Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-10-05
The Beautiful Mrs. de Lamar Once
a Poor Girl to Whom Riches
Brought Nothing but
Unhappiness
By Choliy Knickerbocker.


" man died few weeks ago at
his beautiful Newport home
ooth fashionable society and the country
at large read with some perplexity the fact
mat he had left his scvcnteen-ycarold
laughter Marian 4 free and unrestricted
income Of $4,000 year
Mr. Holman was quite explicit in his
Will. The $4,000 was to be given her
until she Is twenty-one, when she will re.
celVe s2,SoO,o00 in a lump sum. And
eventually on the death OF her mother she
Will fall heir TO Armsca Hall. one OF the
most elaborate and expensive sites in
Newport; fine mansion on Fifth avenue,
and the balance OF her fathers wealth
Mr.. Hoffman was very careful not only
to place no restrictions on the way his
daughter should spend the 5000, but
barred any cruel guardian or court from
forcing her TO economic. His main de.
sire was, he said. that she should always
be able to live in the style to which she
had been born. or course, she will have
to keep within her $4,000 for her personal
expenditures but with her mothers sew
eral homes and enormous income to help
out there is little danger that the wolf will
get very close to Marian Hoffman's front
door.
Money is power. Civilization continu.
ally strives to regulate the possession and
utilization of any kind of power. 1t takes
the firearms not only from children but.
except under certain conditions. from
grown-uns. The fact that money is real
power and therefore dangerous in the
hands Of irresponsible or not yet fully
developed minds is behind the laws which
fix what a minor is and what rights and
privileges a minor can have. Social in
telligence has set an arbitrary age up to
which human being is not supposed TO be
able to fully control this power. There
fore 1t is that we have guardians. estates
and courts to decide how much money an
heiress or an heir under age should be
allowed to spend
What are the peculiar and changing con-
ditions which caused Mr.. Hoffman, a clear
headed capable business man. to set aside
these customs and put his daughter out
side the prescribed limits? And why does
1t take $4,000 year almost one thousand
dollars week, to keep girl comfortably?
A short time ago Vera Kohler, the SIX
teen-year-old daughter Of the late Charles
Kohler, appealed to the court to have her
yearly income of twenty-five thousand dol
lars considerably increased. She explained
that her expenses were far in advance of
her income, and begged that the sum OF
$1,20OO0O be divided between herself, her
mother and her two sisters. In fact, each
member Of this family Of four received an
annual income of $4,000 apiece. but found
1t difficult to keep within bounds. The
court refused TO increase this amount
Then take the sad case Of Miss Lorena
Carroll, daughter of the late Joseph D.
Carroll, who left her the income Of trust
fund of $4,000 To be paid her only until
she should come Of age. when she would
receive her whole fortune. 1t so happens
that the income from this fund was but
$500 a year and the young girl could not
live on it. In 1915 the court therefore,
granted raise to $4,000, which six months
later proved too little and an increase to
$4,000 was granted.
Last June the high cost Of living drove
the wolf to attacking Miss CAROLS door
step and she asked the court for $20.S50 to
meet the cost of clothes, motor cars, food,