The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-03-29
Slaves OF Economy.

1t is difficult for women living in
large cities or progressive American
towns to realize the condition of
thousands of their sex in more remote
country places.
In spite Of the prodigality OF Mr..
Carnegie in the way of Libraries, and
in spite of the penny daily newspa-
pers, which penetrate into distant
hooks and corners of our land, whole
communities of American women exist
today in woful ignorance Of anything
beyond their own neighborhood.
Worse still, these women are we'll to
do in worldly goods and amply able to
procure books and periodicals did they
not consider the saving OF penny of
more Importance than the cultivation
Of their minds.
There was a woman who worked in
her own home for more than o score
Of years from dawn until 8 o'clock at
night in order to help her husband
accumulate enough money to build q
new house and furnish it better than
the houses of their neighbors. Never
was there book taken in her hand
other perhaps than her Bible. Never
was she known to journey farther
than the neighboring village.
She grew i'll and needed rest, but
| the new home was already planned,
and she would not employ help,
though amply able to do so, because
the habit of saving had become dis
| case.
She lived to see tho new house erec-
ted and to die in the "spare room"
Eighteen months afterward young
wife took possession Of the home
which cost her life.
Visit the interior of almost any
State and you will find women occu-
pying fine houses who are utterly ig-
norant of the literature Of the world,
aud who do not even take the time to
read monthly magazine or a news
paper.
These women look old enough to be
the mothers of city women Of their
age. Petty worries, petty cares,
petty ambitions have eradicated all
beauty and youth from their faces. A
visitor from larger world assisted
such woman in :, her work one day
and urged her to take ON hour of rest
in the afternoon.
But the poor slave 10 economy said
it woul3 sc "a bad habit" to form, as
she migal want to rest another day.
So she remained awake and talked
about.tke money she was saving for
the future.
And what is the benefit of money
saved at such sacrifice? During a
journey to the ST. Louis Exposition
the writer saw q pathetic illustration
Of the results Of sach economy.
A woman who has worked indoors
and out for lifetime, and who has
not been beyond the limits Of her
farm for twenty.years, occupied com.
partment in the sleeping car. She
was perhaps 30 years CT age, to Judge
by the appearance of her husband,
but her face was as old as that Of
many townbred women Of 20.
Her body was stiff and awkward;
her clothing, bought for the occasion,
worn with evident discomfort. She
was i'll at ease in the car, yet anxious
to inform her chance associates Of her
wealth. Fl.
'"My husband has often travelled in \
his business" she said, shut I have
always stayed at home and looked
after things.E Nov we are we'll off
rich, in fact-and mean to see
iittle OF the world" But how much
better had she seen little Of the
world as she went along and aocus.
toned herself to its ways and ideas,
Ellis Wheeler Wilcox in ST.. Louis
Republic.