Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-11-13
LUXURY FOR WOMEN
STRAINING TO SECURE IT Is THE
CURSE OF AMERICAN MEN.
Dr.. Shrndy Says Man Is DeEenerntinE
and the ReasOn Is His Struggle
to supply His Wife With Lux
urious Surroundings.

-" Nv &C Il h1ilAh ~ '.NC ~ 49, 'N'
cal Record and a leader in the profession
of healing. says the American business man
Is deGenerating. The cause can be sum-
med in three UNDERSTANDING after iuXu-
RES. DR.. Shrady says it is to please woman
that the business man is burning the cam
die at both ends.
l had asked DR.. Shrady what he thought
were the best and worst things Il business
man does for himself.
The doctor eyed me seriously for a mo-
ment and then, looking as if for coun-
sci at the little red devil paper weight
which sits. like a Fidus Achates. upon his
desk, said: My dear boy, the answer IS
SO simple that every one ought to know il.
The sin of the business man OF to-day Is
straining after luXuries. He burns his
electric ights all the time. He does this
in order tnat his ambitions may be graft
he'd. He Is dcSeneratinS as a victim TO
ambition.
Ambition is the fox that gnaws its way
TO his heart, and il is woman that spurs
on the fox. His science of life is to make
home, to see her contented, TO make her
look well and where possible 10 ontshine
her sisters; And he pays for this with
by becoming prematurely old: he skaters
his nervous system; he pursues the bubble
OF finance until at last, as he falls gasp
IS the smile OF II woman, the Consciousness
that his wife looks better than the other
IclIOW : ana mat he Is her iuell Oh All tldt
Is good. great and honorable.
IN justice to many Il good wife. the
man himself Is oftentimes most 10 blame
for his overstrain for wealth. Many hus-
bands are too proud to acknowledge their
inability to keep up their style. II many
would tell their wives their real income the
case might be very different and very much
OF the needless extravaganza would be
balanced by becoming prudence and rea-
sonable seif-denial.
What WOmen Have Done.
Women have inspired the best deeds his
tory records. but granting all this, We can
not disguise the truth. If it were not for
woman. man would care little or nothing
about dress. Blu for her he would be
willing TO live in d hut or tent and wear a
breechclout. The simplest food that ma
ture gives would be as agreeable TO him as
champagne and oysters.
You can see of this any day
down in that section Of New York which
includes our financial world. We VIII Sc
lect a prosperous Wall street man as an
eXample Did you ever stand In the office
OF such a man when a carriage containing
his wife and probably her pet dog drove
p
1t says: That lady in the carriage Is my
wife. Pretty nice looking woman. Notice
her Jewels? Haven't seen any6ody with
ler that carriage, those diamonds. that line
dress she is wearing. Guess that's worth
working for, ism I it,
NJ ptohNi ioSF-9 "a Nv hoy ~
stout and jolly looking but there is. that
in his expression and appearance which in
dicates that there never is time to refill
the lamp OF life SO that it may burn stead
lily. He has been straining after luXuries,
and the pride he exhibits shows why. He
has been doing the worst thing the mod
ern business man can do for himself.
What is it that most of us work for,
when you come right down to ii? Just our
think of a little incident that j was con-
cerned in. 1t all happened near my sum
mer home on the Hudson. was driving
one day and overlook n fellow on the road
He asked me if ! would give him a ride.
l was glad enough to obiige him, and as
We logged along he commenced TO ask me
about myself.
Who do you drive for?' he asked.
DR.. Shrady.' | said.
Treat you WE'LL said the man.
Fairly. said ].
How long have you been with him.
Ever since ] was ii boy
"'Wha does he pay you"
He gives me my board and clothes
why. you're foolish 10 work for him
for any such return as that Mr.; So }.
month and his board. Why don't you go
TO some other place.
We'll. you see. I've been with the doc
tor SO long / don't like to make a change:
twenty-five years Is a long time, and its a
good deal longer that I've been with him.
.What do you do for him besides drive?'
oh. L wash him and dress him and
him up and lake care Of him generaily.'
Well; swan. think you work too
cheap. What sort of a man is the doc
tori
"'oh sometimes he's a pretty good fell
low: ,1 and sometimes TN he's very cranky,
Yes. 1 smoke the same cigars he does
and eat the same food he does and wear
the same clothes
"'Ea at the same table with him?'
Yes
That's a privilege. of course. Most
people wouldn't have that.
Here We reached the place where my
companion wanted to leave me. Here
he said. hold your hat down here. my
man. so ! can light my pipe I did so and
he lit it and got out. Then standing on the
ground he leaned into the carriage and
looking at me very earnestly said: Look
a here. my friend. if you go on working
for anybody for Just your board and clothes
you're Il chump.'
A Race of Chumps.
And the query rose in my mind then
as it rises now: Are We a race of chumps?'
Take the question then. what does a
man gain from mis- labors?-I mean the
average man Of means-and the more you
find that he doesn't get much more in the
abstract than board and clothes. There's
a great cry about club life running the
American business man. 1t is ignorance
that causes this cry. The exceptions are
taken and held up as horrible examples.
end the world never hears anything OF the
other ninety-nine.
There is a great hue and cry about
a man enjoying good times in the city
during the summer while his wife Is at
some summer resort. He is pictured as
living high at his club and as being Il
much-to-be-envied creature in general. Now
what is the truth? The majority OF men
who remain in the city all summer work
very hard and sacrifice themselves in order
that their wives may be in the swim.
The men at night go TO their clubs. to be
sure. and four-iifths of the evenings they
sit around and read until they get sleepy
and then go to bed. 1t has always struck
me as farcical. this depletion of the club
mans life in the summer time. During tbs
hot summer days he. too. might long fol-
the cool hotel piazza if he could only al
ford IL.
The lords OF creation men they cali
Aut ,hs. -bfuk fbev r.tIe fbp vrbpta-