The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-11-01
NUMBER go.
Wives and Money.

Ilcu ana poor, which makes 1t neceSSaF
for the wife to ask her husband fo
money to supply the daily recurring
family necessities, and her own.
1t inevitably creates discomfort,
sense of humiliation, degradation an,
separation. The woman who hat
earned, and been free to use her weelSl,
wages, for yearly salary, or larger in
come, before her marriage, and af4e
that event, though her time is NOR
fully occupied than ever, has no none,
except at her asking-and not alway
then-feels just as man a would feel VIII,
should be placed in the same eircum
stances.
She gave up her opportunity to ac
quire money by the usual methods. fol
the sake of the home and the family.
10 this end she devoted her time
thoughts, and efforts, every day, and all
the year, without Cessation or vacation
But custom everywhere, and law in
many places, puts all money of the fam.
| lily in the hands of the husband. The
wife lives as a dependent. She has
what is given her, cheerfully or prudo.
ingly, as the case may be, but inevif3.
bly, learns to hate her position. and IL
grow away from the man who gives oniv
when he is asked. 1t NAV be mers
thoughtlessness on his part, but the re.
suit with the wife is the same.
One of the most fruitful sources of dis.
content in the home is the too DEPEND.
ent position of the wife.
If husbands would consider what il
would be to them TO be situated preciselv
In the same way, so far as money is con-
cerned, every just and generous man
among them would see to it at once.
that his house should not hold so fruit
ful source of unhappiness.
Many years ago, an excellent man
told me his experience in this particu-
lar. He had not been married a wear.
but he noticed a change in the look and
manner OF his wife-she seemed less
cheerful, less happy. The old glad well
come on his daily return from business
had ceased. He sincerely loved her,
and was miserable when he saw that
she was not even comfortable as his
wife. This state of things must not be
endured if it could be cured. So he
asked her frankly what was the matter,
at the same time telling her that above
all things he wished to promote her
happiness.
Then she answered frankly: 'eYou
know that before our marriage / col
lected my own dividends, and the
money l had was my own, to use as L
chose, and it was all | needed. Since
we were married you collect my in
come, and | never have a cent for any
purpose, except when l ask YOU for it.
1t seems to me that if you cared for me
in the least, you could not subject me to
such humiliation. Look at these slfp-
pers; I have worn them above all de
cent use, because l could not ask for the
money necessary to buy new ones. l
feel it degradation, just as you would,
if you were in my place.
"COuld you endure it, if l had the
and you had none, only as YOU
got it by asking me for it? L used to
teach six hours, and had the whole re-
day for my pleasure. Now all
my time is occupied; l have neither
money nor leisure, and feel just like a
pauper or beggar, and / wished were
dead.n Then she burst into tears, and
cried as though her heart would break
With an immense sense of relief, he
asked: as that all ?'
"Allw said she. SIT is enough to Kill
any woman"
The dreadful fear that she had ceased
to love him, or that she loved some one
else, fled The whole matter was talked
husband said he seemed to himslf to
have been unspeakably mean.
''To think,n said he, "that / had ever
offered her Just the twenty cents which
she said she needed to buy pins, or the
six cents necessary for shoe strings, and
had not once thought that she must
need more for other things, while all
her time was devoted to make a COM
home for metz AS a result of
the explanation, the husband every
week put n sum of money double what
his wife thought she would need, where
she could get il without asking.
The young wife's face grew glad again.
The feeling of pauper and beggar van
ished. The end of the year showed a
bank account of seven hundred dollars
i'm the name of the wife, saved carefully
from the money she had not needed to
use. The only root of bitterness there
had ever been between them was
plucked up. Peace and comfort returned
and fiourished. The story of this wife
is the story of many others.
Sometimes the law will recognize the
right of the wife to her full
share of the money value which accrues
TO the marriage firm.
Until that time, the thoughtIessness
Of really good men may be cured by the
frank speech of the wife, who is daily
hurt by a feeling of dependence which
ought never to exist between the equally
partners in the home.
There are plenty of spendthrift wives
and husbands, who waste the common
substance and that of each other They
must always suffer loss. But the great
of married couples bear each
heir natural share of the family burden,
are, and toll, and they should be alike
independent in money matters. WoDl-
ms Journal.