Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-13
SHOP EARLY? THIS
WOMAN SAYS NO

Wish to express. and shall take ad-
vantage of your columns to do So
am a law-abiding citizen and taxpayer
of the female persuasion, and dutIuIy
do as I am bid. I pay my taxes carry
to help the clerks in the tax olnceS'
and by the same token l shopped carry
last year, because all the papers tolu
rs 10 do so and save the clerks in the
stores. DO get repaid? do not l"
the first place, by going early IN the
morning 1 am treated with mornlhB
lassitude peculiar to all indoor people
The girl clerks want to talk over last
nights fun, and the man clerks want
to talk over kicks and chances of ad-
vance in salary with the other clerKs
near at hand. 1 have patiently spent
the whole early morning hours getting
waited upon, while the same amount
of goods purchased would take less
than an hour to transact after noon'
In regard to shopping early in the sea-
son: Last year 1 went dutifully aS
soon as the papers began their annual
howl for us to do so. l had so many
presents to get and so much money 10
expend. 1 got the presents and spent
the money three weeks before Christ
mas. but just for fun, to see the crowds
and the holiday spirit went into town
the last few days before the final wind
UP. What was my amazement ana
chagrin to see the very articles l hao
purchased three weeks before at good
solid prices marked down from ONE
third to one-half the price l paid for
nine Now would a man call 1t good
business policy to follow such a pro-
ceeding? do not call 1t good ousl-
ness, and this year 1 shall walt until
the last few days. and thereby save on
what get, and have more to spend
for more presents. If one does not
look out for ones own expenses 1 do
not know who will.
Does IL not seem shame that the
spirit of Santa Claus is being so COM
mereialized that all of the quaint and
delicious fancy of the myth has es-
caped? Do you readers know that the
little tots in school who should yet be
believing in Sanity have figured 1t
out to themselves that when they see
a Santa Claus in each and every store
where they are taken that something
is wrong They have believed in one
Santa Claus who knows all about the
good little children in all the world,
a wonderful being who by his very
greatness may know about every good
and bad girl or boy without any reason
for its being startling, But when they
see dozens of Santa Claus wandering
about the stores they begin to question
the wonder of 1t, and very wisely their
little minds come to logical conclu-
sion that Santa Claus is just man
dressed up and make believe, and
therefore there is no Santa Claus. 1t
seems too bad, for the baby days of
belief are so short at best that 1t Is a
pity to force the commercial side of
life upon the minds of tots.
The smoke question burned and faded
away in the columns, and I did not
add my mite, although like the old man
in the story kept up heap of think
ing. The other day I went early to
the nearest postoffice to send off a
package. 1 was the only one in line,
but while waiting for the register to
be made out man came in, strobe up
to my shoulder and stood there walt
ing for me to finish, and blew his cigar
smoke in my face. I've stood untold
numbers of insults on the street cars
A. hoo hut
tainly unwarranted. I turned to look
at him. He appeared to be gentle
man. I was tempted to tell him what
I thought of him, but did not. Some
times it is very uncomfortable for
woman to be a lady. But as left the
office fell to wondering. What would
men think, 1 wonder, if women, just to
protect themselves from the filthy
habit of mankind, provided them
selves say with one of these little
things we used to call kiki guns, with
which bicyclists used to squirt am
monia at swapping dogs; load one with
as foul an odor as tobacco smoke is
to every woman and to many men
themselves, and when men unconcern-
edly sat down and blew smoke into a
woman's face she drew this forth and
blew it in the face of the offender?
L,awsy! Men would be legislating
against woman carrying such an
article within a months time.
And yet by what right has the man
any more right to blow offensive
odors in a woman's face than woman
has to blow offensive odors in a mans
face? Why, 1 have heard men grumble
like anything when woman with the
poor taste to scent herself up with
cheap cologne or expensive perfumes
came too near them. But wouldn't it
he fun if we all dared to arm ourselves
with a little kil1i gun and fill it with
something horrid and retaliate when
the cigar hog forgot he ever had any
manners? MRS. S. T.