The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-10-17
GIVE THAT JOKE A LAY-OEF,

Writer Who Tries to Decry the Habits
of Women When Shopping.
The apparent dearth of subjects at the
dis posnl of the American humorist permits
n long suffering public to tolerate certain
rather threadbare witticisms as they make
the circuit of the daily papers, says the
Boston Advertiser. But when great con-
tributor to magazine tries to clothe one
Of tho poorest of these jokes in the gar
ments of dignity, it is high time for the
reading world to protest. In the North
American Review for September is an arti-
Gle on 1.-The Mannerless Sex The au-
thor, Mr.. Oscar Fay Adams, leaves
no room for doubts Us to his mean
ing. He ut once states that it is
woman whom he designates in this
way. Now, that there are mannerless women
and mannerly men, and mannerless men
and mannerly women, nobody can deny;
that whole sex can be classed under either
adjective would. however, be indeed difficult
to prove. 1t would be easy enough to reduce to
their lowest terms of absurdity many of the
statements in the above-naned article. The
following quotation may serve as speci-
men of their value:
but it is when fair woman goes a,shop-
her progress made tired clerks spend hours
in taking down goods simply for her amuse-
ment, when she has not the smallest inten-
ton of purchasing from them"
For convenience all women in their rela-
ton to shopping may be divided into three
of middle station. The rich woman might
naturally lie supposed to have the most
leisure to spend in the way Indicated by
the writer in the Review. But the rich
woman to-day seldom shops. At her dress
makers she is shown samples of goods in
imported materials of exclusive style. The
poor woman, who at long intervals can get
day from home duties, ventures timidly
into the great dry goods shops. Her simple
needs usually take her to the counters
where ginghams and calicoes, fannels and
prices plainly marked. Should she ask for
something she does not see, the gruffness of
the attending clerk often keeps her from
repeating the experiment..
The offenders, then, must be sought
among the large middle class. among the
shopping. Very few of these women have
80 much leisure that they can afford to
spend days wandering aimlessly about the
shops after the fashion described by the
writer of the Review article. Yet very few
OF these women have so much money that
ency SoA oAOAu W Ouy VIC uTot IuluR Ou0f6O
them by the clerk without regard to ia
special fitness for themselves. Hence some-
times the clerk is obliged to cease his con-
yersation with his neighbors. is fairly
driven to rouse himself from his lounplno
attitude by the importantly of
some woman who insists on
examining some of the goods in his care,
and often when he has shown her several
bales or boxes she shamelessly turns away
without buying. Whether suited or not,
she should have bought from him. She did
not buy, therefore clerk and reviewer CON
clude ''she has not the smallest intention OF
purchasing
There ia another side to this whole mat
ter. Goods are in the shops to be sold, and
clerks are there to sell them. Until some oil
the Bellamette dreams are fulfilled the
shopper must look before she buys Doubt.
less the owners of shops who control both
clerks and goods are a. much amazed By
the jokes about women shoppers a. are the
women themselves.