Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-20
PAUL|HPRY N PARIS
She Finds Very: Little to Make
no
Life Worth Living.
|
NOTHING Is CHEAP
WHY AMERICAN WOMEN LEAVE
Observation-Disclosures AT HOME.
or -
All Sorts of Reas ons-Some Only Fair
and Others Not Even
K 10 THAT.
Editor Of The Evening Star:


fectly why T am writing letter to the edi-
tor II there is one thing in London that
Is nicer Than lam for breakfast and food
cooked without salt 1t Is the delicious habit
the British people have of writing letters to
the editor upon all occasions, and even-in-
deed. most generaliy-when there is no pos
sib1e occasion. II am Inclined to believe that
the main reason why the British people are
SO far behind the American in some things
is because. while the American public Is
hustling for what It wants the British, to
a man. sits down and Is exhausted writing
letters to the editor. Still. though there Is
no money in 1t. the custom affords such a
happy, not to- say honorable. means OF In
dulging ones egotisn, it is beyond me to
resist 1t. -" y
But. Mr.. Editor. 1T. was not about Lon
don that set out to write you letter. 1t
was to inquire If you know anything shall.
lower than are the friends who congratu-
lated me when destiny ordered me to Paris
to live. For, two months now l have been
striving to find anything In Paris to make
the life hereaef q decent American family
worth living, and despair. On the con-
trary. have settled down finally under the
disheartening conviction that as compared
with the United States the possibilities OF
life for an American are reduced fully two
thirds by a residence In Paris. will not go
now into details OF why this Is so. I viii
say nothing OF the time 1T takes and Of the
money 1t takes to go down town to buy
yard Of cotton--this by reason Of the ante
diluvian system of street transit and equally
antediluvian methods OF Paris shop keep
ers; win say nothing Of the insanitary
standards Of education here. which being
known would cause the Civic Center OF
Washington and the Anthropological So
cfety and the Womans Collegiate Alumnae
and the mothers congress to descend upon
Paris as humanity bent upon reformation
as ever our army descended upon Cuba
or the Philippines.
will say nothing of the utter lack OF
for decencys sake. II for no other reason.
I will not say how often-that Is, how sell
dom-we have come to battle nor for PHYS
sake. will fispeak OF the lies that were told
Corning the Rpint the fact Of the mat
ter Is nothtng IS cheap here but kid gloves
and silk netkties, and poor. respectable
American MSman can bring herself to go
or kid gloves, though they be twenty-put-
ton. MoreoEer, one cannot eat these things.
AS to eating butter is 90 cents per pound;
eggs-queer-f fasting leathery eggs-are
meat, 80 cents pound, etc. etc.
Whence Its Reputation.
understand perfectly how the notion of
the joy Of Tying in Paris comes to be fixed
in the minds, Of americans The compare
have to take up residence here are so soon
paralyzed by msancholy they have not the
power Of making the, truth about their sit
uation known, and Ithe others-the great
majority who come here-don't live. They
stop for TING and, make of Paris a mirror
to reflect the splendid egotism which brings
them hither.. If 1 wanted to be unkind l
should go further and say the reason Paris
has a reputation in America for being gay
is because It affords the American wife so
many convenient DrhteXtS
of her husband. The ratio of American wo-
men to men visiting Paris Is easily one
hundred to three. Has the American hus-
band future? Is question which rankles
in my mind, witnessing as / do the enor-
nous number. of American wives doing
Paris alone. untrammeled by any mere
mans control.
In the pension where live are never less
than fifty or sixty American women, all
f1erceley bent on culturing, with their poor
stupid husbands groveling for their bread
and butter at home. number of them are
gray-haired, many of them are past mid
die age-aH of them are certainly old
enough to know and do better Neyerthe-
less with the whites Of their eyes turned
up to the yhsayens where rest the snow
capped summits, of their towering ambi-
tons, they stay on here studying-some,
art; some, science; some, languages; others
lingerie and chiffons, and all with q com
mon impulse have broken I'D their homes.
left their husbands in counting room and
shop in New York, Boston PHILADELPHIA
Washington. Chicago, San Francisco, Osh-
kosh kalamazoo-that they may develop
their higher aims. One often hears asked,
us your husband coming over soon? "Oh,
dear, no." is the invariable response; "he
cannot leave his business, and he finds
nothing to interest him here, anyhow
this in tones Of mixed pity and contempt
for the poor, inferior creature who OF
necessity goes in for bread and butter in
stead Of culture, and does not rebel against
his fate. gs
Helpless small children are brought to the
rescue of the woman who cannot possibly
produce any ambition In herself Compelling
residence abroad That the children may
learn French Is then sufficient warrant for
telling papa good at the pier In Hobo
ken and sailing away without him.
One Woman's Reason.
I heard yesterday of one New York wo-
man, who, after repeated protracted visits
to Paris has finally. established a home
here for herself and children. Business
keeps her husband in New York, but-God
bless our happy home!-he Is allowed to
spend two months year in the bosom Of
his family.
This incident, of the Americans wife's
necessities forcing her to come to Paris
seems too good to be true, but have been
witness of 1t. She lived in our pension.
She was easily thirty-seven years old; she
had left one child, a girl aged twelve, In a
convent in San Francisco. In that city the
superfluous husband also was left With
her she had soma bratty child, aged ten.
She came to- Paris to cultivate her voice.
because--thiss sheffield us all-because. don't
you know, mot. 9ply life but marriage Is
so uncertafR nowadays, a woman never
knows when.sbe, may be thrown upon her
own resources and SO while her husband
continued a1iYehand producing regularly
she just thought She better perfect her
voice so that she could go on the stage IL
she ever had TO do 1t. Her husband, she
said, is getting qAite old, moreover he has
the divorce. habit, somewhat, having sepa-
t. 81 o. u
inasmuch astshe herself begins to fade a bit.
was 1t not prudent for her to take time and
Paris by theeforsloek? Most prudent. we all
assured her, and xhen. after the Gore trag-
edy, her husband cabled her to abandon a
musical career In Paris and return home
instantly, cpttin&ro on her bank account to
insure obedience, We all wept over her mis-
| tha tir,a had come for heroic action and q