The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-06-09
HOW TO LIVE ON A SMALL SALARY

/ SAID tnOuSnJtul young WOHlan 10 girl
companion. "But suppose there are
more than we imagine who really have a
hard time to get along"
Yes, and still the girl who has "hard
time to get along'' is often much happi-
err, in her industry and definite purpose
in life than the girl who may have all
that the money of wealthy and an in
dulgent father can buy. The girl who
has to work for her living often finds it
necessary to leave her home and come to
the city in order to find work by which
she may support herself. Unless such a
girl has friends in the city it is often diff
ficult for her to live within heI income,
for she hardly knows where to look for
respectable lodgings and wholesome yet
inexpensive board.
"Some girls seem to have everything,
always dress in good style and live in a
respectable locality, sometimes where
one would think the living would be very
expensive" said a bright working girl.
"Yet know they do lot earn over So a
week. and most of them only ST."
The speaker herself was well dressed
and waits with easy, quiet grace on her
customers, for she has stood for num-
Der of years behind the thread counter
of one of our large city stores.
people wonder how it is that some
| girls can do so much more than others
on the same salary" she said.
''It depends upon the girl good deal,
| does it nOt?'
Eyes, a good deal. OF course a girl
can find a room for 81, sometimes for
l50, but it is apt to be up three flights
ofstairs and a back room at that. How
| ever, a girl who has good deal of pride
does not mind being up two or three
flights of stairs if she can say she lives at
the West End"
GLOW is it about the meals?"
"That is usually more difficult prob
lem to solve than the room question.
You see board costs good deal in the
city, especially at restaurants. The best
way is to find a room in a private family,
where one can have meals, and really
have a home. There are many places in
The better part of the South End, where
a girl can live we'll for So week"
The average girl probably lives in
about this way, and live very respect
ably, too. OF course this five dollars a
week does not include the laundry and
many incidentals which one cannot count
or even recall, and which continually
call for the pennies and here and there a
quarter if girl is not living at home.
The writer knew young German girl
who worked as stenographer in law
yers office and boarded in private fam
| lily on Back Bay where there were no
| other boarders. She paid only five dol
lars a week, but spoke German with the
| two children at meal time and in the
evenings. Every home privilege was
| hers, her salary was only used for her
wardrobe, and many favors were re-
ceived from the various friends she con-
stantly made.
| A girls wardrobe is often more of a
problem than her board. There are too
many girls who grow up, or who are
| brought up, in ignorance of the needle.
In nearly all American families it is the
mother or hOusekeeper who does the
mending, repairing and sewing. In Ger
many, on the other hand, the girls are
taught from childhood to do, not only
plain sewing, but fancy needlework of
all kinds. The working girl who can
make gown or trim hat is the one
who lives most economically. Her even
ings are spent in fTeshening an old
gown, which, with little ingenuity and
taste and bit of new material, is made
to look as modern as the designs in the
| last fashion book. A single bow of rib
bon or knot of velvet, skillfully tied by
| def fingers, makes of last years hat a
this years Paris head dress. 1t is not
the elegance of a costume which makes
it stylish and desirable, for a simple
quiet gown is often more becoming,
more stylish, and always in better taste
than bright colors or the latest novelty
goods.
Many girls do their own dress making
| b.
making classes where one can take her
material, learn to cut and make it under
the supervision of teacher, and all for
merely nominal expense. The whole
course of lessons costs much less than
would be the expense of having one
gown made, and one not only makes a
dress in learning how, but has learned to
make others.
The working girl who can live at home
is most fortunate of all. Her room she
has, and while she may pay her family
for her board, even that is usually nom
inal compared to what she has to pay in
boarding house. Perhaps she gives all
she can afford toward the support of
younger brothers and sisters; but even
so. it is "living at home," and one may
have a mothers counsel, or a father S
advice, and often the help of an older
brother.
The students are the girls who usually
make the greatest sacrifices. There are
innumerable ways in which they econo.
mize, and their expenses are often al
most incredibly small.
The writer once visited the home of
four young art students, and saw them
really TAT home"
"Here is our hotel" said one of them,
with an air of comic pride, as she ush-
cred her caller into the doorway of a
South End apartment house.
"Of course you don't mind climbing
stairs. We are obliged to be at the top
of the house, because the light is
better. I'm sorry to make you climb
these three long flights, but our elevator
is out of order just now," she went on,
in jocose sarcasm.
At the top she led the way through a
partially light hall to the back apart
ment.
snow we have our rooms in the back
of the house. not because the front ones
cost more, you understand, but because
we have the Northern light, which is so
much better to paint by"
They had four rooms, which were all
light. Two were used for sleeping
rooms, and were furnished simply, but
comfortably. The third room was part.
ly furnished for sitting-rOom and part
ly for a studio, curtain separating the
two when desired.