The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-31
UNHAPPY FRENCH WIDOWS.
CUSTOMS WHICH MAKE THEIR LOT
ANYTHING But PLEASANT.


reeollectiOns of the bereaved young per-
son m "A Trip to Chinatown" humbly
beg the pardon Of the real Paris widow
She is much more like the Oriental wives
who die on the funeral pyres Of their
husbands and she is often almost as Sc
cluded as If she were buried alive
Naturally this does not refer to the
people. as the French eaIF the working
classes. When the small grocery man dies.
his widow. who has sat at the desk and
been cashier and bookkeeper during his
lifetime, sits there still. and everything
goes on as before except that. there is
I'VE" put before the name to show
that Widow Weuve) Maurice" or what
ever her name may be. is at the head of
the business. There is no attempt made,
as there often is in America. to give the
impression that affairs are in the hands
of a man. The women are too shrewd and
experienced as shopkeepers. to need any
such pretence.
With the women of society It is differ
ent. 1t is not easy for a stranger to make
observations in this field, and above all
in the direction of widows. The easiest
way to gain information is TO cultivate
some widow who has seen better days.
and get her to reveal the secrets of her
sad estate. This is not difficult. Widows
with money are the prey of designing
relatives and INSCRIPTIONS guardians, so
that there are always plenty of them
who have been reduced to keeping board
ers, which, after the pawnshop, is their
sole resource.
In France, if a husband dies without
a will, leaving a widow but no children,
all his property even though it may
have been held in common during his
lifetime, goes to his family His widow
has nothing. If he dies without a will,
leaving widow and children, all the prop
erty goes to the children. The widow
may live on the income with her chill
dren.- provided she can arrange it with
her guardian. but If he is so inclined he
can forbid her receiving a cent from her
children, and compel her to earn her
own living. II is terrible, isn't it?"
1t was bright, attractive little French
woman of 40 who told me this. She has
been a widow ten years, and although
her husband left her fortune of $780, 900.
and although she had her own dot of
Sl2, 600. she is now keeping boarders for
the princely sum of Sc a week Her broth
er-in-law, in whose bank her entire for
tune was placed, failed at a judicious in
terval after her husbands death, and
Nine. T. found herself with a young
son to educate, without income and with
out resources, except a small country
house. This she sold. and put her 10
year-old boy in college. BY the advice
of prominent lawyers she set about try
n w fc
posed to be the inalienable property of
a married woman. She failed, and in the
meantime had sold or pawned most of
her jewelry and furniture.
Her son was scarcely out of college
before like every other Frenchman. he
was obliged to go into the army. Most
young men are obliged to serve for three
years, but the only sons of widows are
let off with one year. This is not such
a concession as 1T seems at first, for the
young man at the end of his year is
taxed a certain amount annually until
he attains the age of so. Not only this,
but if he cannot, or does not, pay this
tax his mother, the unfortunate widow,
becomes responsible for IL. If she fails
to pay it, her furniture, or whatever pos
sessions she may have, is seized. In fact,
therefore, it is she who is taxed in lieu
of the military service from which she is
supposedly exempt.
Her son, during his year of military
service receives l cent day With this
he is obliged to buy backing for his
boots, tobacco and other things. He re-
ceives his clothes and an insufficient
amount of food from the government. If
his mother did not send him food he would
fall i'll from pure hunger.
These are a few of the practical in
conveniences of being a French widow. In
the social line she is much worse off
Oh 70 he
terless or penniless widow.
DO ever wish l had a daughter"
said Nine. T. when / asked her the ques-
ton. oh, no, can never be too thank
full that l have none. Without money
she could not hope to marry well and her
life would be ruined. With a son it is
different. His career is entirely changed,
but il does not make such hopeless thing
of his life. If l had money? Oh, yes
then / would wish for a daughter, be-
cause that would make ii possible for me
to go out occasionally and mingle with
the world"
But if you had money, couldn't you
do THAR"
And then Nine. T. explained to me a
state of affairs that was appalling from
an American point of view. A French
widow becomes lost to sight and quickly
forgotten by society. She cannot go to
receptions, or balls, or dinners,
or musicales, or anything in
which the heart of woman de-
lights. This law of the conventionalities
does not apply to the period of mourn
ing only; it is a perpetual lock and key
on any spirit of effervescence or natural
desire to be something besides house
keeping hermit. IT, however, she has been
blessed with daughter and enough money
to make a presentable appearance in So
ciety, she can take her daughter out when
that young lady is old enough A son is
not sufficient excuse for this entrance
into society; therefore. blessed be the
daughters of widows.
But under no circumstances can she go
into society before she takes her daughter
with her. If she has intimate friends she
may dine with them, but II must be strict
ly en- fannie. If these friends are not of
a matchmaking turn of mind they will
occasionally invite some man to dine
at the same time and in this way the
widow has an opportunity to speak to
her fellow men. However, these intimate
friends are not always to be relied upon.
You see,' said Nine. T., hesitatingly,
our gentlemen are likely to be little too
gallant to widows"
"Oh?"
Yes, it is the fault Of their training,
apologetically. For instance, after my
husband died l used to go often to the
house of some very close friends urbo