The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-12-10
BIG FIGURES INCIDENT TO THE
NEW YORK SOCIAL SEASON.

lars a Year, but There Might BE
Some Pinching Now and Then
Rent, Servants and Expensive En-
tertainments-Some s'TriAes'' That
Cost notwithstanding" a Sc
riOus EXPENSE
The society season Of 1s9s-99 is under
way anG will be in full swing shortly.
What does it cost the fashionable woman
of the day to be sin the social swim?'
That question was answered in an aris-
tocr(atic drawing room of New York the
other day. when a lady prominently
known in the "swell set remarked that
it might be done by a good manager for
100000 G. year. The Herald asked her if
she would say exactly what were the ex-
penses of a New York " oman Of fashion,
and she kindly compiled in the accompa-
nying communication
From the standpoint of $4,000 a year
incJme life in New York, If one wants to
be in the social swim, is almost as much
of a puzzle IN the way of making two
ends meet as tryi1 g to live on 81 500 a
year in some much smaller city where
social ambition is not so necessary for
ones well being. The cares and anxieties
CT mother with two or three marriage
able daughters in New York at the pres
ent day are manifold aid varied, for the
cost Of living has increased fourfold with
in the last four years, and since the war
has again taken jump upward. -
The first thing to be considered in be-
ginning serious social campaign in New
York is the matter of rent. Personally
spec king, I do not own, but rent, town
house. but we have, of course, TO have
the Newport cottage, the Adirondack
camp, little box at the Hot Springs for
the autumn and u house at Aiken for the
v:nter-that is, after Christmas, so that
it is not worth while for us to come to
town for more than two or three months.
But, then, we have to pay for being in
town at les st $500 month, so you can
easily see what rent amounts to in the
course of the year, and it is we'll known
am rot an extravagant woman.
Indeed, for the set I am identified with
am considered extraordinarily econom-
tcal. but, as have said before, the rent,
to begin with, makes a big hole in the
money my husband and I have to live on.
Fortunately, have an income as we'll as
he, so the 100000 a year that we have
between us sees us through fairly we'll
though its none too much. But then, I
am what is called a good manager, so we
don't have many worries.
zIhe3 next large expenditure for the
household Is the question of the money
paid to the servants. 1t is simply mad
dening the amount that they demand, and
things have got to such a pass that it is
necessary to pay fabulous wages in order
to get good service Then the servants
nave combined to have as many helpers
as possible, so that it takes two to do
the work of one. Our household is run
economically, I am sure of that, for I
Keep fewer servants than any of my
friends and yet I cannot run my house.
hold with less than fourteen, and that in
cludes the men servants.
The stable have very little to do with,
Tor 1 leave that for my husband to look
AFTER, except that I engage the coachman
ana HOFFMAN, as 1 am very particular as
70 their appearance. I will not be driven
about by men of different sizes and who
are utterly lacking in style.
AS you know, do not keep a chef, and
l will not pay over $50 month for my
COOK, but 1 must pay SIS to my butler
or have wretched service. NV daughters
must have "a maid, and of course the
woman who waits on them has all she
can do without looking after me, and at
my age it is most imperative that I should
nave woman to look after my gowns,
arrange my hair and keep my personal
belongings in order.
have to pay the woman T want SY5
month; to the girls maid pay S25, ana
they are cheap at that money. There are
lots OF little things that they do that
otherwise would have to be sent out or
the house to be done and would cost a
lot more. Then, I suppose in personal
expenses might count telephone The
bill for that came in Yesterday and the
excess 11yhjc l,
to me swindle, but aftervard I found
were all right. ~
l cut off one expense this year. that OF
housekeeper At least was going to cut
1t off, but I found when I looked into
the matter that she saved her wages, $50
month, out of the bills, and although
had to have another woman to wait on
her, even then she was an economy.
Entertaining costs us lot, and yet L
don't see how X can be done for less
money. I am not counting the cost OF
house parties or what we spend when
we are out of town, but simply what it
costs me in NewNYork the short time we
are here. I gave an entertainment the
other day for my youngest daughter who
Is only fifteen; she invited only $50 of her
friends and $500 had to be spent on that
entertainment alone, and it amounted to
very little after all-nothing in the least
of a show about it. A simple collation.;
! away with a lot of money But it was
only child's party after all was said
and done.
I have been giving series of little din
| ners for the older girls and have really
succeeded i'm getting the expenses for
! these dinners down to hundred dollars
each. The dinners don't amount to mucn
you know, compared to those I have to
give for my. husband occasionally. l can
not give one for his friends short of $50,
but then I have very good wines, and
spend good deal on flowers. The older
men appreciate those things, and, after
air. think it's money well spent.
do grudge the money in entertaining
the young men, who have no manners at
all, and act as If they were comforting a
favor upon me by accepting my invita-
ton. and were 1T not that I look upon
the money spent upon them as simply an
investment there are not half dozen
among the lot should ever have in the
house again. But when YOU do entertain
them and give them the sort of food and
wine they like, they will have bestowed
the pleasure Of their company upon our
girls for Derhans two or three dances in
the course Of an evening. and they are
very useful at dances. q
We have to keep the horses in town, OF
course; no woman Of any self-respect
would think Of going out In society II
she did not have her own horses. This
going about in hired cabs is. to my mind,
essentially bad form, and would infin-
Sitely rather stay at home altogether than
go out in a shabby way. Then one needs
second man to be on hand to call the
carriage and TO hold ones wraps, and
you cant have q man for this purpose
who is not good looking and has some ef-s
feet about him. OF course, that counts.
Theater and opera tickets are never In
cluded In this list Of expenditures that