The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-25


nave found it out and taken steps to |
put an end to it before it had progress-.
ed so far"
why did they have to take steps to
end 1t at all?" demanded the Debutante I
who is full of the foolish impracticalities /
of youth.
Well" said the Oracle, It don't sup
pose they were considering him but |
what sort of a wife for a poor man do |
you suppose. Christine would maker"
. Just as good as any girl" insisted |
the Debutante stoutly. She's one of
the dearest girls / know-not a bit |
spoiled, perfectly sweet and unselfish |
and I'm sure she'd be very contented
With poor man if she loved him and
that she'd ever so much rather marry
a Door man whom she loved than the
richest one who ever lived that she
didn't"
ANY girl would" retorted the oracle |
promptly but in her case neither re-
sort is likely to be necessary and 1 sup.
pose that's what her people argue She's |
young and there must be plenty of fell
lows whom she could love who have
money enough to support her and that,
no doubt is what they propose to have
happen. OF course they don't want her
to marry man she doesn't love They
just want her to love a man she can
marry. And they realize that she'll
probably suffer less in giving up her
youthful inexperienced choice than she |
would doing without, as the wife of
poor man, the things she's been used
to her if she DOESN'T
'fWell. don't see,'' said the .Debu-
tante, why they should be willing to
make her unhappy for the sake of a lit
much themselves. They've brought her
up to demand the luxuries, why should
they punish her for that? Why is it
necessary for the daughter of parents as
wealthy as they to go without either
money or the husband of her choice,
just because he happens to be poor? I
should think they'd rather let her have
her Inheritance now. so she could marry
a nice fellow like Ted without having
to give I'D all that she's been used to,
than to wait until they're dead and she's
so old that it won't do her any good.
shouldn't think they could bear to
have her unhappy even if she will get
over it. People speak so lightly OF that
getting over it. as though two or three
years of a girls youth were nothing. 1
think such misery spoils her whole life.
Even If she does get over it and marries
someone else. do you think a woman
makes as good a wife or is as happy as
If she didn't have to remember that she
loved another man first, and loved him
as well as or better than her husband?
1t would be different if there were any
thing Objectionable about man-if he
were unfit for a woman and unlikely to
make her happy-but if his only fault is
that he's poor, how can any father or
mother pretend to love their daughter if
they put their money higher than her
49, 49, -
the accident OF wealth? I should think
she would hate the thought of money
and wish she hadn't cent"
This speech of the Debutante probab
broke all records of Interruptions per
mitted by the Oracle, who had been sit
ting in pensive silence throughout But
at the last sentence she saw a chance to
break in and promptly accepted it.
"Or, as to that" she said, you can't
blame the money. Wealth doubtless has
its disadvantages. though we are all
rNTr Iwr
bility of coping with them; but there's
too much to be said on the other side
for anyone to accuse riches of being the
enemy of Cupid. For instance, if Chris
tine were poor girl her people would
doubtless make no objection to her
marrying Ted, but then are we so sure
that Ted would want to marry her?
Don't look so Indignant. I don't mean
that he's an heiress hunter, or that he
has ever had her fathers money in mind
in his attentions to her, and I'm not
pretending that Christine isn't very
lovable and attractive girl, her money
aside But you can never tell, in the
case of a rich girl, just how much she
does owe to her money. If she had been
! -Ooor would she have been one of the
kind who know how to make a showing
on nothing? We all know that dry
goods make the woman, and that her
clothes and her grooming are chiefly re-
sponsible for her reputation for beauty.
So much for her physical attractions.
Then think of the advantage a fashion
| able and expensive education is to a
accomplishments travel and all
that. There's lots in her environment
! too. A beautiful home is certainly the
most effective setting for a charming
woman Men may not realize it, but
every girl knows how much more agree
able a girl with money, other things be-
| ing equal, can make it for a man. than
a poor one. Lots of women could ac-
knowledge if they. would, that their
pretty clothes, their unquestionable So
cial positions, their beautiful homes and
all the glamour of their wealth has had
more to do with their popularity with
men than their own personal attrac-
tons. A poor man who loves rich
| girl and meets with her parents oppo-
sitfon blameS them for their idolatry of
money and her for being influenced by
such mercenary considerations, but if
! he were perfectly honest with himself
he would have to admit that he had
good deal of respect for their wealth
himself, and perhaps he would find it
rather hard to decide Just how much
their money had had to do with his fall
! ing in love with their daughter. Even if
it had no other effect than to make them
! oppose his suit we all know the potent
| influence of parental objections, or in
! fact any obstacle, with a perverse man.
Everyone knows that it's usually much
easier to win a poor girl than a rich
one, as far as her family's attitude is
concerned, and probably that's why the
rich ones have so many more SuitorS.
| Far be it from me to pretend that it's
| because the men need the money. l
would much rather attribute it to the
natural fascination which a hard game
has for the sex A man who has had no
idea whatever of marrying a girl will
suddenly discover that he can't live
without her Il some one with vestige
/ of authority says he can't have her.
And while I wouldn't say of man that
he loved a girl for her moneys sake. I
have known of this particular man hav-
/ ing lots of desperate love affairs before
but never knew it to become very
serious if the girl was poor Probably
that was because in those cases no one
objected, and there was nothing to sting
him to serious and persistent pursuit.