Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-30


much as the meaning of the words they
pse-presume to contradict me and try to
teach me something, my proverbially en-
during nature revolts, and behold me now
in the ring ready to meet all corners In as
many rounds as they fancy they would
like.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a story
setting forth The bad economy and bad art
of sewing at home. and suggested for the
practical consideration of these women the
organization of household worl. according
to the rule by which men achieve success
in the business world:
Never do anything for yourself that you
can pay others to do for you.
As result of this, public and in private,
by letter and in print, before my face and
behind my back, women who do their sew
Ing home have assaulted me with charges
as false the logic with which they have
sought to back them up
One woman says with a chord of COM
mingled superiority and contemptuous in
dignation sounding through her words:
Pauline Pry is clearly opposed to domestic
economy and home industry.
Another says:
Pauline Pry seems to forget that there
are great many people in the world who,
although in comfortable circumstances. are
not able to live by her motto: Don't do
anything for yourself that you pay
others to do for you Even if one DO
It. l think it very bad plan % depend on
others entirely for everyt thing. |
of hundreds of people who have become
suddenly poor through misfortune, and l
am very thankful for everything that /
learned to do when 1 could have had it
done for me.
TT ere are a great many women who, if
they could not make their own clothes,
would look old-fashiOned and nowIy, but
If they know how to sew they can fix over
great many things and make pretty
gown out of what they would have been
ashamed to take to a dressmaker
Il wonder what Pauline Pry would say if
she knew how many women have one sim
pie waist pattern, and use hat for the
basis of all the gowns they make cutting
out OF newspapers the revers or whatever
they embellish them with, and do Ii with
out any fuss or worry whatever? / sincere
ly pity the woman who cannot make out
the paper pattern of today, for surely moth
Ing can be more simple
The Effect on Men,
Still another even more clearly eIucidates
the mental habits of her kind by answer
ing my argument with the summary an
nouncement that she's mad at it, and on
the warrant of her wrath proceeds to es-
tablish a law of correspondence Of wo-
mans endeavOr, declaring that "anv wo-
man who has not sufficient Ingenuity 10
make weil-setting shirt waist should not
attempt TO learn to ride a bicycle" She
further seeks to deIude women by misrep-
FeSehunS. in terms worthy of the immortal
genius OF Laura Jean LibbeE. effect
Sewing at home has upon men:
" nat man does not love Il dear little wife
OF sweetheart all the more if she has the
tact ana ability to construct chic street
costume or a pretty little bonnet? What
si&ht IS more pleasing to him than TO see
MS wife plying the needle deftIy on soTne
lfstty niIny fabric just suited 10 these warm
summer days. and ever and anon sa. har
SiihCe up with a bright smile and word for
MIN w nat man would consider his do
ti-sSIIC happiness narred under such cir
ctHlStances: 50 cheap are the pretty sum-
HeF goods that A girl of moderate means
VINO makes her own gowns can annear o.
Wen as her Weather sister who follows the
E.Otto; Don't do anything for yourself thar
you can pay anybody to do for Won,
HiS same woman describes at some
teHs'h the sef-satisfactiOn a little girl had
self 7-i4i waist Ior her-
want to say to this little girl. .er2Ias, ,o,
my uear! love and respect You for everv
earnest eHort you make In any direction
Mnether you succeed or fail, and I'll tell
You commercially that, thinking of Won T
came pretty near holding I'D INV s+Ory -
sewing at home after it was written foar
ing IL might hurt your feelings and confnso
Sou with encouragement, instead of ctaar
ing your mind as to how hest to ernrI[, .,eo,t
aGihty and energy But 1 finally let If sn
peheVns 1t might be better to hurt vomr
i1 ei LES, ntte bit, and thus set you think
lug ABOUT the truth than to let you go on in
a mistaken notion all your life o- III
VOW, my dear, while interested partfas
20 10 io0hihs ABOUT for an able-bodied man
engage In with those who have 90 ~
sauited my wisdom and humane fntention
A point OUT a fact two about the
practice. peaoh ana
Not Economy Mt All.
Their economy is the economy of bar-
barans u jar
1t is opposed to the interests of civilization,
In general, and does more than anv tntns-
lice OF our laws or any opposition Of man
can possibly accomplish to hinder the host
development of woman
II Is a purely selfish economy as narrow
In Its scope as the minds through which
1t operates.
Moreover 1t Is not economy at ALL If ,s
irugaHty they preach. quite another matter
II they had sufficiently exact knowledge of
Lie meaning OF words to comprehend.
economy Is broad scheme whereby
ume' lahor, money are most wisely adjust
ed to the ends of human life
Frugaity is a 81 heme of strict saving its
simple and severe purpose being to make
ends meet. This stern necessity excludes
the consideration of all that should enter
Dean Swift thus:
I have no other notion of economy than
mat II Is the parent of liberty and ease"
nave lived In the good old New England
rome that Is the type par excellence
If the economy my enemies advocate
/ have experienced it as a child. not only
In the point of atfliction of homemade
Clothes, but in kindred ills suffered such as
corns acquired from wearing shoes econom-
1cally bought several sizes too large in an
tlclpatlon OF years growth of feet and in
the saving calculated by the standing order
to the children permitted to go to the eel
lar Tor an apple to be sure to pick out the
specked ones. have not only eaten
specked apples TO save them in accord with
thls regime of economy, but I have also
eaten dried cake and stale pie kept for
company until they We're too bad to send
even TO church festival, and so the d.
gestion of the poor children was called in
To suffer and to save them. / recall with
tears this minute picture of an old man
was wont to see every evening last sum-
mer in Maine struggling with cold pudding,
clammy vegetables and goodness knows
what not that could not go on the boarding
house table again, and which, perforce. his
thrifty wife would have him eat at night
before going to bed because it was too good
to throw away and would spoil before
morning.
The Housewives Conduct.
In this scheme of economy money and
material things alone are considered The