St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1869-10-29

most as soon 20 without an article even
of necessity as to ask for it,
Some husbands get into the habit of
disregarding their wives requests, from
the ideas that she asks more than is nee
esSary. With her knowledge of family
details, she perceives that few dollars
spent now will save money by-and-by
lie goes III and out and looks at home as
whole and finds it very comfortable,
ana so concludes that there is no such
need as the one she has pointed out.
''Wife," said such husband, laupbino
good-naturedly, "you have got good
~aH and so | am going to let you keep
it awhile"
so the old stove waxed older and old
er and threatened daily to give out, hut
still 10y constant supervision from the
wlfe, frequent burning of her fingers as
She arranged the tlat-irons inside the
oven to keep the tpp from falling in, dali
" suffering as she took the gas into lungs
and eyes, and constant coaxing of the
cook, the dinner came to the table well
served and the husband reioiced in his
own superior discrimination.
Il tell you John that stove will sure
y fall in some day and ruin everything"
So one day John came home and an
nounced that several gentlemen were
coming out to dine with him. (They
lived near city and this is a true story.)
lie brought fine quarter of lamb and
various other ediblcs, and the dinner was
to be served prccisel at a certain hour
and he wanted it very nicely done.
Now | do not say that what followed
was Justltiable, but do say it was very
natural. The wife was one of those high
spirited women Of that particular type
who hoped all things and endured all
things up TO :he last moment, and then
the deluge. Her time had come. To
| cook all that dinner, with that stove
But she kept her own counsel. The
cook was duly exhorted, the fat-irons
arranged, the meat was duly prepared
and the cooking went forward. Every
thing was nearly ready and the hour
was at hand the party had arrived and
all that remained was to dish and serve.
Watching her opportunity when the
cook was elsewhere, the wife deftly Slip
ped aside one OF the tiat-irons. Down
came the inside of the stove and with it
came an eruption of SCOT and smoke and
ashes, covering the roast as Pompei.
Tie husband was called to view the ca
ta,trophe. ''There John. didn't | tell
you the top OF that stove would fall in ?"
John took his guests TO the hotel to dine,
a wiser and a sadder man, and the next
day there was Il new stove in the house
Now when II comes to systematic be-
nevolence this state of beggary is not on
ly an injustice but it is positive cruel
ty to women. Who 50 anxious to do"
and who 50 powerlcss as She Let the
missionary agent look to it and deliver a
preliminary lecture to men on the sub
.icct OF pln-money. She goes to his meet
lng and her heart swells within her as
he makes his appeal. But what can she
do! Go homc and represent the case to
her husband His thoughts are else
where, and besides, she cannot produce
any effect, tOr the sacred fire dies out
when she seeks to carry it away with
/ her. And he says lie is always Civ
! ing"
Ask her for tenth, only a tenth of
what she spends on dress. and glance at
her handsome silk as you do SO. But
do you know how she obtains her clothes!
She tells hor husband that she needs a
certain garment; he asks her how much
it will cost; she names sum and he
givcs it to her a simple process indeed
but how, under such a system, is she eth
er to deny herself for the sake of benc,o-
lence, or 10 have anything to give ?
Would you have her purchase a less ex-
pcnsive garment and bestow the differ
ence! That would he too much like
obtaining money under false preten>es,
and besides, her husband would be dis
pleased, tor he likes her TO make a GOOD
appearance. Would you have her over
state the sum needed 50 as to obtain
margin for charity There is deception
at the outset. How shall woman give
who is always obliged to 90 to her hus-
band for specific sums wherewth to make
individual purchases What shall our
home beggars do?
The marriage settlements of the Eng
li,h meet this necessity by setting apart
Tor the wife a sum which is to be abso-
lutely untouched by the husband. 1t is
sometimes very small sum but that
makes no difference. | know an Ameri-
can gentleman who made similar sci
tlement on his wife when he married her
Of -, 600: all that he had. But he, i'll
true Yankee style, borrowed it OF her to
use in his business, always scrupulously
paving her interest and always seeking
to increase it, and in few years he had
swclcd il to forty thousand dollars. And
that was hers in her own right, right
conferred by her husband. And that is
the sort of ''woman's rights" which the
majority of women would be content
with, il men would only voluntarily con-
cede them.
And now, my dear sir, you are not
un.enerous. You have simply never
thought of this before. Then why not
act! Set apart certain sum for your
wlte's exclusive use. Let II be regularly
paid and without ob!lSing her to ask Tor
il. Let it be hers for dress and personal
.xpenscs. without let, hindrance, or even
! question from you as 10 now she spends
9 il. No matter how small Ii is, ii 1t is
y proportioned to your income,
= Then appeals may reasonably be made
, to her to deny herself for Christs sake
Then her clergyman and the various
y, agencies may with propriety ask her to
= give systematic.u,y au.. r,Hscientiously,
and may urge her not to spend her all,
, little or great, in selt-induigence and the