Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-01
WIDOWS IN FRANCE.
CUSTOMS WHICH MAKE THEIR LOT
 ANYTHING BUT PLEASANT.

Daughter or a Second Marriage.
 The Paris widow is surprise. I can not tell exactly what I had expected but for some reason or other the thought of French widows always called up vague recollections of the bereavcd young person in "A Trip to Chinatown" I 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 hus- bands, and she Is often almost as secluded as if she werc buried alive.
 Naturally this does not refer to "the people, as tho French call tho 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 thcro still, and every thing goes on as before except that there is a I've" put beforo tho namo to show that Widow Vouve) 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 arc in the hands of man. The women are too shrewd and experienced as shopkeepers to need any such prctense.
 With the women of society it is differ ent It is not easy for q stranger to mako 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 arc the prey of designing relatives and interruptions guardians, so that there are always plenty of them who have been re- duced to keeping boardcrs which, after the pawnshop, is their sole resource.
 In France if a husband dies without will leaving widow, but no children, all his property, oven though it may have been held in common during his lifetime, goes to his family. His widow has noth- ing. If he dies without Q will, leaving a widow and children, all the property goes to the children. Tho widow may live on the income with her children, provided she can arrange 1t with their guardian, but if he is so inclined he can forbid her receiving a cent from hor children and compel her to earn her own living. It Is terrible, isn't itP''
 It was bright, attractive little French woman of 40 who told me this. She has been widow ten years, and although her husband left her fortune of $150,- 900, and although she had her own dot of $12, 900, she Is now keeping boarders for the princely sum of $5 week. Her broth er-in-law, in whose bank her entire for tune was placed, failed at judioious in terval after her husbands death, and Mime. T. found herself with a young son to educate without income and without resources except small country house. This she sold and put her 15-year old boy in college. By the advice of prominent lawyers she set about trying to recover her dot, which is supposed to be the in alienable property of married woman. She failed, and in the meantime had sold or pawned most of her jewelry and furni- ture.
 "Do I ever wish I had daughterf" said Mime. T. when 1 asked her the ques tion. "Oh, no. I can never be too thank full that have none. Without money she could not hope to marry well, and her life would be ruined. With a son it is differ ont. His career is entirely changed, but it does not make such a hopeless thing of his life. If had moneyS Oh, yes. Then I would wish for a daughter, because that would mako it possible for me to go out occasionally and minglo with the world"
 But If you had money, couldn't you do that?'
 And then Mme T. explained to me state of affairs which 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 delights. This law of the conventional ities does not apply to the period of mourn ing only. It is perpetual lock and key on any spirit Of effervescence or natural desire to be something besides housekeep- ing hermit. If, however, she has been blessed with q daughter and enough mon- ey to make a prescntable appearance in society, she can take her daughter out when that young lady is old enough. A son is not a sufficient excuse for this en- trance into society. Therefore blessed be tho daughters of widows.
 But under no circumstances can she go into society before sho takes her daughter with her. If she has intimate friends, she may dine with them, but it must be strict ly en faniille. If these friends are of a matchmaking turn of mind, they will oc- casionally invite somo man to dine at the same time, and in this way the widow has an opportunity to speak to her fellow men.
 "When these friends invited you to dine with them and asked somo man to meet you, was it with the idea of giving you an opportunity to find another husbanGP"
 Yes, ,'' admitted Mime. T. They knew that my life was practically closed If did not marry again, and they wanted to give me the cbanceh
 And if you found acquaintancos you liked, why could you not invite them to dine with you, and lot them bring their friends and So enlarge your circle, all in a very quiet way"
 Because I couldn't. Because, again, l was widow. If had invited any gen. tlo,nnr or if fbav had coIne to seo ue the concierge would have complained of mo.
 "There are two classes of human beings in France who have no liberty They are young girls and widows, and of the two the former arc much the happier because their secuSion does come to an end. since