Show I ICANT I AffO 1t D TO I t 8 E B 11 llDIES fnA D Cost Is So Great That It Is a Strain on Girls Who Arent Rich It costs so 5 much to iervc as merely m attendant to a bride or bridegroom I t nowadays that many young men and t women of scant purse and honest Intentions In-tentions light a little shy of the whole proceeding dearly as they like the attendant at-tendant honor and glory of a pretty wedding and best men usher and other masculine attendants arc increasingly I ingly dilllcult to obtain t Many a pretty and popular Chicago girl has to choose between n trip to Europe of lea honor of lacing several times a bridemald In a single season Its the brldemairls honor it is credibly t reported that she chooses as a rule To be over and over again a bride maid means that the girl I so dls 1 linguislicd is not only much liked but that she is ulso counted a beauty For the sake of this distinction the natural r woman will ssurifice much i No I dont expect to spend the summer sum-mer Ju England after all a pretty girl confided to her dearest enemy notIon not-Ion since I was going to yes papa promised me three years ago to spend next summer across the water But Ive been bndenuxlil three times this winter you know with two more such good times coining anil well I dont think 1 shall omplaln about summering at St Joe FRENCH WRITERS SAD ERROR A French newspaper writer descantIng descant-Ing upon American ways and customs recently has much to say about the American biidemnlu The pretty girl i who is frequently requested to act In this capacity according to the Parl lana lan-a lhorlt expects to got fairly well paid for so doing Her clothes small articles of jewelry and a small honorarium ranging in value from 510 to S2li she looks upon and receives as the Just reward of her successful efforts In the way of standing around and looking pretty at the wedding celebrations of her friends So far from this amusing statement having the scantiest basis of fact however the frequent bridemald is much the poorer every time she adds a new laurel to hod crown of social glory in this way It costs a pretty penny to be several times a bridemaid and this Is why HEAVY TAX ON BIlIDE rAIDS The brldemaids to begin with must 0 give the bride a present there goes S15 at the least Then she must be pvc pared for at least one luncheon theater party or shower of some kind or all three to give one or more of these functions will cost her anywhere from 4Oto 150 with a new gown for each one The brides mother will certainly entertain the bridal party at least once another new setting out for the pretty brldemald Each one of the other brldemaids will entertain the party at least once also a new gown for each of these affairs which may be two or twenty In number according to the length and strength of the bridal q procession must bo prepared All these j entertainments together with those of the best man the ushers and any other friends who may desire to honor or make merry with the prospective bride bridegroom and their wedding attendants attend-ants come pretty close together thee Hnme garments am scarcely be worn to any two of the dainty affairs Multiply the yb i to 53iG necessary to supply a stunning new outfit by the number y of the antenuptial entertainments tendered theaverage bride and think fqV a moment of the total before returning re-turning an ecstatic Yes to the first GIrl who asks you to walk up to the I altar beliind or before her you pretty I girl with brldemnld aspirations Think too of the carriage and cab fares flowers and shower miscellanies miscel-lanies l In Avhlchjt will be necessary to Indulge for the sake of conventionality conventional-ity friendliness or the desire of keepIng keep-Ing up appearances consider the new gloves silk hosiery souvenir gifts and other trifles meditate upon the fAct that the pretty gowns and hats will be marked articles conspicuously conspic-uously labeled to feminine eyes and I Blinds with the date of their first appearance ap-pearance because so conspicuously worn No bridesmaid likes to wear Y these garments often None so far I has had the courage to make the same dainty frills and furbelows serve for I the setting off ot two brides COST OF BEING BEST MAN The bestman too poor fellow must siiend a lot of money to support the dignities of his position dignities that were one wont to be considered wholly complimentary and of an Imaginative 5 order Ho must give the bride and groom a nice present to begin with hot ho-t < 5o must have new wedding garments for each of the many antewedding eri 1 I rtalnmerts to which he will naturally 1 oe invited and which to any more ha I it Is expected to attend lie must present i the brine and liar l maids with lowers I wedding favors and similar costly trl I iles galore Ho must entertain for the party at least once in usually entertains enter-tains at least twice Theater parties American Beauty roses violets marsh 1 irinllows f1I I these think cost money i Yihesr as often has boon the cast latr t ly J the bridal party Is lavishly and variously I j va-riously enUrMJred for weeks and von 1 months beforehand the best man must I i guar a handsome purl at Intervals not lop l widely separated And he too has I Ilia Hhatemlla generous oneoC carriage car-riage and cab fares new gloves shoes I ind to on to say nothing of the wcIhller expense Items and the whole ale expenditure of mental and physl al utr < nth Ax with being a bridesmaid brides-maid it is a great honor and compll inVnt to bofrequently besought to carry car-ry tho ring uecun the marriage license and pay tho ministers lees for another irlov butthe honor Is by no menus I purchased cheaply na a rule I USHER SUFFERS ALSO The ushers have fewer l expensive liabilities lia-bilities but they also must entertain and they must at least carry flowers to the bridesmaids at one or more of the ll ivmiptlul entertainments and upon UK night ort the wedding rehearsal Thy muKl entertain the bridegroom S asul the best man in Home manner and I 1 iluy must rat er a nlt at least I o ice for the tntirc bridal party And they like nil the others must have clothes m clothe olohes for all these varied af f Ir her Many an impecunious but uty lire anti lODUlu r young man goes pen C nils for months afterward becauao I or his lavish I manner of doing the honors I ft 1 a friends wedding tit hen there are > tvirnlof mien + friends and such wed dlfltjH to bed accounted for in n single Hcvonwili the tailor m the board I t I bill is apt to go unpaid that IK all Ullha yo Tribune r I 41 |