The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1899-07-15
WAYS OF SOUTHERN WOMEN.
They Have n Tendenc, Ia IrrItnte
Northern Women Who DO Not
Understand Them,

Understand Them,
One OF the things which most impress
lac northern visitor 20 the south Is the
bravery and fortitude OF the women
there under the trying circumstances
which have become lately the part Of
5" many of them. In the larger cities
'hey have turned their attention TO
various efforts at earning "A living, while
IA the smaller places practically only
one way is open TO them, This is that
hrst refuge of most women who find
themselves compelled to work and are
vet without a profession or the training
Tor any regular career-the boarding
house. The difficulties of housekeep-
ing in most of the southern states are
greater than women accustomed to the
varied and abundant markets of the
other parts of,the country can realize
There are not many kinds of food to
be had and what there is rarely suits
northern tastes.
The average southern woman who
starts to keep house for others than her
family rarely does il in the busnesslilie
fashion of women in the north, and this
is in IA way peculiar, as some of the most
successful boarding houses in New York
have always been conducted by south
ern women. But their point of view
seems different at home. and things are
likely to slip along in the best way they
can, 81 am beginning to get little bit
tired OF paying my board in these
southern places" said a girl who had
been in the south for some time. only
10 be treated afterward as if were an
invited guest of the family" That is a
truthful enough description of the way
things 90 in the south, and this fact is
a great compliment to the innate Fe-
tinement and politeness Of the southern
people. Although one may be paying
board to the woman who conducts the
house, her inclination is to treat every
body in her home as if he or she were
a guest. This naturally has its inhu-
ence on the boarder, who feels little
bit like expressing his opinions or feel
ings.
Possibly this treatment prevents the
boarders from complaining sometimes
when they want to. But what is that in
comparison with the great advantage
that comes to manners from the cour-
tesy and unselfshness in such way of
settling the differences between land
lady and boarder? Many of these
southern women are quite incapable OF
keeping house in the way necessary to
look best after a houSeful of people,
but they are all polite, really consider,
ate and genuinely refined. 4 woman in
high degree typical of her class had
been wealthy during her husbands life
time, was pretty and liked the admira-
ZION that men in the south always show
t. women. She was poor widow. Her
daughter. reared to wealth, taught
schO, 7, and she was supposed, in her
old-faNNioned, roomy home. TO have the
best hOt sc in town. She was charming
in her lan.'uid, polished way to all the
guests. never had much on the table
and made everybody feel as if the gath
ering were a house party. The only
reason we had not better things to eat
was the manner in which the providing
was done. The negro mammies in this
town used to go from house to house
with the new spring vegetables If the
good ones had not been sold Wy the time
she reached our house, the boarders
Jared well that night. But if the de-
mand had been large and mammV'S sup