Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 April 1887 — WOMAN GOSSIP. [ARTICLE]

WOMAN GOSSIP.

Another Enterprise for Women. A young woman was overheard speaking of her new venture in a business way. “I thought,” she said, “I had an entirely original scheme, and here I am told another woman, in New York, is coining money it the very same thing.” "And what is that?” she was asked. She was eager, and enthusiastic, and not yet tinged with the hope deferred of gTeat returns, and pleasantly gave details. “For some time I have had the idea of opening an office for doing letter writing—for conducting all styles of correspondence —and now I am situated so that I can commence without very great extra expense, and am making the venture.” She is a good stenographer and typewriter, as well ass-st beautiful long-hand penwoman. An experience in a lawyer’s office has made her familiar with legal terms, and being highly educated and accustomed to the best social customs, she is well equipped for her enterprise. She is ready to do all kinds of writing. Who will she have for customers? In the first place, she will have uneducated people who cannot write an intelligible line. This class is small, but they exist and must have letters written to their relatives at a distance, to their sweethearts, or in relation to business matters. She wants to write those letters. Another class who will probably patronize her is made up of foreigners. Their letters are generally addressed to people in their own language, but they frequently must send letters written in English. These she wants to write. She may make a little money accommodating such people, but there are other classes who will pay better. It is in the highest society considered the best form to have all invitations for private entertainments hand-wiitten. Invitations for dinner parties, invitations for lunches, children’s parties and “high teas” come to us in pretty, clear chirography. The writing of them is an irksome yet particular task tor a busy person. She is ready to do this work. The above are samples of work sought through social sources; but the work to be ob.ained of a business nature is unlimited. Legal, arch tectural, and scientific papers will be carefully written and copies made. Again, there are many gentlemen whose business does not warrant the engagement of a permanent stenographer and typewriter, and who often have certain letters or documents which must be so prepared, or whose correspondence reaches suddenly, and for a limited time, such proportions that they must employ the aid of a swift and reliable amanuensis. She is ready to do this work. Another branch which must be managed with practical common sense is to keep on hand a limited but varied stock of writing materials, paper, pens, ink, blanks, pencils, etc. Paper from the most delicate note to the largest legal cap, pens and blanks in variety, all in readiness upon demand. For a careful, intelligent buyer there is excellent profit in this retailing. This woman is doing this work and succeeding so well that her only grievance seems to he that her scheme is not entirely original. Her pride is hurt because another woman thought and executed it before she had a chance, that her predecesors, having been longer in the business, is making more money. Now, what these women are doing others can do. The expenses of such ars enterprise in a great city are large. In the first place a light, centrally located office must be obtained and telephone connection established. A typewriter or caligraph must supplement a neat writing-desk. In smaller cities or towns these expenses are proportionately lower, and the skill required in the same ratio less. It is a ladylike, genteel, and not particularly irksome occupation, and the income will be proportionate to the energy, thoroughness and reliability of the projector. —Chicago Ledger.

Jewels. Someone who knows very little and does not go about much says jewelry is not in fashion. This is news! To be sure, cable chains and lockets as big as plates and jingling bangles are no more seen, but jewels in settings of which each design is a work of art are worn and will continue to be ns long as purses are deep enough to buy them and there are handsome women upon whom to bestow them. Mrs. Oscar Wilde has written a very sensible article on jewelry, in which she urges a change in the use of precious stones. She thinks that women have gained more harm than good from the love of jewels. As a means of personal decoration jewels have been the cause of much avarice and much misery. If people would learn to look upon jewels as works of wonder in nature beyond all art, she feels sure they would receive more pleasure than is gained from their use as a display of wealth. “ Then, like other beautiful things,” she says, “jewels would work us good and not evil.” If Mr. Oscar had displayed a tithe of the good sense, during his festhetic crusade, that his better-half here displays, we might have been more patient with him. The petty jealousies indulged in among women of society in general, perhaps, are not so well worth observing as those noticeable among young women in their puerile attempts at decking themselves with gems. That a Mrs. Astor covers herself with diamonds may cause a Mrs. Vanderbilt a heart-pang of envy, but her competitors are of necessity limited to a very narrow circle of millionaires. But when Sapphire Brown sports a solitaire over the counter at Woods’ every other girl is unhappy if her digit is not simdarly ornamented. If Mrs. Vanduzen, whose husband is bookkeeper at Prints & Checks, appears with jeweled earrings at table in Mrs. Hash’s select boarding-house, all her female fellow-boarders are sjghing because they cannot dazzle you in the same fashion. Their poor, round-shouldered husbands are nagged and cajoled to thus indulge their better-halves. Another place where this fashion of wearing jewels creates a most unhealthy atmosphere is among our school girls. Girls in ‘college particularly are preys to this vanity. Indeed, a girl’s social standing often depends upon how many rings she wears; if she possesses bracelets or a necklace. It is not for this that girls are sent to boarding schools, but it sometimes looks so. “The poor child,” says the doting mamma to ditto papa, “is going away alone from home. She must have this costly necklace or that pretty and expensive pair of earrings to console her. Thus her teachers and fellow-pupils will see she has .parents who cherish her and give her r r i i 1 .

everything she wants, and they will treat her with more consideration.” They are level-headed, if that is what is alone desired for the young miss. Her jewels will be admired and envied, and she will think they are herself, and, unless she proves more sensible than a child of such parents is likely to do, her head will be turned with pride and her henrt puffed up with vanity, and the poor little thine, •satiated with admiration, will grow greedy and avaricious for yet additional ornaments. To what base uses doth the best thing? come is not literal, but true. It would seem it were better to look upon and use these beautiful creations of Nature’s with the superstition of the ancients. How consoling it must have been tothose heathen lovers to think that, in possessing a gleaming topaz, the course of 1 their sincere true love could not be ruffled. | Or that, by wearing a piece of agate stone | on the hand, the immortal gods would al* i ways be propitious in all earthly undertakI in £ s - This belief in precious stones as “charms,” while dating back to the remote ! ages, exists to-day in parts of the Indian j Empire. The Shah of Persia has, on good authority, a number of gems, in the possession of which he puts the firmest faith as a protection against all earthly ills and misfortunes. Accidental circumstaucf s, perhaps, helped to strengthen this faith, for on one occasion the bullet of a wouldbe assassin glanced off from the casket of jewels which the “King of Kings” wears always on his breast. It may be that on this account the Shah of Persia has come to be the proprietor of the largest collection of jewels in the world. There was some good logic in the belief of their supernatural power. When man was created and looked around and above him through the universe, he soon perceived there existed a few things that were very rare. Among the rarest of rare things were precious stones. It was quite logical that he should conclude, because they were beforo all things precious, that they had been created by supernatural power and were endowed as such wtith supernatural virtues. They gave us a pretty philosophy w r kich we, in our more developed yet scoffing age, have not improved upon, it W'ould seem.

The Story of u Kiss. A Circassian was walking along one road and a woman along another. The roads finally united in one, and reaching the point of juncture at the same time, they walked on together. The man was carrviug a large iron kettle on his back; in one hand he held the legs of a live chicken, in the other a cane, and he was leading a goat. They neared a dark ravine. Said the woman: “I am afraid to go through that ravine with you; it is a lonely place, and you might overpower me and kiss me by force.” Said the man: “How can I possibly overpower you and kiss you by force when I have this great iron kettle on my back, a cane in one hand, a live chicken in the other, and am leading this goat? I might as well be tied hand and foot.” “Yes,” replied the woman; “but if you stick your cane in the ground and tie your goat to it, and turn the kettle bottom-side up and put the chicken under it, then you might wickedly kiss me in spite of my resistance.” “Success to thy ingenuity, 0, woman!” said the rejoicing man to himself. “I should never have thought of this or similar expedients.” And when they came to the ravine he stuck his cane into the ground and tied the goat to it, and gave the chicken to the woman, saying: “Hold it while I cut some grass for the goat.” And then—so runs the legend—lowering the kettle from his shoulders he put the fowl under it and wickedly kissed the woman, as she was afraid he would.

Interesting Women. Fanny Zampini Salazaro is to be the editor of a new Italian review giving exclusive attention to the discussion of feminine interests. Miss Laura Moore, a very pretty young woman with a lovely voice, who was heard once or twice with the National Opera Company this season, has resigned her position and gone back to Paris. Mary A. Livermore proves that there are no superfluous w r omen by the statement that there are now two hundred and twen-ty-seven vocations open to women, as against seven at the beginning of the century. Miss Chanoramukhi Bose, a native Christian lady, has been appointed Superintendent of the Bethune School of Calcutta. The Indian Messenger, the organ of the Brahmo-Somaj, cordially approves the appointment. Mrs. Fanny Chambers Gooch is a new departure among literary women. She has written a history of Mexico that President Diaz considers so authentic he will have it translated into Spanish for the benefit of his countrymen. The adopted daughter of the late William H. Seward has promised to give to tbe Art Gallery of the University of California, at Berkeley, the original painting by Leutze of his well-known picture, “Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way,” which hangs in the Capitol at Washington. The university has another of Leutze’s works, “Washington at Monmouth,” presented by Mrs. Mark Hopkins, the widow of the railroad millionaire. The four daughters of Ignatius Itiggin, of Madison County, Illinois, not only make their own dresses and other clothing, but spin and weave the cloth of which they are made from raw cotton and wool. Mr. Riggm is a rich mandated worth $250,0(0, and his daughters are pretty, intelligent, nnd accomplished. They live luxuriously in a handsome house, expensively and tastefully furnished. Home-made clothiug is the father’s hobby, and the girls sensibly indulge him in it.