St. Tammany farmer., 1907-07-20
Copyright, by Joseph B, Bowles.)

s.
best examples in the United States of the
busy woman of leisure. Her time is given
for the most part to practical charities:
AS president of the Consumers league of
New York city she has been able to
achieve far-reaching results, the benefits
of which go to the poorly paid classes Of
workers. Mrs. Nathan is graceful
writer and interesting lecturer on sub
jects relating to reform by women. She
was one of the original vice presidents OF
the Woman,s Municipal league, direc-
tor of the Congress of Liberal Religions,
of the Southern Library fund and of the
Jewish Council of Women)
The word bargain to the average
woman is very much like the word
cocktail to the average man. 1t tickles
the palate; it awakens pleasant an
ticipations. The woman who is offered
a bargain and the man who is offered
a cocktail both hope to get something
at the expense of some one else. They
| may be getting something they do not
require, perchance what is not good
for them; but the temptation to avail
themselves of the opportunity, in either
| case, is hard to resist.
The habitual bargain seeker is as
apt to come to grief as the habitual
tippler. Just as the too frequent
cocktail impairs the digestive system
so the abnormal appetite for the bar
| gain weakens the moral constitution.
| There is glamour that impairs the
vision, so that the defects of the bar
gain cannot be estimated and renders
| the bargain hunter oblivious of the old
maxim, penny wise and pound fool
ish." Who does not know the shopper
who refuses to buy renaissance center
pieces at the counter for $275, but
who, seeing the same articles at bar
gain table the following week sur
rounded by a crowd of eager buyers,
rushes to secure one at $3.50?
She feels a triumphant thrill at
having clutched and retained the very
one that her neighbor was endeavor-
ing to secure She glows with pride
when she finds that there are no more
of that design; the one she grasped
in such frenzy cannot be duplicated.
She admires her own perspieacity; it
of an hour in order to feel that to
the victor belongs the spoils. Who
has not met the woman who shows
with pride the bargain she has OBJ
tained at reduction of II cents, but
who, in order to obtain it, was jostled
and pushed about at bargain coun.
ter for fully half an hour, and then
finding it too late to reach home in
time for luncheon, has gone to a res
taurant and expended thrice the
amount saved? This type of woman
however, probably derives more than
her moneys worth of pleasure from
the mere idea of procuring bargain
And the recreation is harmless enough
If the bargain be not tainted" one.
: There need be no antipathy to the
word bargain in itself; some bargains
are wise. There need be no denuncia
ton of all bargains. Some from the
ethical point Of view no woman shoult
countenance; but any thoughtful per
son must concede that there are many
that are legitimate. In this class W.
may place ID articles that are sole
cheap because they have been manu-
factured in modern factories with tn,
assistance of the most modern inven
tions and therefore$at low cost; G.,
l those sold cheap because manufactur
ers have obtained material unde
peculiarly advantageous conditions il
, very large quantities; go those wher
the manufacturer or merchant is over
stocked; (4) those which are n
longer fashionable or novel; (5) thos