The herald., 1894-11-08
WOMEN AS SAVERS.
MANY OFTHEM DO NOT UNDERSTAND
THE TRUE ECONOMY.


rcctions, but the Influence of the Misery
Spirit Is What Makes tho World Poor.
Lessons in money saving for tho Ameri-
tan girl, of whom it has been observed
that she would take lessons in dying If she
could have been suggested as desirable
addition to college curriculum or homo
training. Ono improvement might bc
mado even to this admirable idea-that
largo class of American mothers might
simultaneously receive lessons in money
spending.
Doubtless q great national characteristic
is extravaganza. Yet, reckoning loss by
something beyond dollars and cents, 1t
is possible to lose quito as much by tho
saving mania, with which somo women
folk are possessed, as by tho thoughtless
and thriftless wives and daughters, OF
whom SO much moro Is said nowadays.
The woman who acknowledges herself a
spendthrift, but understands the science Of
spending money, will often make ends
meet on notably smaller allowance than
the woman who prides herself on saving.
The Boston Herald tells of woman
who bought for herself two now and natty
shirt waists early in the season, much to
tho horror of her economical neighbor,
who had an old black silk ono, worn shiny,
and the sleeves of which were beyond re-
demption. But sho was planning to be
very economical-timesh had been so hard
so she washed tho silk Of the old waist,
nfter ripping it up, and took small piece
into town to match it.
She needed only enough for now sleeves.
Having procured the required amount,
which Is not small, according to the die
tum Of modern fashion, she returned
home, stopping to have littlo chat with
her extravagant neighbor on the way and
taking pains to let her know what feats
she was about to accomplish.
But, alas, when she came to look over
the old silk she found that really she ought
to have new underarm pieces and a new
back. She gave little sigh. but consolcd
herself with the fact that she could have
new fronts and use the old ones for the
new back. So she set to work. But some
how, although she had done her best, the
old silk looked shiny and shabby when
combined with the new, and with q sad
heart she made third Investment of silk,
undid all her carefully basted and fitted
work and put in backs of now cloth. So
at last she had an all new waist-with
what rcsultSp
The back had been cut little too mar
row between the shoulders, which made
the seams draw conspicuously, and tho
sleeves were uncomfortably tight across
the elbow, as a result of which the waist
has long since come to repairs, caused by
fraying, and at best can only be worn for
rainy days and mornings.
And how about the extravagant neigh
Dor? To be sure, two waists cost 81. 80
moro than the one black one, but by hay
ing two she was enabled to alternate, and
so give each chance to rest up" and
"unwrinkle" by hanging up awhile, and
now they are both not only presentable,
but they are still neat fitting and stylish,
as they will be during all the season, for
street wear.
Side by side with the families who live
up to every cent of their income rank
those equally mistaken and much more
unhappy households that will not acknowl-
edge tho existence of their income. Leav-
ing money out of tho question, however,
the ways in which women save where they
should spend are happily past the under
standing of men. The inspection Of q
household not infrequently reveals tho
woman whose wedding gifts included the
handsomest of cut glass and the daintiest
of napery using sleazy tablecloths, cheap
glass and plated ware not because sho
does not love tho fine things, but because
she does and is saving them. She
means boarding them for the cheap graft
flcation of exhibiting them to admiring
friends in all the spotlessness and shino of
disuse or the deserved modification of
having the children gaze open eyed, and
make embarrassing remarks apropos of the
unaccustomed splendor when it is brought
out for company.
This housekoeper also has carpets too
good for the sunlight and silk quilts fold
ed away, because patchwork is quite good
enough for tho family, and books that arc
too good to be handled by the children,
whose literature, it seems, must be chosen
with regard to the value of the covers
rather than what they contain.
Returning to the subject of clothes, all
womankind may witness to her weakness
for saving good clothes until, through
changes in fashion, circumstance or the
taste of the owner, they become useless
before they have fairly been worn. AL
most as many best black silks" for ex.
ample, have been worn out by hanging in
q closet rs by actual wear.
Il must say" observed frank woman
not long SINCE Il always sympathized
with the man in the parable who wrapped
up bis talent in napkin. 1t was exactly
what should havo done"
No doubt she would. She is continu-
ally having table ''leftovers spoil as re.
suit of such reasoning as: Now we've
enough for this meal without that. 1
guess it will keep till the noxt," which 1t
seldom does.
The lives Of such women are continu-
GUS process of subtraction from long line
of ciphers, always borrowing from the
next, and yet the next, with dim, dis
quieting consciousness that thore may DO
only a cipher at the very end. They even
save their children, anxiously looking for
ward to the time when "they will be older
and more of comfort, - instead of taking
present comfort and pleasure in them.
And what shall it profit? Like money,
all these things are primarily made to
uso. 1t is tho existence Of misers that
makes the world poor Not that there is
no other side to the question. There is al
ways the other extreme, but unnecessary
and injudicious economy is wealth for
some ono else, and the old cpitaph still
reads true in its secular as well Us it's re-
ligiouS meaning:
What saved lost.
What spent had.