The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-02-28

because had to do so much shopping,
but we were very poor then and con-
sidered it just as much d part of my
business to spend our income to the
best of my ability as it was his to make
it. | spent great deal of time maxi
ing that money go long way. AT last
got tired of having fun poked at me,
and determined to quit shopping alto
gether. | did, and pretty soon chaos
reigned in our little home. / ordered
my meat and groceries from the bows
who came TO the door, never counting
the cost or anything. and when any ar
ticle needed replacing in the house. as
something does nearly every day, you
know, let it go unreplaced. That was
in the spring and, would you believe it,
| didn't even get myself any clothes.
but kept wearing my old last years
dresses. At the end of three months
my husband struck Oh, wish you
could have heard him! 1t just rejoiced
my heart. He said his grocery bills
were three times what they had been,
that everything in the house was get
ting very shabby because | didn't take
proper care of it, and that | myself
looked too dowdy for anything. and
! that he was ashamed TO be seen with
me, for no man liked TO go with a wom-
an who looked conspicuously different
from other women. And that's a good
point for every woman to remember,
dearie."
"Well?" exclaimed the young ma
tron.
Il just flung myself in his arms and
explained the whole matter to him.
proving to him the absolute necessity
for a woman>to do shopping, and
great deal of it, in order to run house
without friction. He was converted.
and from that day 10 this he always
speaks of shopping as a dignified pro-
fession."
at is that very thing. too" interrupt
ed the little woman across the counter.
Pardon my freedom in speaking. but
you are talking about something that
touches all womankind, and | can't re-
sist. \ few years ago my daughter mar
ried Now, if she had not been an eX-
pert shopper. they could never have
gotten along on his income but she
read the advertisements in the papers,
and don't believe she ever spent dol
lar in her life for which she has not re-
ceived 100 cents worth of goods"
''As this seems a sort of open discus
sion, suppose l may speak also put
in stout woman sitting next to Mrs.
June Bride. NO matter how much
money a man makes, | don't think a
woman has a right to neglect her pro-
fession of shopping. But many DO.
How often does it happen that wom-
an, when she is first married and her
husband is poor, tries to make every
cent count, but neglects this wifely
duty as his income increases. She
leaves the marketing largely TO her
cook or the butler. and that means that
the bills are three times as large as
they should be; she orders her gowns
from a dressmaker or tailor without
stopping to find that she could buy the
same material herself for one dollar a
yard less, and when she needs anything
for the house she gets the first thing
that suits her. regardless of the fact
that by going to another shop she could
get it cheaper. The wife of man with !
a constantly increasing income has |
grave responsibilities, as grave as the
wife of the man who is barely making
a living"
Quite right" agreed Mrs. Golden
Wedding. Il have no patience with
these people who say: oh, what is it
for Mrs. Astorbilt to shop? Money is
nothing to her. The more money one
has to spend the greater esponsibility
in spending it, Because a woman has
all the money she wants, is il any easier
for her to keep an establishment with
40 rooms and 20 servants in running
order? No. Everything is equally pro-
portioned in this world, and the more
money one has the more complex is its
expenditure"
why doesn't man think of all
this?" asked the newly married woman.
You'll find, after you've lived long
WHILE" answered the old lady. that
man is more creature of habit than of
thought. so far as his relations to wom-
an go. 1t is habit with him to say and
think that shopping is her most foolish
pastime and her best loved one. and my
opinion is that it will be long time be-
fore public sentiment in regard to this
particular thing is changed Every
woman will have to content herself
with doing little home missionary
work along this line among her men
folks endeavnrinu fo convinna fhem