Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-09
The Perfumery
Nuisance
By DOROTHY DIX.

Manufacturers Association be-
fore the Ways and Means Committee
in Washington the other day. made a
pathetic protest against increasing
the duty on the raw materials from
which extracts are made. And he
said he wasn't spea king for himself,
but for the sake of the poor girls who
would have to cut down on their use
Of scent if prices were raised.
Quoth he:
The best market for perfumery is
in the factory towns of New England.
Why, l know of a typewriter who
spends at least two days salary each
week on her toilet articles. l ask
that perfumery-this slice of happi-
ness-be preserved TO the shopgirl
and the factory girl, for they are the
ones who enjoy 1t most"
Most of us who ride in street cars
and attend theaters and other crowd
ed places wish that the price of per-
fumery could be put up so high that II
would be prohfbitiYe, and that the
women and men whose slice of hap
piness" consists in going about smell
ing to Heaven could be denied that
malodorous JOY. To use altar of roses
Is a breach OF the peace. To dissent
nate patChouli is a crime that should
However, that Is another story. So
is the instance of the girl typewriter
who spends the proceeds Of two days
work a week on her toilet articles.
If a young woman prefers to put cold
cream and rouge on the outside OF her
face instead of roast beef and pota
toes on the inside, it Is her own af-
fair.
A gin will have her bit OF ribbon
II she has to go without bread TO get
It, She WIN shiveT for lack Of sufti-
Client clothing TO put the money in
string of imitation pearls She Will
20 without lunches through a whole
winter to save up to buy a willow
plume in the spring, She viii sit up
half the night, doing without the sleep
and rest she needs, to make her silly
lace trimmed garments which have no
wear In them. She puts her hard
earned money in fiimsy silk stockings
and paper soled pumps that come to
pieces at the first wearing, instead OF
good. substantial stockings and shoes.
Nor is the working girl the only
sinner in this respect Practically all
women put ornaments and show be-
fore use, Give a woman a certain
sum OF money to furnish house, and
she win spend three-fourths of It on
brio -brac and gilt chairs for which
she has no earthly use, while che does
without the things In the kitchen that
would lessen her labor by half. She
Will have a brocaded sofa In the par
Tor that IS too good to sit upon. al
though her family has not a single
comfortable bed on which TO sleep.
Then there is the woman who 1T
orally starves her family in order that
it may make a show when It goes out
on the street She denies her chill
dren the milk and butter and meat
that they need to make them healthy
and strong to put lace on their petit
coats and fur on their caps, and she
works herself into the grave and her
husband into nervous prostration for
the sake of living in a little better
neighborhoud and dressing a little
finer than they can afford
What They Would Get.
Men are far wiser in this respect
than women are. A man is generally
willing to seem what he Is, and TO
live according to his means. If he is
working man he dresses like a
working man. and he does not try to
ape the appearance and clothes Of
milionaireS. but every woman wants
YOU to think that she has just strolled
over from Fifth Avenue and left her
limousine on the corner.
So she must have a dress Of the cut
Of Mrs. Astorbilt, though she has TO
buy shoddy 10 do il, and she must
change the style Of her hat as often
as Miss Croesus does. though she
starves in the doing of II. It's all
very sad and very foolish and makes
one realize that the thing that women
most need TO learn is the law of
values
II they would only take the neCes-
stiles and leave the Injuries alone
they would find that they had really
gotten the luXuries too for there is
no luxury equal 10 being really com
Portable The girl who spends her
two DAYS a week salary on toilet ar
tiCles would ascertain If she put that
much money in good food that there
is no cosmetic equal to health, no
rouge that gives the color that does
good red blood Also that no per
fumery vet devised by the chemist is
so refined and dainty as the odorless
Od0r so 10 speak that is the result
of a plentiful use of soap and water.
And all women would find that If
they spent their money for the plain
substantial things they need. and left
ont the eleganCies they crave. they
would have a comfort Of body and
peace and ease of mind of which
they have never dreamed. The ache
in our hearts and the gone feeling in
our stomaChs are the result of our
having lunChed upon a maCarOon and
a sailed almond, instead OF cOrned
beef and cabbage
The real reason why we all com
plain so much about the high cost Of
living is because we are spending
our money on the frills Of life instead
OF the substantials. We think we are
bound TO have automobiles and go to
the opera, and when we've done that
we haven't anything left with which
20 buy butchers meat and groceries
We should all be happy and con-
tented if we had the courage to do
without perfumery. as it were.