The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-23

to set down the thrifty French woman
as a trump and dOwdy hauSfrau with
her mind in her pots and pans. On the
contrary, it is a rule suffering not a sin
gle exception that the French woman's
first care in life is her own appearance.
Every one in the country recognizes
that, and acknowledges it to be right
and proper, monsieur first of all. Din
ner comes next-but it does come next.
The French woman's ingenuity is there
fore concentrated on these two ends of
existence-to look we'll and to eat we'll.
The rest will take care of itself
Needless to say, the preliminary step
of securing the pursestrings has been
taken, as a matter of course. a week
after marriage. Not one Frenchman out
of one million resists. Among the
wealthy monsieur has his allowance.
Among the fairly well off he keeps back
| cash for his three evenings a week at
| the cafe. for the restaurant dinner and
theater outing once or twice a week,
and for his tailor. Among the working
classes he endeavors, not always sue
ceSSfully, to withhold five francs on Sat
urday evenings.
But in all classes. without exception,
he hands the bulk of the household.
money over to the 'tmissus or to
Madame Ia Marquise. He would not
| dream of attempting to do otherwise,
| nor would a single French woman stand
his attempting it for one hour. For that
| matter, she generally has a bit of her
1
German great lady. 1t is an absolute
| fact that the fanances of France are in
the hands of the women of France.
! Intensely Practical
I They are worthy of the trust. They
| devote their acute brains, unimagina-
| tive, if you will, but possessing sheer
| genius for the tactical life, to the two
| ends of existence already spoken of.
| They viii spend hours of time and in
| calculable energy and intelligence on
| looking we'll. Nor is it merely looking
well, but being really wen dressed. A
] French woman will rather stay in bed
| than go out with an undarned hole in
/ a garment, however impossible it may
| be for the outer world ever to see the
| blemiSh.
| 1t would be there. and she must feel,
as we'll as seem. perfectly dressed. If
| the great lady goes over all her toilet
| infinitely, the little bourgeoise who has
| to manage with husband and two
| children on &200 a year does just the
same and the Partisan workwoman as
4 much as she. The mereSt midinette is a
paragon of neatneSS, and it is her pride
/ that were she ever to be run over. of
which there are always many chances
in the streets of Paris. and taken to a
| hospital to have a broken leg set not
an undarned hole would be found in
| petticoat or stocking
| Holes having been darned, the spring
dress freshened up into summer ont
by some mysterious transformation in
harmony with fashions, and madame
! being finally satisfied that she looks
| we'll then but Them only, comes mon
sieur's dinner He would never dream
/ of asking for it, of course, while she is
/ occupied with the n1aid-if they have
one-or with her own needle and thread
in humber households. But the secret
of monsieur's dinner, of course, is that
it is madarne's alSo-that is to say, that
/ she enjoys it just as much as he.
Every single article of food, except
fruit and vegetables, being much dear
er in Paris than in London for vari-
Gus Complicated economic reasons, the
dinner in question must always remain
a mystery to those unfamiilar with me
arcana of cookery. But the facts are
there Some facts are conspicuous by
: their absence. such as cold meat 1t is
| true that Paris meat is usually I'M
eatably cold, SO it must be done up;
but how it is done up!
/ observe how the thrifty French lady
has a luncheon served of a juicy ONE
Iette, unknown in EnSland-where the
/. thing called omelet is Springy, thick
, and dry-four ounces of mutton hash
ed in some secret way which makes
YOU eat it. a lilputian cotelette per per-
son. with souffle potatoes-the cook
cry of which is apparently elementary,
, if not instructive, with FrenchWomen,
while we must go to hrst class hotei
chefs to get them-a cake from the
pastry cooks round the corner to fol
low then Camembert just ripe to a
turn, and strawberries-but these must
rot be boasted about. for they are
ALWAYS better in London. wh1ther. OF
: course, the best are sent from Brit
tany To cap it all comes the coffee,
generally undrinkable in Paris cafes,
always undrinkable in London cafes,
2 usually perfect in Paris houses where
r the thrifty wife has looked after it.
. London Telegraph.