Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-11

She is usually married or afianced at II OF
10, and, until her marriage, never goes oui
by herself, or receives the company of gen.
tlemen alone If she goes to fete, or to
ride, or to walk, it must be with her pre-
ceptress or her mother. If she is invited to
dinner or to tea at the house of friend, she
would not think of accepting the invitation
except her mother goes with her, and, as
the mother would not 90 without the father,
an invitation to one is an invitation to the
family.
Her marriage is arranged by her father
| ana mother, and she cannot marry in France
without their consent, as neither Mayor OF
priest would perform the ceremony. She
must be Is years old to contract legal
marriage.
THE MARRIAGE DOT.
| Her dot, or marriage portion is careful.
ly settled beforehand with the bridegroom
by her parents in document legally drawn
and signed. Every girl, although her par
ents be poor, who expects to be legally mar
rled has her dot assigned. Until married
she is under the absolute control of her
iather, who has power to confine her if in
corrlgible or disobedient. In the marriage
relation the law requires of her obedience to
her husband, and of him protection and sup
port.
Once married, the French woman has her
liberty. She is mistress of the house, can
60 where she likes, with or without an escort;
cnat with the gentlemen, invite them to her
home, and enjoy those privileges usually
relegated to young women in America. If
wealthy, she can give dinners and fetes.
Her gaiety never deserts her even under ad-
verse circumstances. I noticed with some
interest that nearly all of the women who
presented papers at the recent Woman 8
Congress IN this city were married women.
even In those positions where one would
suppose that single life would be more
conducive to success. With the married
woman the maiden reserve is thrown off.
and she enters nationally into the practical
duties of life.
Although in the marriage law the hus-
band is required to support and protect his
wife. the support would seem to come quite
as often from the wife as the husband. In
the country everywhere the peasant women
are seen working side by side with the men.
gathering the grain, turning the hay, carry.
ing heavy burdens, and doing their part
with cheerful alacrity. But in the cities
In Paris-the woman merchant is a feature
OF the city. She controls large establish
ments, while the smaller booths of women
are multiplied upon every square. The
woman merchant, if SO declared, has also
some privileges under the law.not relepated
to married women as a class. She can enter
a process of law without her husbands con-
sent in matters pertaining to her separate
business; contract and be contracted with.
or dispose of the business without his sigma
ture as though she were femme seule:
while in ordinary married life she has no
control either of the community property or
OF her separate estate.
FRENCH BUSINESS WOMEN.
In the market she is as busy as the men:
keeps her stall; measures out her vegetables
and fruits; or cries her merchandise upon
the streets, often pushing large cart before
her filled with vegetables, or the fruits of
the season; flowers, it may be, for which
she is sure to find a market. The woman
mingles so generally in commercial Lie in
Paris that It would be difficult to saw where
she is not. or in what enterprise she has not
a part.
On July 5, 1889, the Chamber of Deputies,
without discussion, adopted the text of the
proposition of Mr.. Ernest Lefebvre confer.
ring upon women the right to vote in the
elections Of the members of the Commercial
Tribunals. This is step forward, but has
not yet become a law.
Ii an American woman must earn her own
living she does it coyly, hesitatingly, as if
ashamed of her position, rarely entering into
1t as a permanent business, and always
looking around her for a way of escape from
what seems to her a dreadful necessity.
always preferring poor pay and starvation
wages in anything that carries with it an air
OF gentility, to good pay and a good home
In domestic life. Not so the French woman.
She at once adapts herself to her condition
takes hold of her work. cheerfully, gladlv;s
pushes her business with the intention of
making it permanent resource; adyertises
it; is courteous and obliging to her custom
ers, delicate in presenting her bills, and
uses all of the arts Of trade necessary to sue
cess. She is not ashamed or afraid of
any labor In connection with her business.
THE BELLIES OF FRANCE.
The French girl OF. the upper and middle
classes, and this is often true of the lower
classes, is 1.-THE and symmetrical in form.
in feature and graceful in motion.
Nor is her beauty lost when she rounds into
mature yomenhood, but she does not grow
old gracefully, like American women, nor
continue to use those arts to make herself
attractive that graced her girlhood. Among
the upper classes she grows stout and red |
stead of the fresh rosy face that should be a |
crowning glory until 20 or 75 years.
| do pot know to what cause to attribute this |
unless it be that the excessive pleasure-loy- |
Ing and living of the French people, the late |
dinners and late hours, and especially ex- |
cessive wine-drinking so apt to grow with |
years, steals away the beauty of face and
form, the elasticity of step, and freshness
that has not exhausted all of the joys of life.
In the middle and lower classes, and |
especially the latter, the women get in time
/ permanent bronze from their almost con-
slant out of door life (for all Paris lives
more or less out of doors, and from the con-
'tant carrying of burdens get permanently
lame and rheumatic, so that
. woman of 30 will show the infirmities
If IS.
1t is palpable fact that French women
If the middle and lower classes have fewer
privileges, and are not cared Tor as well as
American women. But have drawn Won a
picture of the plain, practical, everyday life
If Paris as it is. One might come here,
Iisit the Grand Exposition, drive down the
Champs -Elysees, the Boulevards, the Bois
lie Boulogne, witness a fete, and believe
hat all Paris was one grand holiday filed
With superbly dressed women and men in
in the snowiest of linen and dainti-
st of kids. But, of course, there are ex-
,eptions to all that have said.
BELvA A. LOCKWOOD.