Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-12-05
CAN'T LIVE ON O v
Young Married Folks Cannot Do So in
Mexico or Any Other City-What
it Costs to Begin Housekeeping.

The large number of weddings which
have taken place recently in this city,
recall to the writer's mind the fact
that many young married folks seem
to have an idea that they car live on
love. Such has never been, is not, and
viii never be the case. Notwithstand-
ing that marriage has, and always will
have, its joyful honeymoon, yet, with
even the wedding bells Ginning in
ones ears, the great expense of get
ting married must come to all happy
couples, like an untimely frost.
Glove is very beautiful, but not at
all nourishing," was the experience of
the bride in Perichole. Well might
she have added that love will not
furnish a house, either. If there are
those who do not believe that mar
riage is the most real fact in life, let
them visit our various stores and get
a few items of the cost of the most es-
sential articles in the furnishing OF
even the humblest home. Although
our merchants are noted for selling
goods as reasonably as they a be
bought anywhere, it will still remain
a startling fact, that to begin we'd
ded life in any sort of a home, will
take about four hundred dollars. OF
course, if a couple is rich these things
need not disturb him or her, for all
that is necessary is to o. k. the bills.
But the great majority of young mar
ried people are comparatively poor.
The salaries of the young husbands
range from s35 to S75 per month, and,
although it may seem a strange state
ment, nevertheless it is a fact that the
average young man can support him
self and wife on nearly the same salary
that he supported himself alone on be-
fore marriage. As a matter of fact, this
depends entirely upon the kind of a
woman he marries, whether or not she
is ~extravagant and over particular in
her tastes.
To furnish a house is simply a ques-
ton of common sense, just like buying
a suit of clothes. For a young man
who never goes into society to pur-
chase a full dress suit would be the
height of folly, and it is just as ri
diculous to see a young couple buy
articles which are not of the least use
in furnishing the home. The number
of rooms required for a newlymarried
couple depends entirely on circum-
stances. 1t is safe to say, however,
that the majority do not furnish more
than four rooms, while many can live
in nice style and very comfortably in
three rooms.
1t is a noticeable fact that a woman
of culture car make a small sum OF
money go twice as far in furnishing a
house as an uncultured woman. Some
women seem to think that the only
kind of a bedstead that is fit to sleep
ON is one of the old -fashioned, carved
walnut style, while it is true that there
are as many styles in house furnish
ing to-day as there are in dressing.
The progressive women of Mexico do
not care for the old-fashioned walnut
bedroom sets, like their mothers and
grandmothers used. The present style
is to furnish a bedroom with a brass
bedstead and a dresser and washstand
of some light wood, such as antique
oak or birds-eye maple. Carpets are
| not so fashionable as in former times,
either a rug or a hardwood floor be-
ing the style at this period. Carpets
range from 45c to Soc a yard, put
down. The following estimates will
| give an idea of the cost of fitting up
sxzal IalaaaAa L. 4La latoat afulo.