The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-09-12
TRYING TO KEEP UP.
False Pride and Living Beyond Ones
Means.

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False Pride and Living Beyond One.
Means.
There is nothing so absolutely fool
ish and unremunerative as the false
pride which attempts a style of living
beyond the means of the individual,
whose only incentive thereto is that
others in her set do thus and so. and
therefore it is incumbent upon her
TO do likewise. To strive to keen no
to a certain standard, without the
means to do so comfortably or success
1ully, IS of all things most wearing and
displr1ting. Many a woman at the end
OF the a asks herself what It is
all worth, and thinks how foolish she
mas been to waste time, energy and
money to gain the favor of certain peo-
pie who have SO much that they count
for nothing the efforts made to please
them and consider that they are con-
terring a favor by accepting invitations.
Yet, despite her experience of the
vanity and hollow sham of it all, the
chances are ten to one that such a
woman will begin her poor, pitiful
worldly campaign the next season with
renewed vigor, and that she will again
sacrifice herself and family to this
Moloch of modern society called public
opinion. If only these poor, hard-work-
ing, weary deDizens of vanity fair real
lzed That such striving is not only fruit
lcss' but derogatory, that the very peo-
pie whose acquaintance and friendship
they are most anxious to secure would
like n respect them far more if thev
were simple and honest and hospitabIe
according to their means, it would save
them no end of trouble and discourage
ment.
We dined at Mrs. As the other
evening" said the sensible wife of one
OF our multi-millionaires, "and enioved
1t so much. She lives in a tiny arart-
ment and has only two maids, and she
gave us the simplest little dinner, but
SO good, and such a relief after the
elaborate affairs one generally has to
SIT through. just soup, fish, a flet of
beef, an entree and a sweet, everything
IN such excellent taste, and only eight
at table, but just the people one wanted
to see. DO ask me again. nv husband
Slid to her as we were leaving. 4 have
not enjoyed myself so much this win
ter N he really meant it. We took
dinner with some one else, who shall
be nameless, acouple of evenings after
ward. Such a tiresome experience as
IT was! The dinner was poor and vet
elaborate, and everything was on a
scale too big for the house. What a
mistake those people make I said as
we were driving home, and how anx-
lous and tagged Mrs. - looked I
presume they are living beyond their
means was my husbands manlike con
cluslon. - came to me the other
day to get me into some new enter.
prise in which he is interested, but 1
guess I'll keep out of it,"
How tired and disconnected Mrs.
Clymber looks" remarked one of her
acquaintance, land vet she has made
a success of it this winter, every one
says"
"She has bought her victory too
DEAR" answered some one who was
present. "She has spent more than She
can afford. She has offended her old
friends, and what has she gained? Toll
Grafton only from the set she has set
her heart upon belonging to. No won
der that she finds the apples of Sodom
dust and ashes-yet she will continue
to reach after them with the same
eagerness next season."-N. Y. Tribune.