The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-12-10
The COST OF HIGH ROLLING

box, as you know, and although my hus-
, band says that the pleasure Of owning
1t costs g pretty penny. 1t is one of the
expenses I never bother my head about
I am simply thankful have it.
Pew rent have to face, but my pew
is also a family inheritance. and I'vel
never allowed more than $500 for nv,
church expenses. And should have a,
| very uncomfortable feeling if I did not:
give that much to the church; besides, it
would be very bad form If didn't.
At dinner the other night a lot Of
people were discussing the question of
how much 1t costs to live in New York.
/ All sorts Of sums were mentioned. but we
al arrived at tie conclusion that mo-
body could present any sort of an appear /
ance in society on an income of less than !;
$4,000 a year-that is to go out, keep
horses and live as one must in these !
times, even if one did not in the least i
| intend entering the list with the Astors
or Vanderbilts.
| What paralyZes me this winter Is the !
| fearful cost Of clothes. I used to think ,
&C uld dless the girls and myself on !,
$500 year, but no natter how econom- =:
| ical try to be this year the thing can
| not be done.
took the girls the other day to get
their winter hats I want them to look
we'll this year; 1t is necessary they should
look well if they are going to be any sort:
| OF success. For stree we ar could not:
buy street hat for less than $25, and the
hats in which they looked the best cost
$3.50, and I was told these hats were a
necessity. I think they must be for I.
saw Mrs. -, whose income I know is.
much less than mine, ard she said she.
had just paid SIS for her hat-a very in:
significant looking little affair it was. too;
Fur is used to a degree that is appalling,
and one must have at least one hat
trimmed with sable or chinchilla.
Then fur gowns are another necessity,
particularly if woman goes in for skat-.
ing, and my girls skate. I bought one
| of them a gown of black Persian lamb,
the entire gown of fur, and for the other.
I bought n coat and skirt of mink; for:
| one I paid 500, for the other $500; and
| they were nowhere rem arkable gowns. 1t;
was an awful price, I know, but what:
could do? However, they do look,
| smart, and I consider the money well;
| spent.
Then the muffs cost so much The
latest fad is to have sable muffs lineds
with the sable, and these cost from $500!
to $500 apiece. Of course it is not neces-:
| sary for everybody to wear sables, but.
one does feel awfully out of things when;
| all ones friends go in for a fashion Of
| this sort.
Evening gowns are very expensive
They are very smart and becoming. but
| do cost an awful lot of money. There;
! were two that I set my heart on that,
! than $500 each, and I hate to put that;
amount of money in a gown, particularly
when 1t is so effective that everybody will:
remember it next year, if I try to wear.
1t again. I am sure you will know that
economy is my watchword when I tell
you I only bought one of those gowns;
ana then bought my four others for $500!
apiece. She let me have them at that
| price because I bought so many, and I!
am good customer of hers, for I always.
pay my bills within a year, and 7 know:
/ very few people do that. 3
! Evening cloaks and wraps are simply
hideous in price this year. What wanted:
TO buy for myself they asked me $500 for,
and 1T did not amount to a great DEAL:
, after all, no very valuable lace or fur:
10 De sure, the. cut was everything and,
the effect was excellent, but I do think:
that's an exorbitant price for a wrap;
l was fortunate enough to get one for:
S4OO that will answer all purposes, but!
1 had to go from Dan to Beersheba. I;
only paid $3.50 for the girls cloaks, and!
taey were exceedingly good, too, and very!
cheap for what they were One was q:
pale blue mirror velvet, and the other,
was yellow, trimmed with lace with hight
fur collar, but I lad ti>z lace, and that is
the reason I was able 20 do so we'll:
Ihen we all had to ha-se short wraps,
puS OF course those cost very much less.
think we got them al Tor $500; I'm not;
sure Then had my last years opera
COAX done over, so /! I'm very well pro-
vided for
l find that tea gowns .ost a lot but one
must certainly have th--,se If nothing else.
You know it is the ATOM of one of the;
pest dressed women NsT York that il a.
woman only has a small allowance at best
she must spend half o. =: or her street
clothes and the other ha,f on one superp
tea gown. This same woinan has mar
rled off a most unattractive daughter and
fT11r five 49, IL.
or whom had any money t. speak of, and
the belief is-in fact she says so-thal
it is because they dressed according to
her dictates.
did very we'll with tn. girls street
gowns. I only gave sos apiece for the
quarter length cloaks-but ] had to pay
$50 for more elaborate cloth gowns,
However, they are snort enough for re-
ception wear. I bought myself a black
velvet, but that was one Of the greatest
bargains ever bought for only paid
$3.50 for it, and I can wear it in the even
Ing with a low waist, although 1 don't
! suppose ever shall do it, for do think
If anything is poverty stricken it is this
idea of one skirt to do duty with two or
three waists.
am anxious that they should both
marry, and marry well, and, to be quite
frank, that is one reason why we are IN
town this year. But what I shall do
when it comes to the question of trous-
seau can't imagine, for want my girls
to be as well turned out as anybody else
is, and yet when a lot of us were discuss
ing this subject at luncheon yesterday.
we agreed that girl ought to have at
least $4,000 to buy her trousseau. or
course, it can be done with less, but then
the people in our set don't do it.
It's very DuZzling to know whether it's
pest to give girls an allowance and let
them see what they can do for them
selves before they start out on their
| trousseau; but then they don't know
where to go as well as do, and 1 can't
possibly afford to give them more than
$4,000 year to dress on-that is, for each
one of them
And do not bring up my girls extrav-
agantly, but wish them to be surrounded
with the same atmosphere that they will
be In when they are married. do not
expect them to marry out of their own
set. 1t would not be advisable for them
to do so, and they must accordingly learn
how to drecs and live in the way they
always will, If nothing happens
This matter Of Aiken in the winter eats
up good deal of money, but no doubt
there is a good deal of social benefit to
be gained therefrom. It is like going In
Tor Meadow Brook and the hunting set
generally. 1t cannot be doEo without con-
siderable expenditure, but we look upon
this my husband and I, as most neces-
sary expense, and judging by what we
nave seen among our friends, there is not
cent spent foolishly
IT is all very we'll for people who are
not In the social swim to comment on the
amount of money that is spent, and $780,
OOU Is certainly at first sight a large sum,
but there are very few years when ever
with the most careful management we do
not run over this amount.