The Saint Paul globe., 1904-12-16
POOR BERTHA KRUpp
RICH eUNMAKER's DAUGHTER
TO BE PITlED
Has So Much Money She Does Not
Know What to Do With It-Pity
the Sorrows of a Poor Rich Girl

Poor little Bertha Krupp! This re-
mark has been made in print lately
and has inspired one to inquire why
little Bertha is dubbed poor, and what
her particular trouble is. But, when
one learns that her income is 100000
a year, it is readily to be seen that
Bertha has some cause for unhappi-
ness For with the size of her for
tune and the undue prominence which
it gives her, her slightest action or
wish is chronicled and cabled, and life
under these conditions is great bur-
den. To have enough, in the way of
money, is great satisfaction, but
when a woman is as rich as Bertha
and does not know what to do with her
wealth her condition is almost as pit
liable as if she were poor. For what
ever she does decide to do she may be
sure it will suit nobody. That is one
prerogatiye which the public always
retains. the right to find fault with
what the rich do with their money.
If Bertha wants to spend her wealth
in building hospitals, everyone will i'm
mediately wonder why she did not
build aSYlumS. Or vice versa. If she
decides TO keep. her money to herself
and do nothing out of the ordinary
with it she will be reviled, and if she
gives it all away the world will laugh
at her. For the divine command to give
all one has to the poor, if followed in
this day and generation, would be re-
garded as the sign of a weak mind.
Then when Bertha-poor Bertha
comes to marry she will find money
awfully in the way of romance. She
and the young man-if he be a nice
young man-will try to rise above and
forget her fortune for q time, but it
is sure TO bob up and stare them in the
face just when they think themselves
most sentimental. One may indeed pity
the sorrows of poor rich girl This
handicap of great wealth may imbit-
ter Bertha, make her old and sour be-
fore her time, and certainly will put
her by way of losing faith in human
ity. She will begin to wonder if there
is on earth a disinterested person who,
for few short hours can forget she
is the richest girl in the world
The great problem would be, if Ber-
tha is inclined to do great things with
her money, how to set about it. If she
reads. the Sociologists she will learn
that the worst thing she could posi-
bly, do would be to give money away
TO pauperize people. This may strike
Bertha as rather wet blanket when
one has so much ready cash to dis
pose of, but unless Bertha is a very
impulsive and kind-hearted young
woman, she will listen to these wise
folk and turn her attention to other
ways of getting rid of her surplus.
Also she may learn-or conclude-that
instead of building institutions for the
INDECENT, it would be well to do some
thing which helps people to keep out Of
these. same Institutions.
Ot1course there are many heartleSs
persons who viii refuse to feel in the
Ieastssorry for Bertha, just because she
has more money than is good for her,
but the troubles of Bertha are very
real after all, and cut her off entirely
from many pleasures and friendships
which are natural TO young women.
But there is one thing certain Just
al this time of year, when one wants
oceans of money with which to buy
Christmas presents, no one can deny
that Bertha's position is rather
pleasant one. If she has friends-and
OF Course she has-what JOY it must
be to go out and buy the very things
or all others that you know your
friends most want-and let the ex-
pense go hang. So, while being very
sorry for poor Bertha most of the time
just at this particular moment the
woman's department does not feel in
eHned to pity her as much as on other
occasions. when great wealth-Iike
none at all-makes life rather hard to
bear.