The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-03-01

udN0 given more Iudu OnS 4AuACdIAOuS
in their preparations for the COM
ing Inauguration ceremonies, that their
desires for true Democratic simplicity
are both earnest and courageous. Will
the families of the nation initiate this
admirable example; or will vulgar dis
play and extravaganza continue to
tax the American people? Will "fru-
gality" become the watchword of the
individual and the family as well as
policy of the coming administration;
or will the careless waste of resources
among both rich and poor create mis-
cry in the midst of comfort and swell
the ranks of poverty despite bountiful
harvests and good laws? Here is a
letter clipped from the Pictorial Re-
view which gives ground for hope. 1t
is written by a woman who might be
called a member of the great middle
class" or of the moderately wealthy
class according to ones point of view.
At all events, whether one does or
does not agree with her methods, her
spirit is admirable.
All0I d ClOS0 cudAy Va SO0I01 VIC
found that we could not maintain the
establishment in which we were living.
1t was far larger than we needed; but
in the particular suburb in which we
lived it was impossible to get a small
Ter house without going into an unde-
sirable neighborhood. The larger
house meant not only more rent, but
more gas, electricity, service, water
rent-indeed, more of everything. The
high class neighborhood / found also
had it's penalty. 1 actually paid 10
per cent more than jewellers in the
city for groceries and meats. A 10
cent bottle of olives cost IL cents.
Meats were two to five cents pound
more.
eve tried to find a small house in
good neighborhood in vain. So we
decided to build. We found new
neighborhood within committing dis
lance, and arranged to build bunga-
low upon quarter acre of ground, the
total cost not to exceed $4,000. The
contractor designed place which cost
$2,35O. In connection with the real
estate operation on which we live
there is a club. Membership in this
club, with full privilege of fine club
house, bath houses, a private bathing
beach, a tennis court and croquet
ground, cost us dollar month. The
| total cost of the instalment on our
house, our club and our taxes and
expenses is about two-thirds the rent
we formerly paid. The neighborhood
| is slowly building up, and the newcom-
ers are fully up to the standard of
our former location. In the first 1oca-
ton the women made the afternoons
dress occasions. In our bungalow
colony, tennis blouses and simple
dresses are in high favor and lingerie
robes are worn only on state &C.
casions No one wears hat; no one
wears gloves except to take a trip to
town. These seem like little things,
but they make an immense difference.
"Our own attitude changed. It had
seemed so hopeless to try to save in
our first home that we lost heart for
small economies but as we began to
spend less we actually liked to help
the thing along. We learned not to
increase our operating expenses too
readily This is where the money
went out the first year. If we wanted
an article of furniture we bought it
as necessity. Now we wait, care
fully considering the things we want
most and often we find we never real
ly wanted a particular article at all
We learned to avoid hotels and to eat
at home. We bought better clothes
and fewer of them, and this proved a
real economy. I dispensed with mani
cures, hairdressers and cleaners fo1
small articles of clothing and attended
to these things myself. My husband