The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-07

being-has there ever been a mince pie
worth one dollar? asks the New York
Herald. The assumption is that the
article-the composition-the creation
was of the normal size and produced
under the normal conditions governing
the purchase of mince meat. flour and
brandy.
OF course, a mince pie. though of on
ly normal dimensions, may be worth
a dollar to the family physician but
that is an Issue not to be considered
in an economic discussion. or course,
too. mince pie, though OF only normal
dimensions, might be worth a dollar
in a remote mining camp on Thanks
giving Day or Christmas Day or any
day which stirred the miners
thoughts of the old home and its pam
try. But this is merely a sentimental
valuation, and again has nothing to do
with the economic queSuion-waS ever
a mince pie worth a dollar?
Mince pies are sold for a dollar in
New York. Therefore. it is evident
that there are persons willing to pay a
dollar for mince pie. But what do
they think they are paying for? Rich,
brown. tender, flaky crust and a melt
ing combination of favors? Those they
might obtain for half the price from
worthy bakers. What then? They are
purchasing the pleased consciousness
of helping" that deserving creature.
the reduced gentlewoman.
1t is the reduced gentlewoman who
charges a dollar for her pies 1t Is she
who charges SIS apiece for life sized
rag dolls. 1t is she whose crocheted
slippers sell at a rs per cent. advance
over the crocheted slippers of COM
merce. 1t is she whose pin cushions
are impoverishing to their buyers,
whose laundry bags need a Standard
Oil purse for their purchase, while on
ly the Steel Trust can hope to own her
sofa chusions.
But the reduced gentlewoman 1t not
working primarily to soothe the shop
per with a sense of having saved mon
ey by not buying the reduced gentle
woman'S wares. And one wonders IL
she Is not badly advised by the man.
ayers of her emporium when there Is
so wide a discrepancy between her
prices and those current in the COM
mercial world. Those who habitually
buy the knicknacks Of her manufacture
and the pies of her baking must be
comparatively few, and they must be
actuated by charity rather than by
the ordinary purposes of purchase. The
reduced gentlewoman cannot fiatter
herself that it is the superiority of her
work which keeps up it's prices. She
/ must know that 1t is largely her mince
pies, against the Oh cents of the excel
lent bakery on the corner.
OF course, she has to pay more for
her raw materials than the regular
dealer, for she buys in small quantities.
But the discrepancy between her prices
and the normal ones is not explained
by this. If she entered into COMPETE
ton with the regular trading places
she would have to content herself with
smaller profits on each article for
awhile than she now makes, and small
err profits than the maker who buys
raw material in bulk makes But her
custom would be enormously increased
| and in a short time some means might
be devised by which she could obtain
her materials more cheaply. If the
organizations which now manage the
exhibition and sale Of the pretty triv-
ialities of her making were to buy the
raw materials for her work in bulk at
manufacturing rates and were to sell
1T again to her at the same rate, no
one would lose by the transaction. And
with the influx of new custom which
her lowered prices would give her
would begin an era of prosperity for
the reduced gentlewoman-a prosperity
so great that she eventually might be
able to buy a glass of her own jelly or
wear an apron of her own making.