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Show Dorothy Dix Talks GENTEEL POVERTY ; fjy POROTIIY DIX, the- World's Highest Paid Woman Write: ;' A young woman, who r. the poor member mem-ber of a rich and socially prominent family fam-ily asks my opinion as to the advisability advisabil-ity of her golnc Into business. She aa:i that she hesitates to po to woik because it will1 mean practically inc up all the friend and acqualnt-I acqualnt-I nnces of her whole life: not, that thiv especially look down upon a orklnic r.n. but lh.- are tin- idlers and ponders bo ptesS their days on Roll link-, and al bridge tattles Instead of In i. li... They are merely in a different world and there are not iuan bridge that cross over from ihe habitat of the Industrious poor to that of the Idle rich Also, the pirl stis ?be in pretty and attractive and sin- I- afraid that she will Jeopardise her chances of marrying if she becomes a business trrub instead of a society butterfly I say Id the Kiil that If she desires to l i raalh haoDV. and to experience the purest Joy on earth, which Is self-respect, she oucht to ko to work. Of all miserable lots on earth, none is o full of heart burning, and envy, and unsatlslled desire, SS that of Ihe shabby genteel, nor Is then anj othel occupation occupa-tion on earth so atronlitint; as that of hancrinu on to society bj your eyelashes. Real honc.st povefty, that doesn't pre tend lo be anyuihlg hui what it Is, has. fl n terrors in it. and many compensations. compensa-tions. An humble house can ho perfect!, per-fect!, comfortable a plain meal may be more tasty nd nouriBhihis than things Qpditod a la IhlS and a la that. A homespun home-spun coat can be as warm us a broad loth one. No friends nr.- so true as ! warm-hearted neighbors of the poor, who j come In to help in every time of troublo ' and rejoicing. I Those who accept poverty frankly, finn thai it turns n kindly face upon them I It is onlv a bitter enemy to those who trv to camouflage it; who pretend thet j the reason that they live In a Shaoby part ol the town Is because of thi- ro- rule atmosphere: wiu starve ut borne that th n.i.v m. a pink tea once a in; who put the money that snouid ro ini,. red flaniicJ underwear into a ball dress and who have no friends because tbej fp.n.1 their lives trying to get to know th.- people who don't want lo know them. " It's the prei.nses. thc lies, the deceits, the agonizing effort to tnaRe one dollar go us far as five, the straining to keep up with those who.ie pace Is too swift for one. that makes genteel poverty one. most terrible fate on earth It's the having to flatter, and cajole and fawn on tho.se with money and establishments, es-tablishments, th-- having to accept snttbs from th.; ill-bred and arrogant rich, thai makes am Mil the most craven spirited llck-ypittle writhe Y. t that Is tho lot of tho poor gli of good famlb who tries to play the society game on a shoestring She has lo wheedle and flatter cranky old ladies on UM chance of theli giving her s ten Spot 9Pe Is, Invited to iountr hpuaes. where sne i- .-p. . led I,, pa her way . entertain-Ing entertain-Ing the bores and keeping an eve on the children, she is asked to nil hi at the I last moment at parties where she was n. ier among the original guests. She Is always spoken of half-pltj ingly and half tcmptupush as "poor Jane" or "poor Mary," and the traditional shirt of nettle. net-tle. ould not chafe her back more limn do the cast-off clothes of other women that she wears. I (""an there be any comparison In peace, in happlnesf, mdignitv. between the gm w ho is a hanger on of a rich family, and tin- girl who stands on her own feet and , earns her own living The one Is depend - ! ent The other is In Independent, free human being. The one Is a beggar, a sycophant, a imot-lieker The dtnei can look the world In the eve ui.d tell it to ( go where it pleases. It is Very true that the near society Klrl has to give up her real society friends when she goes lo work, but she will find I that she has achieved thc peace that pssseth understanding when she drops Into the class for which she has ths price Vcl 11,.. .,..- er. or. . , . r, I h,. I comfortably with the rich than the tor-tolse tor-tolse , ii ii with t he hn re. To live upon Ihe bouutv of others, lo , eat their lood. and ilde In their motors when you can make no return, to let I someone else pay your win , weakens tho moral fibre and turns the ir-clplent into either N parasite or an anarchist. I he gnl who clings to her so. ial position posi-tion in th.- hopes that she will thereby make a big marriage, la turning matn-mony matn-mony from the noblest career a woman ran follow lo the despicable profession She 1 offering herself for sale as much 1 as If she were a slave lu the bazjiars. and ' she seldom makes a good bargain For men are leery of the petty, poor girl whose face Is her fortune, und whose i family are still on the hunt for some I bodv to take her off thei hands, j There Is no other girl who has so good 1 a , banco to marry well as thi bt ifni is 'girl. She is at the very SOUrCC of supplies lor matrimony, for she Is In th.- ofll.es Iv.loie m, ii congregate The working girl 'meets a bundreu men. where tin sodcl 1 girl meets one. She has the chance to I know them Intimately that the society gnl novel bus. and In this close, dull', contact. Is she, has nn graces of person o: heart, or nilnd. men notice it Moreover, the very fact that the girl I Is working shows that she Is not on the husband hunt, and that she has enough character and intelligence to support herself her-self until the right man comes along, and so n man is not afraid that he Is being grabbed up ns a real meal ticket when I Re marries u business girl So I say lo the business girl with blue blood and an empty pockelbook, go to work If ou Wdnt to be happy A few society friends are too high a price to pa: fm parultlUfl After nil the onl person whose approval Is absolutely noc-essary noc-essary to us. lo our own |