El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-03-29
SOCIETY SETS
HARD Tasks
FOB U0MEN
Modern Social Leader Is
Often Misunderstood; but
Usually Is Philanthropic.
MONKEY DINNERS EVI-
DENCE OF NEW RICH

IL
w There is no harder part for
the modern woman to play in
the great drama of life than that which
frequently falls to the lot OF the society
woman. Despite all assertions to the
contrary, the modern society woman
IN most instances is I sane, clever per
son with generous impulses ana many
serious ideals, instead Of the vain.
giddy, useless creature critics would
have US believe She is usually fully
alive TO the responsibilities OF her po-
sition and sincere in her desire to full
All them properly. The term, "noblesste
oblige," is ever before her, although
in her very efforts to fulfill that obh-
cation she is often misunderstood ana
harshly criticised. These CRITICISMS
must pass unnOtlced because an eN-
PLANTATION might injure the feelings OF
The very person she desired to help
1t is harder for me to know what IS
right 10 do than II would be II were
earning my own living, said New
York heiress recently Last month
1 met the sweetest girl artist who IS
working her own way through art
school She would have been hurt If
] had offered her money but she
paints so cleverly persuaded her TO
paint me special faVOrs for my musical
last week Each Of them contained a
little portrait of a musician she IS
specializing in miniature Work and her
NEpEk was SO eAAiL 4S4Ae / LelL ttldL 4 ~
giving her nothing more tlan ner just
dues when / paid s. apiece for thems
or S120 for the two dozen ordered
aunt Olivia has found il out and has
lectured me terribly, saying that I am
setting bad example to the whole city
by my extravaganza The little girl
would have had TO give up her lessons
If / had not ordered them ana dld
not think anyone need know about IL
All of my guests seemed pleased with
them, but I suppose ii would have been
7nsaHH had frr=rHa rod T0rfrn cd
souvenirs at about 50 dozen and
found some other way to help the
artist" Her voice showed genuine con-
Germ.
ExtravaEance An Aid to Workers.
The extravaganza Of society women
always viii furnish a text for clergy
men when other topics run short, but
how many ever stop to consider that
every bit Of extravaganza caused by a
changing style or an elaborate decOra-
ton, gives to some poor worker en-
ployment which ne otherwise might
miss2 A Philadelphia woman Of
Quaker ancestry, with a taste for fine
dered a lace dress made for herself
during a stay in Ireland. Tt was to cost
$1,000 and its purchase was well her
aided in the newspapers Upon her re-
turn home she attended a large recep-
ton wearing her lace gown
While the entertainment was IN prog
ress an old friend distantly related TO
her family managed to set his foot
down upon her train, tearing q large
hole in the lace The lady, who did not
lack in temper, turned upon him sharp
y for his aWkWardness. Il offer thee
No apology. Deborah said the old man
severely "On the contrary, I regret
that 1 cannot tear from thy shoulders
the whole garment. Thee should be
ashamed to present myself TO thy
friends in public, wearing a gown the
extravaganza Of which is a shame to
all WOmankind- Thy fathers memory
should reprOve thee"
AT least 1 viii not permit thee 10
reproYe me" retOrted the lady indig-
nSntly. I want thee to understand
that 1 have no shame in having paid
$1,000 for this dress. Does thee know
that ii took three women six months
10 produce it and that during that six
months they were able from the money
i paid TO them to provide food for them
selves and their families for a whole
year BY purchasing the dress which
thee has torn, and for the mending Of
which 1 shall send thee a BILL I did
more real good for the relief Of the SUI
1ering poor than thee has done in the
whole OF thy life by the distribution
OF free meal tickets to dissolute men
who are too lazy to earn their sus-
tenance- If no woman gave herself
the pleasure of wearing lace the poor
lGcemakers would starve ana it is bet
ter to pay them for work than to give
them thy kind Of charity"
Monkey Dinners
While, Of course, monkey dinners,
circus balls and other freakish enter
tsinments, which sometimes furnish
4lAdLE4 -elA ADA the oDLAElE CQ4LDL5s are
disgusting TO most people Of taste and
judgment, it viii be found that such
entertainments generally are given by
persons who recently have acquired
money and are not quite sure how it
may be expended to the best advantage
The entertainments, which are some
times condemned most severely for
their cost, are not OF this type but
have many elements of real beauty.
Frequently the whole scheme Of dec
Grafton is designed by an artist who
raN nal q Tnrz b ar-T~I TanE
may be carried out by an army Of
skilled WOrkmen, each Of whom is prop
erly paid The guests derive pleasure
from the beauty, originality and exc
cUtiOn of the entertainment, but hun
dreds. or perhaps thousands, of work
ing people are benefited by receiving
pay for the work II required 1t has
been stated that the wonderful Brad
ley-Martin ball, which for several years
represented the climax of lavish ex-
penditure in this country, Indirectly
furnished additional earnings 10 near
l. 5000 people at a season Of the year
when they most needed work. The
same has been true Of similar enter
LainmentS given since then
Gets Relief for Laundresses-
Society women are each year show
ing more consideration for the women
who work Many of them belong TO
the Consumers league and similar or
ganiZaLiOnS. When the Investigation
made regarding the laundry workers in
New York last year revealed the fact
that, after an elaborate entertainment
at one Of the large hotels, laundresses
often were obliged to work for from
Il to p hours without any rest, one
prominent woman went TO the man
ager OF a hotel she usually patrouized.
Il want to give a ball here for my
cousin, Lady Blank, from England,
who is coming over for the first time
since her marriage" she explained.
4 viii give it here only on condition
that you supply yourself with suffi-
cient table linen to prevent the neces-
sity Of women being compelled to work
a unreasonable hours to put it in or
Ger for the next event" The man knew
that she would keep her word, so
through her influence the oppression
of the laundresses in that establishment
was practically ended
The influence of the society woman
is an important factor in any reform.
Years ago Susan Anthony said: There
never viii be any real progress made
in woman suffrage until it becomes the
fashion" II could not become the
fashion until women Of social promi-
nence took it up. After Mrs. Clarence
8Iackay and Mrs o. H P Belmont
Joined the ranks. the suffrage move