Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-01-12
S The Woman of 1900. )

countries Is an absolute imperative,
and the thousand personal graces ana
/ delicate refinement of accent that are
| the marks of fine breeding and worthy
wealth. Little wonder that society
women of not very great fortunes ac-
( cept such posts and smaller wonder
that none but those Of extra ATTAIN
| ments can fill them.
The question OF, dress which is sup
posed to play a large part in the me
/ Of an heiress is little mentioned py
! the chaperon. The young woman is
! impressed with the idea that musIins
| and woolens are all, absolutely all, she
can wear until her debut. and after
! that she is only a lay figure IN the
hands OF her tailor.
She is strictly kept from putting
| on ribbons or ornaments, ana unless
she is vain young woman she soon
| learns this lesson and is quite serious
IN her garb as all foreign girls are until
| that eVentful time, the debut
! The matter of food is dehcare
one with the chaperon. She is a Wom-
| an herself with a grown up liking Tor
| salads and course dinners. With her,
| as constant companion, is a young lazy
| for whom she is responsible IN LOOKS
| digestion, tastes and appetite.
By self-denial on her own part, ana
| by severity to the young lady IN
| charge-Who may be a woman OF 10
she keeps her down TO q diet OF cereals
vegetables and meat. Her drinks are
| lemona de, if she is fat, and milk II she
is thin. She has no ices. nor creams and
candy is for her a totally forbidden
| thing.
PROFESSIONAL WORK.
The business of professional chap
eroning is kept so very secret that very
| few ever hear of it. The chaperons
| themselves are very difficult to obtain,
as they require great deal before ac-
| cepting-sociaI position, intelligence,
! good disposition and congeniahty-
! but once accepted there is never
word said afterwards about the rela-
| tive positions of the two. They are
! for the year practically mother and
daughter.
Once in Europe the young girl be-
comes nobody Immediately. She is a
little girl tie childish charge Of a
chaperon, and as such she is invited
| to visit certain places at certain times.
| But she goes to no dinner parties, and
| she dances at no balls.
Her chaperon, to maintain her own
social position, may be obliged to ac-
| cept such invitations, but the wealthy
young charge remains at home to be
put to bed at s o'clock. In America
she has led gay life. but on the Con-
tinent she is a little girl again and
must accept her lot as the price of
later acquaintance with British and
Continental nobility.
The chaperon is entertained at
luncheon, and here the young charge
may go. She rebels at the limited
skirt just below her boot tops, and the
round waists that are furnished her
she who has been queening it at Bar
Harbor, in crinoline and lace all sum-
mer But it is no use to complain.
The English will consider her a lit
tie girl until her debut and presenta-
ton at court. After luncheon the lit
tie girl is sent to inspect the art gal
Iery. A catalogue is furnished her as
a souvenir and she knows that later
in the day her chaperon will ask her
about the styles of this or Of that paint
ing, and she will have to answer.
According to rules, she messages
each inch of complexion every night,
and is carefully guardful of the ice
water dash for slenderness. She speaks
not a word of English and opens her
eyes in well-bred surprise if the Ameri-
can madamoiselle speaks to her in any
language but French. By and by,
though the American girl does not
know it. there will be a German maid,
and later an Italian, and French. In
this way she will keep up her languages
beyond mistake.
A DEADLY ROUTINE.
Mornings, as d special favor, the
wide awake American girl who under
| stands a Irritation upon the beach and
| shopping trip with fine lunch, is
| invited as a special favor to study in
| Lady Somebody's nursery, with her
| ladyship's big sleepy-eyed, rosy checked
English daughters.
I The heiress gets a fair return for
her money, and the chaperon comes
home if tired and worn out with the
long strain of training an heiress''
abundently rewarded in a monetary
way. The sum of money charged for
professional chapaonage is like that
of a good wife beyond rubies.''
There is no fixed figure, and the
amount is a confidential matter be-
! tween the guardian of the girl and the
chaperon. millionaire's widow offer
ed the widow of a President $500, 900
and expenses to take her daughter to
| Germany for a year. 1T would do her
good" urged the millionaire's widow.
at cannot take her. said the Presi-
| dents widow. MY influence depends
upon the personality Of the girls 1 am
| to introduce abroad.
Queen Victoria recognizes the pro-
fessional introducer very cordially.
There are three ladies of title now in
! London who introduce desirable Ameri-
! can heiresses at court every winter, and
her Majesty has the utmost confidence
in their propriety of selection. English
girls are seldom chaperoned through
! America by friends.
But here The newness of the archi-
lecture and the lack of history" makes
a tourney less an educator of the
worlds great events. A journey abroad
under a chaperon is the top notch of
culture and the heiress so fortunate as
to secure it is sure of a quick place
in society.