The news & observer., 1897-04-11

We pay out our good money to see
some wonderful panorama, or whatever
a succession of scenes may be called,
and never stop to think that, in any one
OF the great cities there is a never-ceasing
panorama to which we pay little or no
attention. Not only Il never-ceasing
panorama but an ever-changing .pano-
rama. 4 panorama of comedy and of
tragedy. of life and of death, and pano-
rama in which. sometimes, we ourselves
constituute the moving figures. Where
is it! On the streets OF great city.
Get up early some morning and see it
moving It's 80 o'clock, and taking
your stand on one of the well-known
streets. you wonder, first of ALL where all
the women are coming from. They
crowd the sidewalks. Some walk
quickly. while some drag along, as if all
life were .weariness. Most of them are
young. TOO young to have such tired
faces. They are the busy bees in the
hives They are the hundreds of girls
who live-sGod knows hOw-and who
hurry every morning with the horrible
fear of being too late to take their places
behind the counters or at the desks in the
great shoEs 1t does seem as if, for Il
little while at least. life should be a
pleasure 10 these women. / ought to
say, these young girls" But what fe-
male thing stays young when it has to
to solve the riddle of earning its bread
and batter? Look ut them as they go
by, think Of the long. wearisOme hours,
think eef the few pleasures, and then
think, with II great wonder, how it is
that they manage to look as hopeful as
they do.
Leave this street in the shopping dis
trict at . o'clock. and go to the fashion
able avenue. There you meet the school
girls. hundreds of them; some walking
alone, others in merry groups, and others.
the daughters of the very wealthy and
the very careful. are accompanied by
maids for fear even the sunshine might
stare offensive at these small girls.
Then, the housekeeperS are coming out.
The busy, wise women who propose to
select for themselves the dainties that
will appear upon their tables. At this
time You will meet the bright, handsome
girl, who knows that a walk in the early
morning hours brings the roses to her
cheeks. increases the brightness Of her
eye and makes the doctors bill very
slight item in her yearly expenses. Be
hind her walks stately collie or
French poodle, with his curls fashionably
trimmed, or n queer-looking dachsund,
but never, under any circumstances, a
pug, since they are quite out of fashion,
as they deserve to be. Eleven o'clock
and prettily dressed women are here,
there, and everywhere, busy shopping,
while those who are not interested in the
very latest fashion are, it is more than
possible. looking after some pet charity,
md rtar for 10
of the poor, some nursery where, for a
penny or two, a baby is cared for the
whole long day, while it's mother has an
opportunity to earn her livelihood, and,
these are the charities that take up part
of the morning. Fashionable women
manage their charities WELL They see
that tae milk and bread served to the
children on the other side are as good
as that which is offered to the small
people in their own nurseries. They look
over the accounts, and many one gives
up her morning shopping so that she may
be kept from temptation, so that the
money which would have been spent for
the prettiest bonnet that ever came from
Paris may go for little gowns of COM
Portable frocks, to be worn in houses
where Partisan bonnets were never
heard Of
Very soon it's /. o'clock. and half the
feminine population is rushing for its
luncheon. Some go home, some to the
big, fashionable restaurants, and many
more to the quiet little places in side
streets where, for Il small sum of money,
enough to at least satisfy hunger may
be gotten. Some of the Pharisees go to
a famous restaurant that was founded
for the benefit Of working women. Here
a good luncheon. almost amounting to
a dinner, is served for % cents, and
Nine. Hypocrite takes advan' re of this
opportunity and saves her r"3aey. She
and her kind crowd mp to ti1p tables and
keep away the women for whom the
Margaret Louisa Home, and places like
it, were founded. | wonder at what tables
the Hypocrites, these female hypocrites,
will sit in the future? Three o'clock,
and the avenue is gay with carriages,
laden with elegantly dressed women,
starting out to pay visits. There are
more-many more on the sidewalk in GUS
tunes so bright that, looking from
window, you think this panorama is one
of many colored flowers
For the women Of society, during the
afternoon, there are teas and teas, and
no end of teas, and possibly there's
special entertainment Of music or read
ing, to which in between few minutes
are given.
Six o'clock or little after-and they
are all going home. The shop girl, and
the society girl, side by side. One, tired
because she has enjoyed herself so well;
the other tired well-how can
any female thing stand from to and
not get tired? Then, you might begin to
see here and there women whose cheeks
are rosy and red. whose hair is golden,
whose gowns are gay, but who never
come out in the sunshine. They are
the birds of the night The sun would
show that the roses in their cheeks, like
the gold Of their hair, was bought.
They're fitting about, but keeping rather
quiet yet awhile. A little later, and it
seems as if all the great city was empty
ing itself into the theatres. Here's
large omnibus filled with a merry party
and chapperoned by jolly matron.
Here's a smart-looking brougham, in