The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-13

eAA0 SlIlS. ne HuUDleSl tTllleS give uil~
limited pleasure if given with a great deaf
| or love. Let us give as many Christmas
| gifts to our friends and relations we can
afford. But do not let US be tempted to
| spend money on them which we ought 10
! devote to other objects. We must be just
| before we are generous.
That useful old word "spinster" says an
| exchange, has fallen upon decadent days,
| Few countenancing its use save in the
| marriage service, or on legal documents.
| People prefer instead to talk of women
! bachelors, which, as old Euclid would
say, is absurdity. This dislike to a
perfectly Legitimate word shows a singu-
! lar weakness on the part Of women who
are procaiming their strength. An I'M
/ married woman is a spinster whether she
calls herself bachelor or something else.
| This protest has been suggested to me by
an article in Scribner's Magazine, written
by Mary Gay Humphreys, and called
! women Bachelors in New York" Save
the exception of the first two words in the
title, l have no quarrel with what is real
ly an interesting paper How very true
are the following remarks: Women used
to save; now they earn. Formerly when
| they had to face hard times they re-
| trenched in servants did their own work,
cut down the table, the fires, made their
own clothes. The literature of the last
generation is largely a history of small
economies. Women might go hungry, but
1
as blue as their blood"
| Now, If losses come, women set about
earning money themselves rather than
relinquish any of life's luxuries. The
New York woman, 1t seems has a wider
knowledge of the world than her southern
or western sisters. Consequently, when
she has to earn her living she casts about
for something original instead of combining
herself to the old feminine ways.
Philip Gilbert Hamerton heartily dlsap-
proved marriage made in the French man
ner. And yet one morning." he says, in
his autobiography, when l was writing
on my desk "a tall oak desk that used to
stand up to- the idea suddenly came, as if
somebody had uttered these words in my
ear: why should you remain lonely all
your days Eugene Gindrez would be an
affectionate and faithful wife to you. She
is not rich, but you would work and fight
| your way
81 pushed aside the sheet of manuscript
and took a sheet of note paper instead.
| then wrote in French, a letter to a lady in
| Paris who knew the Gindriez family and
asked her if Mademoiselle Eugene was
engaged to be married The answer came
| that she was well and that there had been
no engagement. Soon afterward 1 in
| Paris.
Il called on NJ. GindrieZ but his daughter
was not at home. l asked permission to
! call in the evening, and she was out again.
| This was repeated two or three times, and
my wife told me afterwards that these alb
! sences were not accidental. At last we
met and there was nothing in her manner
| but certain gravity, as If serious resou-
| lions were impending. Her sister showed
no such reserve, but greeted me gayly and
/ frankly. After few days l was accept
ed on the condition of an annual visit to
/ France.
From worldly point of view this en-
| gagement was what Is called in French
une folie, on my part, and hardly less so
| on the part of the young lady. We had
| however kind of inward assurance that
in spite of the difference of nationality
| and other differences, we were, in truth,
| nearer to each other than most people who
contract matrimonial engagements. the
| electric afinities act in spite OF all APP
| pearances and of many realities We nave
| often talked over that time since and nave
| confessed that we really knew hardly any
| thing of each other that our union was
| but an instructive choice. However, in
| 1873 I had neither doubt nor anxiety, and
| in 1889 have neither anxiety nor doubt.
Despite her opportunities. says the New
| York Tribune which the world is tod
have greatly increased of late, the UNI
| protected female is, in nine cases out or
| ten. a very helpless being. For instance
here is a case which is very perplexing
to all parties A widow with her daugh-
ter, a pretty girl of p or thereabouts. liv-
| ing recently in Dresden, received news
| that the source of her income was in
danger, and that it was imperative that
| she should return to America to protect
| her interests AS It seemed useless TO in
cur the expense of the costly journey for
both of them, the girl accepted the invita-
ton of friend TO stay with her during
her mothers absence, and the latter set
sail for home
on her arrival at her native town in
South Carolina she found matters even
worse than she feared. She was soon left
absolutely penniless.
A married sister, whose means were also
very straitened, offered her a home. but
that was all she could do. and the poor
woman had not only no money to send
for her daughter, but no means OF keeping
her after her return. In the meanwhile
the girl is left in pawn. as II were. and
the hospitable friend, who is also impecu-
NOUS Is wondering how much longer her
inconvenient guest win stay. So. at pres
emit there are three distressed women CON
sidering the situation for which, appar-
emily. there is no immediate solution.
This state Of affaiis never would have
I occurred II this girl had been properly ed
! ucated for some bread-winning profess
sion, as she undoubtedly would have been
had she been boy. and thereby fitted
for an Independent and therefore, digni-
| fed position.
What. under the circumstances, is to be
the future Of this poor, stranded genteel
/ waif2
The difficulty nowadays seems 70 be not
that careers are not open 70 women but
that neither parents nor daughters seem
TO care 10 follow any plan Of education to
III girls for self support.
With boys such education Is a matter Of
course; IL is not left 10 be a matter Of
necessity. but with girls the need must
be imperative before any effort is made
and then IL is generally too late.
The whole trouble lies In the fact that
II Is not customary, and until IL Is the
rule and not the exception, girls them
selves Will be opposed TO Il.