The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1889-04-04
PRIDE AND FORTUNE.

become rich must give up that alto
gether.
There is an old story which tells
us that "once upon a time there liv
ed a decayed gentlewoman who
thought to mend her fortunes by
selling mullins; and going forth into
the streets with her basket, she
whispered" Mullins, hot mullins.
Dear me. hope nobody hears me.'
Naturally, she sold no mullins,
and remained as a warning to her
sex.
In the last generation, most ladies
who were forced to earn a living
devoutly prayed that nobody would
hear them. They hid in upper
rooms and secretly transacted their
affairs in whispers. Less of that
sort of thing is done to-day; but still
pride, and false pride, too, stands in
the way Of many fortune.
True, one may prefer other things
to money, and yet without money
the other things are hard to get.
The girl who meekly makes beauti-
full dresses tor her intimate friends,
at low prices, would do much better
to put out sign, advertise, and get
up large business. The woman
wko has few private music pupils
might be a well-known teacher it the
bugbear of gentility did not weigh
so heavily upon her.
There are people with talent for
trade, "who would not like to be
known" to keep the little shop that
must be the first steppingstone to a
business to be proud of; and yet, in
trade how many a man has risen
from basket of shoe-strings and
buttons to big notion house. The
men and women who theoretically
sell things without hoping that no
body hears them, is almost certain
of prosperity.
What people think of you is very
little consequence if they cannot
think you dishonest or immoral.
There are women who could and
would save fortunes Though they
cannot earn them but for false
pride. A smaller house, a palmer
neighborhood, one servant, may be
compatible with perfect comfort.
Indeed, there are women who would
be happy in doing most of their own
work, taking their own children out
to walk, having plain noon-time din
ners and cozy teas; but who. in or
der that fashionable connections
may approve, try to follow the Gus
toms Of those who live on the in
come of large fortunes; spend every
dollar OF husbands moderate sala-
ry, and have nothing for a rainy
day. There are others who belong
to certain clique-rather an old
fashioned one-which places a value
on the cost of the material of a
dress. The cut, the becomingness,
is nothing; so much a yard is all.
The woman who has taste can
make beautiful dresses with cheap
goods, but friends who ask plainly,
GLOW much did yon give for that,
Sabrina :" or point out the value OF
their own trimmings, frighten her
into useless extravaganza
The high moral tone which some
of these foolish people take is as
founding.
''How much will | have to give
for so and so ?" | once heard a
young woman ask another, "Well, "
replied the elder, Il should be
ashamed to be known to give less
than five dollars a yard if it was to
wear to church. We ought to re-
spect the Sabbath"
The curious point of this sort of
pride is that, ten to one, if the
cheaper material were used Judi
ciously, the cities would never come
at the truth, save by actual cross
questionings.
In fact, if any woman of sense will
but sit down and consider the matter
quietly, she will see that in all it's
forms and shapes, false pride has
had much to do with tie limitation