Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-04-02
the Gerrna
THE GIRL OF THE PERIOD.

They delight to represent themselves
as the gay and idle butterflies of fash
ion which they are not and could not
be if they wished, for they have too
much of the American goaheadative-
ness about them. If you doubt this
watch them any fine day at the coun-
tiers of the large dry goods stores.
Their thoughtful faces there as they
carefully examine and compare 1aces,
silks, and velvets will tell the story.
Or at any time within two or three
weeks previous to fashionable we'd
ding or other event let person visit, as
| have done, families whose daughters
intend to be present. Not only during
the day, but at night as well, the young
ladies will be found as deeply engaged
in the dresses they are to wear upon the
coming occasion and as thoughtfully
planning about them as would be the
most practical and hard-worked dress
maker
'Why do they do this? Because for
one thing they delight in being econom-
zeal, and also for the satisfaction it
gives them to know that they have by
their own labor accomplished success
full work At wedding a few days
ago in one of this city's churches, the
bride, as she walked down the aisle,
carried herself with an air of honest
pride and spirit that was a pleasure to
see. OF course she was proud of her
husband and proud of the occasion, but
| tlattered myself that there was anOth-
er reason also for it, and this was
feeling of independence and satisfac-
ton from the fact that she had with her
own hands made the handsomely fit
ting white silk dress which she wore, as
well as her entire trousseau.
.'Where do they get their ideas? l
will tell you. Call at any of the large
city dry goods houses at what is known
as an opening. You will there find any
quantity of these young ladies we refer
to, inspecting infinitely the rich and
handsome dresses just imported. But
by no means with any intention of be-
coming purchasers, as perhaps per-
son seeing them would be led to sup
pose. 1t is to get ideas for their
spring or fall or evening wardrobes,
and they not only succeed in accurate
ly copying very elaborate costumes, but
in many cases they improve on those
w HUI bilCy SCC. L LIS ID OIGcl Vic CASE
also with reference to millinery. These
girls sometimes spend day after day
hunting about town in search of hat
or bonnet ready trimmed to suit them.
Then they go shopping for material
like it to make one its exact counter
part, at probably half the price.
Yet men wonder what women find
to do with themselves all day long
and young man on a moderate salary
can't afford to marry because the girls
of the present day are so dreadfully ex-
travagant, his ideas wholly obtained
from the fact that several of his young
lady acquaintance happen to be smart
enough to dress nicely and stylishly on
perhaps very small allowance And
the annoyance and discomfort these
girls undergo, especially when shop
ping, is not a little, can tell you, and
makes them deserve all the more credit
Crowded stores, impertinent shop la
dies, pokey and eNasperatingly slow
cash girls are obstacles in the way of
thu independent young dressmaker S
progress that men have no knowledge
of and little realize how annoying 3hey
really are. ''z-NeIO York. Matt.