The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-10-17
Women as Savers.

addition to college curriculum or home
training One improvement might be
made even to this admirable idea-th.6
large class Of American mothers might
simultaneously receive lessons in money
spending.
Doubtless great national characteristic
is extravaganza Yet, reckoning loss by
something beyond dollars and cents, it
Is possible TO lose quito as much by the
saving mania. with which some women
folk are possessed, as by the thoughtlo5s
and thriftless wives and daughters, of
whom SO much more is said nowadays.
The woman who acknowledges herself IA
spendthrft, but understands the science of
spending money, will often make ends
meet on notably smaller allowance than
the woman who pridcs herself on saving
The Boston Herald tells of "a woman
who bought for herself two new and natty
shirt waists early in the season, much to
the horror of her economical ncighbor
who had an old black silk one, worn shiny
and the sleeves of which were beyond re-
demption But she was planning to be
very economical--timcsh had been SO hard
SO she washed the silk of the old waist
after ripping it up, and took "A small piece
Into town to match it,
She needed only enough for new sleeves
Having procured tho required amount,
which is not small, according to the dir-
tum of modern fashion, she returned
home, stopping to have a little chat with
her extravagant neighbor on tho 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 n 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 sad
heart she made third investment of silk
undid all her carefully basted and fitted
work and put in backs of new cloth. So
at last she had an all new waist-with
what results?
The back had been cut little too mar
row between the shoulders, which made
the seams draw conspicuously, and the
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. 30
more than the one black one, but by hay
ing two she was enabled to alternate and
SO give each IA 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 the existence of their income Lcav
ing money out of the 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 the
woman whose wedding gifts included III"
handsomest of cut glass and the dantiest
of napery using sleazy tablecloths, chcap
glass and plated ware, not because she
docs not love the fine things, but becarsc
She does and is Saving them. She
means boarding them for the cheap graft
flcation of Exhibiting them to admirnP
friends in all the spOtlcssncss and shine Of
disuse or the deserved modification of
having the children gaze, open eyed, and
make cmbarrassi"g remarks apropos of the
unuccustumed splendor when it is brought
OUT tor company.
This ousckeeper also has carpets too
go,d for the sunlight and silk quilts fold
e,i way, because patchwork is quite good
enc. . for the family, and books that are
Juu coed to be handled by the children,
"hc g literature, it seems, must be chosen
N;,G regard to the value of the covers
FL .rr han what they contain
returning to the sui icct of clothes, all
WulAanknd 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
closet as by actual wear.
u must say" observed frank woman
not long since, Il always sympathized
with the man in the parable who wrapped
up his talent in napkin. 1t was exactly
what ! should have done"
No doubt she would. She is continu-
ally having table 'lcftovers' spoil as a re-
suit of such reasoning as: Now we've
enough for this meal without that.
guess it will keep till the next, )" which it
seldom does.
ne lives Il SuCn women are u cOnUlnu-
Gus process of subtraction from IA long line
of ciphers, always borrowing from the
next, and " tho next, with n dim, dis
quoting consciousness that there may be
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 II comfort, " instead Of taking
present comfort and pleasure in them,
And what shall it profit? Like money,
all these u lgs 're primarily made &c
use. 1t is the existence Of misers that
makes the world poor Not that there j.
no other side to the question. There IS al
ways the other extreme but unnecessary
and iniudcious economy is wealth fui
some one Sc, and the old epitaph sill
reads true its secular rs well as its re
ligious meaning:
What l saved lost.
What spent had.
That Ia, of course, provided You spett
what you had. TO spend what you have
not-in other words, to live beyond YOU
hcome-tha is the other extreme.