The sun., 1903-06-14
WHEN Tnv GIRLS GROW Up.
tUsy rHr ~ Wo Z JrW rR0n.
ITW eTtsUys ~ nm
fse svsw,ts wsr'' O~ N s~~'s H,e.sh'
~ sow ssm'i, IN us.ns''s~. ss's
WSsser tspe~,e, NJ 0r"ww''W wsash'
,sts ~ e,ss wsdrs s~etsi tw''''H~s


Wcssep spsr,e, NJ 0r1wwsvp issash'
,s,s N e,ss w.ass s"e,s' ,m,i''"~s
No. oil ,hs ts~sn'lT printed solu''oh'
a the protle,r n nying ~ o. 40 yeh'
bsve mo, wish unqualified srrfcval 't'r
fssbsss and mr. hSfs IN Manhai"n ono
d,ssebtsy from The conclusions se' inflh
a the moi he, ~ two dnughiefe, and hof nl''
l-s,tlors s,s hssr,i M Tho fact ihn' sh"
rsn,s ~ cof tinu" ~ llvn "n NTnh''Nh
islsoa
avs sbs, 'sif cell and good w. thai cse
obIldfen - they grow ~ He' nov ueNa
n lJfs m n, Tho uisee clioose " eif liitt'
berr and SNOW only tho pleasures l'ol
t~nssI 10 a town ~ Village ltpu'aH''
principally by pets"na ~ small m'a
SUb,Ief such cifcuinntrhcct " is uN@ihl'
hat M these chil,lfen mature they innN
con,ious Ia he coh,ontcd simply hrcahs"
hey know bothlhe different Ru' iu 'tnte
plant a family rooted Nv Manhattan w y
,srtftfy town and expect then 20 10 ea's'
d~d 10 quite another INNS
~ u very slfpris'ns 70 mo ~" w'n'
N, sths, IN trying ip solve tho pfoh'"n ol
I,ow q biz family with small incutn" can
i've In comparative comfort and save
money no, word has hccn amid about the
arown-up daughter ot tho dnngh'3rs Nh'
ara almost grown up II " sDl'l Vl9.-
iren, children who g. 20 public 'oh'o''
who have becn talked about most
Now 10 mr. mind the real strain ana
q, ross of making two ends meet with a
mall income. let alone trying ,n swell
savings bank account, II not reallY unncr
stood until the daughter grow up Mheh
II comes 10 a question ~ cos' m'ih
me grown-up girl equals half dozen ll't"
ones And goodness knows, the grown
ip daughter is ,lentifu! enough ANY
summer resort vi prove that
AsI have come 10 the cOnclu ion that any
family with a growh-up daughter or Two
and an income Of only $500 year. hNihg
In Manhattan and ambitious 10 NOV" -
rood society mind you. not fashionable
society. but the society OF perpie 81 re-
fnement and average education-is up
against one Of the greatest problems on
earth. ] wish some one would solve 1t Tor
me. II keeps me awake mig hts sometime
sMy husband Ia one Of the many thou
sands OF middle aged men in this city wit h
an income Of $500. | doubt II he viii
ever make. more than that And yet he
feels-we both feel-that It Is absolutely
necessary to live in good neighborhood.
give our children a fairly good education
and not make the girls begin to make their
own living before they are more than Just
out OF school.
we have four children, two boys and two
girls The latter are the older children.
One has just been graduated from school,
the other will finish next year. There Is
only years difference in their ages. and
although the younger is not quite !! she
appears to be as old as her sister, and their
friends treat them alike. Each considers
herself full-fedged young lady.
Almost any mother of daughters knows
lust what that means-beauX. more visitors
TO the house day and night, good many
invitations out, not only to The girls, but to
their father and me, and willy.nilly. some
entertaining on my part. 1t means party
gowns and slippers. lot of changes OF
clothes for them and also for myself, be-
cause I am obliged to be so much more in
evidences.
apartment, one with bigger. or rather
with a less tiny, parlor and dining room,
and Of better appearance, for which we
paw 81, 900 a year. and all because our girls
have grown up. We don't have to con,
slider the boys, who are both under IL and
60 to public school.
'Of course, when the girls were smaller
none Of these things was necessary, and at
that time, although my. husbands income
was smaller then than it is now, we were
really less cramped for money because we
could eliminate entertaining.
order to avoid the alternatives, OF, being
loaded down with obligations or withdraw
ing entirely from all social life. which, by
the way Ia not a good thing for any girl
70 do, must invite their girl friends to lunch
their men friends to dinner
or TO a social evening. ,,.. ;uo,.. ,,.,.
must be certain degree Of forma!ity
about such entertainments. and formality
means more or less expense, even among
people Of very moderate means, and at
10 unimportant function as girls lunch
and favors and quite long menu served in
coy,yaes nv a trained servant
sTo put cold meats, salads, cakes and
preserves all on the table at the same time
and let guests help themselves. or be helped
by the hostess. is now out OF the question:
Still, putting the question OF simple or
elaborate entertainments quite out OF the
reckoning, can't see how our finances
would be bettered by moving to a suburb
10 which my hus band could travel back
and forth every day
charms Of life in small New jersey
town. cited, remember. as an all-powerful
attraction a public free library. Now;
no one depreciates the value of a good
library; I, least Of all. But library isn't
everything. II alone won't educate any
body ,.,., ,.on ,,r, n
New York, and a good many who have
not, want pictures and music and lectures
and theatrical performances and a dozen
other things that can only be had in big
city. Certainly they cannot be had in
suburb.
.sMy children want all these things. so
do I, 30 does my husband. which means
that We would ell have to patronize the rail-
road pretty regularly and pay. out in car
fares far more than we saved in rent,
my husband and went into the calcu-
lation very carefully about one year ago
and came to the conclusion that We were
not rich enough to be able to live out Of
town; that 10, urlees We made up our minds
TO give up almost everything we cared for
that could not he had in the country.
Neither OF US had the courage to face such
a sacrifice or to trk to pers uade our
children to do It.
$50 We have concluded to submit for a
while longer to cramped quarters and a
high rent, to the struggle to cajole Bridget
into playing various roles as occasion re-
uuires, and the necessity Of making one
dollar do the work of two.
sWe have concluded. too, that youn 6
lady daughters, from more than one point
OF view, are the dearest things in the world.
MEAN TRICK ON ED GILMORE