The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-25
SOME SECRETS OF WOMEN.
Things New Legal Aid Association
Proposes to Help to Conceal.
New York Sun.

New York Sun.
In the prospectus of legal aid associa-
ton which was organized a few months ago
there was a clause which excited some Curl
oslty. Tie prospectus said that the inita-
ton fee for members was y and the annual
dues IS. These payments entitled subscribers
to certain privileges, among which was that
OF receiving mail at the offices OF the assoc
citation and having the same redirected IL
desired" The manager gives some interest
ing details in explanation of this clause:
That privilege is for the accommodation
have little money of their own. and who
do not want their husbands to know about
it. You would be amazed at the number OF
apparently well-to-do women who haven't
penny to spend themselves. They have beau
tiful homes, servants, horses and carriages
and credit at the shops. but but they hardly
bands pay the household expenses and the
shopping bills, but do not give their wives
cent if they can help it. / have known
rich women to walk because they didn't have
cents to pay their car fare AS for the
price of a matinee ticket or luncheon, why,
easily.
'Of course, most women in those circum-
stances try to make few dollars to help
them out, but their husbands would be flu
rious If they knew t.. / know OF two
women who make little money with the
aid of the stores. For instance. when the
womans bill is sent to her husband gown
is put down at, say, $50. In reality the
price Of the gown is only $50, but the hus-
gives the woman the $40. Sometimes these
women resell a gown to a friends. Maybe
they make 81 or 50 off friend. | don't
know. But they do get the difference be-
tween the price paid by their husbands and
the real cost of the gown.
Women often try to make little money
in less questionable ways. If they should
write to firm asking the privilege of ad-
dressing envelopes at 81 thousand, or
whatever the pay is. and the work. or even
the answer should be sent to them directly,
their secret would be out. Oh, there are a
great many instances where woman might
1af4 70 ann Il n
stances where not the least infraction or
propriety is involved.
Most of the women who come confde
their troubles to me, although there is not
the slightest reason for them to do 50. MY
business is simply 10 arrange for T. meet
ing between them and one of our lawyers,
and they need not tell me anything what
ever. But l suppose they take comfort IN
talking it all over with a sympathizing
woman, for it hasn't grown to be such an
old story to me that have ceased to sym
pathize. OF course l am just as much
pledged to secrecy as lawyer Isl but many
of the women who come are inclined TO rear
all sorts of things. Some of them are in
terror lest it shall leak out that they have
consulted a lawyer. Why, l frightened one
woman away by simply saying that knew
some people who had stayed in the same
hotel with her. / thought she might nave
known them, you see and that the knowl-
edge that l also knew them might Increase
her confidence in me; but 1t had precisely
the opposite effect. She was evidently
afraid that L would tell these people that
she had been TO see a lawyer. so
hurried away Her uneasincss vas
absurd. The name of a subscriber or even
of any one who comes simply to inquire
about the association is never furnished to
anybody unless by the subscriber herself
THE payment of the annual fee, you I'M
derstand, does not go to. the conduct of any
case whatever It merely entities the sub
scriber to consultation with lawyer, in adj
dtion to the other privileges. But she may
isn't a legal holiday If she finds is neces-
sary. One of the other privileges is the de-
partment OF wills and probate; So many
women want to make will, and make it to
suit themselves, but II they did so with the
knowledge of their friends life would be
made burden to them until they destroyed
or changed the will. You have no idea how
some women are browbeaten and bullied by
their families until they scarcely dare to say
property. Even if they could get Will made
they don't know where to keep It, The as
ISOLATION will take all necessary measures
TO have a will probated, and the document
may be sealed up, together with deScrip-
ton and location of property ana deposited
with a trust company The names OF per-
sons who are TO be Informed i'm the event OF
the testator's death are entered on our
books and notices are promptly sent to
Another privilege we give members is
that OF advertising lost articles and mem
tioning the offices of the association as a
place to which they may be returned. We
also furnish to subscribers a card on which
is the number of the subscriber. but no
name. This is to be carried In the pocket
return the pocKetbook to the association
office with promise Of a reward on the
other the request to notify the association
In case Of an accident TO the bearer.
'"rhe most common applications are from
women who have been swindled out OF their
money. Generally the swindling Is done by
their relatives or persons who have posed as
their best friends Women have a bad habit
of signing their names to documents without
reading and compromising what they are
agreeing to. That's the chief trouble The
other Is their readiness to turn their prop
arty over to the man they marry, after
which they are absolutely in his power We
have about two hundred members now, and
have been organized only a few months. l
believe there Is a similar association among
East-side Germans and that they have 10, 0C0
members We think the scheme has been
proved eminently practicable; in fact, this
very association was n existence almost
two years a privat, Jne, organized by a
number of business women who saw their
own need of II. The queer part OF II Is that
so many men have come TO ask the privi-
leges OF the association that there is to be a
branch formed for them"