Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-05-01
WOMEN AND MONEY.
Movemen, Among MilllonaireS 10
Cure Girl SpendthriftS.
mrs. Aston and DAUGHTER lN-LAW.
An Exponent Of Thrift and Prudency In
New York society-FIn De Steele
Costly Wives.
Correspondence Of the pispatch.)

NEW YORK. April 2s.-It Is so mo
roughly questionable throughout UNI
country 10 be economical that the AMER
can woman doesn't seem TO reanze ina
she has become spendthrift
Not only are the mass OF girls OF mar
riageable age quite innocent OF any kho"
ledge of household economics. or fr"gah's
In personal Expenditures. but the auVa".'O
woman and the fin de steele prod"c'oi
who may be willing to wed have any mum
ber NJ expenses that women never used
to have
Alphonse Karr wrote: The prouisa'i''
NJ woman has reached such proportions
that one must be wealthy to have one foi
himself =.
Eev voung men are to be blamed u
af,er n study Of possible wives, they de-
eide ma,rimony is too expensive Tor the''
incomes. II is said that so well es'ap
Ished Is the spendthrift tran IN our wo
mon mat no matter in what part or inc
world they appear the natives iooh vi w
average American woman as a princess
az prodigality, and the extortionate
prices foreign shopkeepers name 10 oui
compatriots are well known
YOUNG MRS. ASTOR.
p,oh vounp women have the instinct OF
,,onov-snenders naturally. because they
newer know the value OF doilar ny
earning II. SO generally accepted Is th's
far, thnt when matrimony was suseesteu
oe voune John Jacob Astors Intention IL
vas insisted that his mother wouIu never
approve any engagement unth ne c"v -,
a fiancee of financial prudence NE" ",7
engagement TO Miss Willing, OF fhiIauei-
mia. WIS announced IL was agfeeu INA
ans, such a woman had been FOUND 40
900 could blame Mrs Astor for her satis-
faction. .., -. o,,,i-
youne Mrs. Astor has proved an emf
,,l,,,r,. nanny choice, and while she Is
,,onrlor lovely, and has even added 10
,bn Aston prestige. IL is well known that
.bc 10 thrifty in a sensible faShlon tnat
&C. North thousands Of dollars annually.
II Mrs. Astor, with her position as
leader in New York society, can anord
f. ~. known as an exponent or thriit anu
prudence. and Mrs. j. j. Astor can pid'
lice the same doctrine, certainly the graz
mass of marriageable young women cdii
afford to adopt similar IDEAS. let ho'
even the Astors can make thrift FASH
iOnable. t.,
Xor can Mrs. Cleveland Women VINO
,ra anxious 10 initiate the Presidents
wife would do well TO follow her pfacuce
I'm financial matters. From many sources
hear she Is unusually prudent III eN-
penditures of all kinds; and considering
her private income. the wealth Mr.. tIeVc-
land accumulated. and her position. she
dresses very moderately and doesn't even
disdain to wear a made-over dress.
To be sure, among the most opuieht
circles. there is now tendency TO en-
hD "a
money. The cashier of the bank OF New
York's Four Hundred. where very young
girls of millionaire families follow the
fashion and keep an account, says mat
some of these girls are developing unusual
prudence and thrift In handling lheir
allowances But this small grain OF leaVeh
has not spread any into the lump
The edict in general society. "Go abroad
and economic. Come back to the nited
States and cut wide swain. fashloh-
able women are willing To be known as
following these laws, but cconOmize at
hOme-never.
MOTHERS CRITICISED.
Next TO fashion. mothers are the mis-
chief-makers. In our great prosperinS
middle class, as soon as girl Is born
her mother begins the struggle TO dress
her better than the other baby i'll the
block.
The strife goes on as she grows up,
and there is no class distinction here TO
frown OH the impulse 10 rise higher IN
fashion or To teach the mother the good
sense of cutting her aspirations for the
girl to fiji the family income The girl
grows up with her desires foolishly grant
ed. She spends money without looking at
IT twice. Instead of saying, III save so
much money" when she has her own
little allowance she tries 10 get more than
the money will pay for. BY the time she
is ready TO marry she is grounded in
spendthrift ways. and intends to give up
nothing, but to gain by marriage.
When a young man would like to en-
dow her with his name and fair share
Of his salary, lightning calculations De
eide him that she is too expensive ana
hasn't any characteristics that are likely
To develop his income and make II big
enough for two. SO he cuts off his court
shin with the lovely spendthrift. whose
parcnts are not too rich nor yet 700 poor,
hut I'm lust that state denOmin2te I'd mid
die. but aspiring"
| don't see how young man can De
blamed in these cases. It's the girls own
parents.
II prudence could be made "fashiona-
bic" II would certainly have good erect
in families whose heads nave incomes
ranging from $500 TO 5000 per year
I, is i'm this grade of society that young
men most plead that they can't aHoru
matrimony Girls in these families ore
not taught these mysteries of househoiu
economies or general frugality that are
daily dirt In German and French house
holds. Many of them live ana ole WIN
ont ever realizing the heights anu ueP'"S
Of the purchasng-valu OF 100 cents no"
women of this kind can bring up daugh-
tore endowed with more thrift than their
mothers is problem.
THE ADVANCED WOMAN.
firmly believe that the advanced
,yo,,an or she who is truly fin de steele.
,s one of the most costly wives ever
known. ,,.
The man who takes one to himself
must make allowances for many expenses
no woman used to have
This advanced woman who tries to keep
M TO the age has as many club dues as
most men. and great many more than
the average one She outdoes him on his
old exclusive territory. She has TO pay
for club and society suppers to distih"
ruishcd women, and now and then TO a
man.
She subscribes TO all sorts of entertain
ments. courses, and classes that her iemi-
nine predecessors never dreamed OF, and
that are quite as expensive as anything
men do In the same line.
She is continually taking up new chari-
ties of whose invention her grandmother
never drea med. and most of them come
high.
Radical movements and those for the
amelioration of sociological evils have to
b. followed up.
Every movement and most OF the clubs
that are worth anything have to have
The woman with modern improve
ments" insists she must have all these
things. Therefore. when she weds man
must add her club dues TO his club dues.
Women used TO think men were the only
spendthrifts. but they have caught up
bravely themselves Mean time matri-
mony doesn't become any cheaper.