St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-11-25
THE STRAITS OF RICH GIRLS
Many of Them Have Credit, but
No Money to spend.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox in the Homemaker.
The girls who are obliged to work for
living are not the poorest ones In New
York, or many other cities of the
United States. The dependent augh-
tiers of presumably rich parents are
more deserving of sympathy than the
working girls. However small the
earnings of the working girl; her wages
are her own. Her position eXonerates
her from some obligations, if it denies
her some pleasures.
On the contrary, the true position of
the fashionable or Semi-fashionable girl
is not known. She is the recipient of
favorS that she must return. She is the
daughter OF parents who have been too
busy making fortunes to study the
demands of society, but who wish their
daughter to be a society girl.
There, are girls whose parents own
their own homes and are surrounded by
servants whose wages these girls covet
/ have in mind young lady, an only
daughter. whose parents own four
story brown-stone front and who keep
three servants.
The young lady is beautiful and she
has been educated in fashionable
school, where no expense was spared to
belle.
But no sooner was she launched into
society than her money martyrdom
began. She is remarkably economical,
and all of her costumes are of the SIM
plest kind. All her bills are sent to her
father, who pays them with more or less
complaint.
She is given an allowance, less than a
good laundreSS earns, and with this she
is expected to pay her seamstress and
buy all "extraS." If she incurs debts
not for necessities" she must draw on
the next months allowance to pay
them.
III often suffer for the need of car fare
and postage stamps" she told me with
tears in her eyes. Papa cannot under
stand how use up my allowance so
quickly. He is proud of my intimacy
with swell people. yet he does not un-
derstand that to maintain this intimacy
entertainment now and then, for
which they sell tickets. He
says that my money goes and have
nothing to show tor it, and he will not
encourage my extravaganza. as he
calls it.
II am often tempted to pawn my Dric-
a-brac to get few pennies. lie awake
nights trying to plan some way OF earn
ing money and not having Unknown.
IL saw AN advertisement one day for
girls to curl feathers. | answered it in
person, but the forewOman looked me
coldly over from head to foot, and then
she said she did not want fine ladies to
come and take the bread from the
mouths of the poor and needy l told
her | was the neediest girl knew, but
she did not believe me-"
"When papa dies" said young girl
to me, mamma and | will inherit quite
fortune. But as long as he lives we
will never have dollar to handle. If
he ever does give US cent he expects
it to last forever. He pays all my bills
for dresses and music, with only little
grumbling now and then. but never
voluntarily gives me money to use.
He brought me home an expensive
King Charles spaniel one day, and |
was wild to go and sell it and have the
money to use. | often sit in our splen-
did house and envy the shop girls as
they go by.''
II have the strangest experiences
with some of the wealthy young ladies
who take lessons of me-" said French
teacher Zone of them asked me to let
my bill run three months. 1t then
amounted to $50. Make out your bill
for $780, she said, and send it to papa.
He is willing to pay for my accom-
plishments. but he never gives me any
money to spend. After he sends you
the amount, $50. you can give me half,
and he will never be the wiser nor the
poorer. He does not need the money,
and l do"
Shopkeepers not infrequently have
the same experience.