Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-05-08
MABEL'S ChITCHAT
Something About the Woman
Who Apparently Doesn't Work.
THE LAZY STAY AT HOMES.

Soeiety's Latest Diversion 1hes,
Spring Days In New York Is tn,
Restaurant Dancing Tea-Men ane
Women Trip the Light Fantastic a
o'clock.
Dear Elsa-l'm going to preach. so
you poor. suffering sister. if you're no
in the mood for sermonizing. burn thi,
letter or sidetrack it until its power o.
suggestion will appeal. My text is
1.-The Woman Who Doesn't Work
She's rare these days. but she's about
1t seems. If II listens to genera
conversation. that all women work
some for a livelihood and others just
for works sake-wOrk as Il means OF
developing their personalities and to en-.
large the interests Of the workers.
That's the slogan. You know. dear
that it's the thing" to have an impor.
tant occupation Of your own or at
least one which you can talk about
with Importance.
Now. work is a good thing for every
body, but | think there are Il few of us
who have rather narrow ideas about it.
We think our W particular job is the
only really important thing in the world
and that people who occupy themselves
with other matters are more or less
certain to be idling.
TO come down to cases. | know a
family Of four sisters-one is employed
in an office. one is a teacher. one an art
student. and the fourth stays at home
Her name is Margaret, and she occu.
pies the position Of Jack in the mid
die" in the family.
All the sisters are nice girls and very
fond Of each other, but the three work.
ers with one accord combine to patron
ize and pity Margaret. not in an I'M
friendly way, but quite as a matter of
course
"You see. she does nothing" they
say. Its a pity she has no talents.
for the days ut home are so dull and
long. At least she doesn't have to
toll for her bread and butter as the
rest Of us do"
TO be perfectly honest in the matter,
l had always thought Margaret rather
lazy and often wondered how she
could sit idle while her sisters worked.
But after spending day with the
family ! changed my mind.
Work? That girl worked from SUM-
rise to sunset. She did more in a day
than any Of her sisters did in Il week.
and the work was purely unseltish. as
she received neither credit nor pay
mcnt for it. The teaching sister want
ed Il lot Of circulars sent off to pupils,
and Of course Margaret could address
the ~cnvelopes-it would give her a nice
little occupation. The Office girl never
had time to attend to her clothes. and
1t was quite an understood thing that
Margaret should darn her stockings.
trim her hats and keep her clothes in
order. The art student wanted a model.
and Margaret must pose. and so on.
and so on. At the end Of the week
the three sisters had something to
show for what they had done-salary
envelopes. something solid and COM
forting. But what did Margaret get?
| think she's being cheated. week
after week. Of the thanks and affec-
ton she has earned by sheer hard
work. The least these sisters could
do would be to speak we'll Of her. to
acknowledge her usefulness and to
place her on an equality with their
busy selves. - $685..
II you have a. Margaret in, your
house do not cheat her Of the only
wage which she wants-your love and
thanks. Do not fall into the habit Of
supposing that stay at home sisters
and mothers never need. any rest or
change. They 'want'it just IS much
as you do. for they toll ut a very hard
profession. that of doing the odds and
ends which are too dull or two trivial
for others to undertake. sr.n..
Do not Snub and p%"tronize the stay
at homes more than you can help. for
it is quite possible that every day Of
lives they accomplish 4 work
has n value far above that Of
your own labors. Here cndcth the SER
mon.
From grave to gay is but i step. and.
speaking Of steps. the very latest fad
here in New York this spring is the
dancing tea. You drop in
between ) and 6 in the afternoon os.
to drink tea. but what you
really do is to sip a very little bit and
trip a la one ~step-polite name for
trOt. tango. etc.-a great deal
to the music Of a tinDanny piano. Il
banjo and a guitar. | said music. but !
didn't mean to S the term. for music
Is not fashionable this season. Just
noise is the thing-ragtime bang-bang.
The people who 50 to these teas?
Well. there are all kinds-nice. half
nice and the not nice at all varieties.
The tea tables are arranged round the
wall. and a big space is left in the cen
ter Of the room for the dancers. and
you have no idea how many couples
do a one step in a small space. 1t
really requires only the dimensions Of
a new five cent piece to trip up on