Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-07
DAUGHTERS Or HILLIONAIRES.
HINTS FOR HELPING THOSE LESS FOR.
TUNATE THAN THEMSELVES.
Rich Girls Who Do Not Know How to
Spend Their Time-Plenty of
People to be Helped.


upon the idleness of the very wealthy. 1t
is to be hoped for the sake of the young
lady that the story is not true But l can
easily believe that it is, for an almost
similar case came to my attention not
long ago. 1t was not young, but a rich,
middle-aged woman, who confessed to hay
ing replaced a worn and soiled facing on
the skirt of walking gown, and when
her hearer expressed surprise that she
should do such thing she excused herself
on the plea that in doing these little
things she saved money to give to the
poor.
Apparently it has never occurred 10
these two rich women that the truest way
to help the poor is to give them work and
not money. OF course there is no law to
prevent women from being their own
laundresses and seamstresses if they choose
to be; there is no disgrace in doing honest
work, whether it is washing soiled linen or
ripping off a facing that has become too
shabby from frequent contact with dusty
and muddy pavements, and replacing it
with a clean one. But, to put it very
mildly, this is not the sort of work that
educated and cultivated women are sup
posed to enjoy, nor to indulge in, if they
have money enough to pay some one to do
it. They are some of the drudgeries of
life that many people are glad to do for
money, for these are the only things they
can do; and if rich people do not employ
them to do the work, who will?
The fact that the rich women should
undertake to do these things proves that
they have too much leisure. Better such
work, some one will say, than the mischief
that Satan finds for idle hands. Yes; but
why not teach the orphan boy to read, or
the orphan girl to sew? There are beg
gars enough to be helped; if not at ones
gates, at least they are not very far away,
and there are many persons who are not
beggars who would be grateful for help.
There are always old people and young
children who require attention, sick people
who must be cared for, and poor people
whose burdens may be lightened in va
rious ways. There are the hospitals, the
asylums, the prisons to be visited, if one
has no i'll, needy or elderly friends and ac-
quaintances for whom one may do kind
deeds.
1t is selfshness, heartlessness or stingi-
ness that drives these women to washing
and sewing? 1t may be all three, or it
may be only one of these things, or it may
be thoughtlessness.
But there is yet another way of looking
at it. Perhaps all this washing of hand
kerchiefs and facing of gowns is only the
expression of desire to do something use
full in the world. Unfortunately these
women do not know what to do, nor how
to go to work to find something to do that
will occupy their time and make some one
else happy. They do not know how much
misery there is in the world, nor do they
know that they are adding to it simply by
doing work that poor women would gladly
do for small sum.
There are many ways in which women
who have nothing TO do can help busy
women who are making money to support
themselves and who have not, conse-
quently, the time to do number of things
they want done, nor have they money
enough to hire some one to do them.
These women do not want charity, do not
think it; but if friend or acquaintance
should offer to do little shopping or to
mend glove or gown, or to write a letter.
or to go to the circulating library for a
book for them, they would be very CRATE
full. Some women like to shop and others
hate it. 1t requires time and patience as
well as money, and every woman has not
all three to give. know l often want
pair of gloves from certain shop, or a bit
Of lace or ribbon matched, and l 60 with
out these things simply because have not
To bt1x- IVlot
does not want some errand done by an in
telli9ent person? A note by messenger
boy would do? Not at all. A note does
not always explain things clearly; some
errands must be done by some one whom
one can trust. by one in whom one has en-
tire confidence.
l know a lady who has recently taken
small fat, and who for several weeks has
been trying to find servant who would
come every morning to do her housework
and 60 home at night. This, lady has
answered advertisements and has asked
her janitor and laundress if they knew of
any woman, young or old, black or white,
who would come to her daily; but so far
she has been unable to secure anyone. She
is willing to pay good wages, and does not
expect the woman to be chef, nor to do
the washing. Here is a chance for the
idle daughter of millionaire to learn
something of housework, besides earning
money; or, if she has no taste for this sort
of thing, let her scour the city and find
suitable servant for this lady, who is un-
able to go about very much.
There is plenty of work for idle hands
to do-work that will help others. and vet
not take food out of the mouths of poor,
hard-working women. There are weary
mothers of large families whose darning of
multitudinous stockings and mending of
innumerable little garments, besides taking
all care of the children and doing the
housework, leaves no time for rest or rec
reation. Let the idle daughter of a
millionaire seek out such a family and
darn stockings or take care of the children
for one hour each day while the over
worked mother rests.
There are ailing children who need
amusement, or who need instruction, but
who are too feeble to go to public school,
and their parents can afford no other.
There are old ladies who never go out, and
to whom the visit from young and cheer
full person is always a delight. The young
do not realize this; they do not understand
the loneliness of the old, who, being no
longer able to enter into anv active pur-
suits, find their chief pleasure in listening
to the accounts told them by the young, Of
their pleasures and of their work.
Who does not know some such elderly
woman? If they are not numbered among
ones own acquaintance, if one cannot find
them outside OF hospitals and asylums,
they may be found within them. The old
are nearly always garrulous, and they like
to talk of themselves, their ills, their Joys
and sorrows. 1t is easy to fancy the de-
lights of an elderly woman in blind in
stitution, for instance, at receiving visits
from those outside; and visitors break the
dreary monotony OF the days at the Hos
pital for Incurables.
Or is there not some eager and ambi-
tious girl of small means to whom these
millionaire daughters may impart some of
their learning? Would they not be will
ing to give music lessons or lessons in some
foreign language twice week? 1t would
not be hard to find young girls, talented
and ambitious, who are unable to pay for
these accomplishments, and to whom such
instruction would not only give happiness.
but possible means of earning little
money.
Is not this better way of employing
D. Ill