Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-11-29
PIN.MONEY.
A Few Facts for Husbands to Note
BY MARY CLEMMER AMEs.

A Few Facts for Husbands to Note.
BY MARY CLEMMER AMES.
"Lady Sophia is to have f16,ooo
iointure and f4OO pin-money," said
Horace Walpole of Lady Sophia
Fcrnor, when she became the wife
of Lord Carterct. While English
law has never hesitated to appropri-
ate the whole of the wife's fortune
for her lords benefit, English Gus
tom has always taken care to pro-
vide her bountifully with pin-money.
In this respect the English woman
is more Independent and happy
than her American sister. AS a
rule, the English wife has the abso-
lutte control of a certain sum appro-
priated to household expenses and
her own personal wants to much
greater degree than the American
woman. In this respect, at least,
she is freer, happier, and more self
respecting. The very responsible
ty tends to cultivate in her sound
Judgment, forethought and prudence
in expenditure. A creature treated
as child in the use of money will
seldom have more than the jud G.
ment of a child, albeit it be that of
a child of larger growth. The very
extravaganza of American women
springs from this mode Of treat
ment. If the young girls of wealthy
families were educated to a wise
knowledge of the uses and possibil-
tiles of money-to the responsible
ties which it's possession involves,
to habits of thoughtful expenditure,
with definite income settled upon
them, within whose limit they were
to bring the qualification Of their
personal wants-what a decrease
there would be in the habit of care
less, useless shopping; in exhorbit-
ant bills; in a blind, reckless ex-
travagance which neither knows or
counts the cost of anything on
which the fancy may happen to fall!
Our family monetary system in this
country is all wrong-in ten thous-
and instances ignorantly, careless
ly, not willfully wrong; no less its
hard penalty is paid by ten thous-
and unhappy hearts in society and
at home.
Money in some phase is one of
the most fruitful sources of unhap-
py family life, especially of unhap-
piness between husband and wife.
This is true while American women
as wives are among the most in
dulged women on earth. This is
one trouble: they are simply induly-
ed, in greater or less degree; and
mere indulgence necessarily infers
dependence on one side and supre-
macy on the other. 1t is the fitful
emotional kindness of a master, not
the just sharing of an equal. This
carried into the minute money-need
of daily life between two persons
ESQ often mentally on par) living in
the relation of husband and wife, is
the source of immeasurable discord
and sorrow. In this relation, i'm
pulse may be good when it happens
to be generous and tender; but JUS
tice is better. Just here is one of
the most painful illustrations of
caste in sex, as developed in daily
life. know men-good, kind, and
manly, who would risk their lives to
save their wives in danger, who
love them, after their own fashion
to whom it never occurs that their
beloved are not among the happiest
and most blessed of women; who
would declare me insane if / were
to say that they did their wives in
justice and made them unhappy ev-
cry hour in the day. Yet l do say
it, and say it because l love the
wives better than the husbands
although the latter, as men go, are
very admirable, indeed.
There is Dove-eyes. She was one
of the ten thousand girls Of whom
North America has such Just rea-
son to be proud-sensitive, refined,
intelligent, well educated, selfsup-
porting, high-spirited, tender, low
ing and loveable. Dove-cyes was a
daughter Of necessity, and for years
had supported herself and helped
others by the honorable toll of her
hands and brain, when she sue
cumbed to her especial fate in the
shape of Alexis, to her the Grand
Duke of all men-indced, a god
walking the earth. Out of her wo-
mans small pay she had saved a
comfortable dot. When, as his
wife, she entered her Grand Dukes
palace, which was small and on an
questionable street, she carried in
to it from her own small earnings
furniture to furnish it, neat ward
robe, and small bank-account book
of her own. But when she married
Alexis she gave up all her opportu-
nifty Of independent support. Now
she was to work, and to work hard;
but she was to work for Alexis only
he was her sole employer. Did
he pay her as justly as strangers
had done? We shall see.
While painting pictures, after the
manner Of men in love, his fayorite
Que had been of the lovely time
coming when she would no longer
have to toll for living; when it
would be his JOY not only to provide
for every want, but to anticipate it
before she knew it herself; and
when her chief business would be
to put on her loyeliest dress and
freshest ribbons, and wait for him
with smoking dinner ready, which
lin the picturc) involved neither la
boF por care to cook. Nor did
Alexis shirk the actual demand up
on himself necessary to the carry.
| ing out of his desire. lie was what