ed that they depended upon their
labor for their income. The young
ladies' made together about $25 or $50
a week, and on this sum they managed
by the most pinchinx economy in eat
ing to dress well and move in a GER
tain circle. But the air Of disdain
with which they spoke of people who
were compelled to work and the poetic
references they constantly made of
their blood and ancestry produced
the most respectful treatment from
all who came in contact with them.
A young lady and her father, who
lived at the Westminster for some
time and passed as belle in certain
sets, worked in ook-binder's
establishment in Nassau street. and
actually supported her father in his
genteel airs. In this case it came to
the knowledge of the writer that this
young lady, on more than one oc-
casion, went supperless to bed be-
cause she had to pay for coupe.
Another form Of pretentious gen
tility is found in those families that
hire houses, and then sublet ell but
q couple of rooms, retaining the use
of the parlor to make a show, and
always turning up their noses at
people VINO are compelled to live in
fats. "Oh, we," they always say,
couldn't be restricted to fiat, you
know. 1t may do for people who
have never had the freedom of a
whole house, but we must have our
own establishment" If they live in
basement house they have to put
up sometimes with a doctor or
dentist, but they compromise by call
irg his room the library, when they
have party.
There are hundreds of genteel peo-
pie living on Lexington avenue who,
for the sake of making it appear that
they occupy whole house to them
selves, are content to bunk in the
garret and cook with the oil stove.
But they make enough off their
wages to dress we'll and have a coach
and livery take them to the park in
the afternoon.
It is said by those who know that
the gay cavalcade to be seen on
pleasant afternoon on the avenue is
made up in unequal proportions OF
as dress Is 90 eonoerned, a cannot be dis
tinguished from each other.
In the ranks of the operatives who
live on the East Side it is curious to
know that a coach il the sign of
gentility. To be able to hire a
coach is the weakness of hundreds of
girls who work by the week down
town, and it is for this reason, perhaps,
that in the poorer classes funerals
have become al sort Of evidence OF
gentility, the condition of the family
being rated by the number OF
coaches. There are scores of girls
who give music lessons who spend
nearly all they make at the livery
stable. They are driven to their
pupils house in coupes, and they are
very particular about the livery.
The Superintendent OF a large
envelope factory in this city said
that some years ago a fainting cpl
demic broke out among his girls.
Without any premonition Whatever
an operator would suddenly fall over
as if dead, and he was in the habit
sometimes of calling a carriage and
sending the invalid home. But when
the thing grew to affect the whole
factory he turned one of his rooms
into a hospital, and he hired a doctor
to apply restoratives, from which
moment not a girl tainted. 1t was
not till some time after that he dis
covered by accident that lit was the
ride home in the coach that had
brought on the epidemic.
| -%<sb<
Connecticut hat factory girls are
all writing their names on the bands
of the hats that they make. A Bethel
girl put her name on a band q year
ago and the hat was bought in Q
New Orleans store by Henry G.
Segur, who wrote to the girl, fell in
love with her by letter and has just
married her.