The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-16
A sELF-sUPPORTING WOMAN.
One Finds Fifty Dollars a Week Nee.
esaaFV IN Her ExfafenCe.

One Finds Fifty Dollars q Week Nee
essary to Her Existence.
New York, June Alt is interesting to
collect the views of disappearing wo-
men in New York as to just how much
money it takes to live.
And by living. of course, 1t meant the
regular metropolitan existence according
to each woman's light, what luxuries she
must have, what she can do without, and
what is the sum total required to keep
burning the very small flame of her i'm
portant or inconsequent being.
AT recent gathering in a well-known
woman bachelors studio the question
arose, and a musician, two journalists
and an Illustrator gave their opinions.
The musician, vowed with emphasis
that her bare living expenses, without
dress, required $50 per week. She was
teacher of considerable prestige, needed
to pay the rent of two working studios,
besides a living apartment, and must dress
extremely well. When asked If she might
not domesticate in her town studio and
save the rent of the apartment, she ad-
mitted that she could, but would not.
In the morning she had no time for that
moment of comfortable dawdling so dear
to the artistic spirit, but must rush to
her places of business; for money repre-
sented all the world held dear to her, and
though she longed pasSionately to sing
herself Qor she had fine voice., 1t would
be tempting Providence to neglect her
teaching, In short, 1t was nothing but
work, work and no play, and she owned
to frightful depresslons of spirits.
ION the very face of things, them"
volunteered one astonished listener, "mon-
ey does not give you all you want!'
graceful girl, with large sensitive eyes,
who had braved hunger itself in New
York to be happy her own way. Re-
Gently, upon the modest sum of four
hundred dollars, saved through econo-
mics that cost no appreciable privation,
she enjoyed a trip to Europe, and four
months study in Paris.
In New York she paid the smallest rent
consistent with comfort, ate simply,
dressed to suit her means, and had all
the time she wanted for precious recrea-
ton. In fact, upon weekly income of
a little more than a fifth of the musi-
clans she lived her life.
The musician could not understand how
| anybody could enjoy Europe unless he
stopped at the best hotels! The others
were not even clean, there was no run
ming water, and you were forever en-
countering Cooks tourists and all sorts
VI uClSSldUlO pcISOuo.
Living in studio was out of the ques-
ton. She had always been accustomed
to live properly, and nobody thought any
thing of you if you didn't live properly
One smiling but contemptuouS listener
the most notable of the journalists-here
observed that it all depends upon the in
dividual conception of the word prop
erly." She herself had lived properly in
| New York, and saved money on ten dol
/ Ia ha cd hao in a
we'll ordered establishment a woman's
boarding house, with good cookery, snowy
table linen, real silver and delicate china,
for the small sum of $3.50 week. True,
! this boarding house kept by an old New
England lady, had been an exceptional
| place, but she could name several 9TH
ers for women where to-day at a pinch,
one might live comfortable for the same
sum.
She had had all the best things in lit
erature from the free libraries, and taken
| all the time she needed to see the pic
ture galleries and visit her friends. And
upon three hundred dollars she had gone
to Europe for six weeks, travelled in
England, France and Scotland and
brought back some cherished photo
] graphs.
mo matter how busy am" continued
| the speaker, who Is now quite a famous
person, Il can always spare a moment
to 80 upon the roof to see the sunset and
the little new moon. For though l can
survive frock not in the latest fashion,
1 can not survive eternal hurry and no
recreation.
ITO conclude, my dear" said the jour-
nalist, shaking a hooking finger at the
bewildered music teacher, who had be-
gun to feel herself in allen hands; "tc
conclude, we are both modest sparrows
but you have borrowed the crest of a bird
| of paradise. and that II does not fit you
are willing to admit. You go to Europe
not to see what Europe offers, but to
revel in running water and shining fau-
oets-which you might enjoy in Hoboken
for much less money: you are living only
to pay rents and be generally miserable
with your splendors."
This fictitious value of appearances is
| largely due to the atmosphere OF New
York. The same woman who here makes
frantic and unremunerative effort to keer