The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1876-11-16
Living on Fifteen Dollars a Week

A correspondent expresses high sp
probation OF the Scientific American "a-
paper for bosses but submits that u
would be wor b II u IA more to him and
his min, ty shopmates il II would only
tell them how IL j. possible to 1--we de
Gently and educate family on fifteen
dollars "A week.
We conirss that the efforts of this pa
per have not hitherto been specially di.
rrcted to the problems of domestic econ
omy. II has aimed. not 80 much to teach
the art Of regulating ones household al
iairs, the art of spending money, a. the
more productive art OF making money.
by laying before lie readers the widest
attainsble range OF information wherr.
with they may be- enabled 10 turn their
natural powers TO the best advantage
through the employment OF newly di-
covered procrssss, tue invention aud use
Of wealth producing and labOr-saVing de-
vices, and every other means by which
their intelligence. skill, and productive
Capacity may be increased Aud We are
not prepared TO admit that this il not
the best way To make this paper valuable
10 our correspondent and the class hr
represents. would they read IL Alright. re-
garding the information IL ofi-rs as tor
them, and useful to them, not less than
Tor bo-sr-.
still. in view Of the melancholy fact
that thousands have no iacdlty Tor turn
.ng information TO advantage, aud wIl
not rise from the lower ranks of manual
workers, it may be that the value of the
scientific American can be increased b,
trying To tell such readers how small IN
comes may be made To cover the essen.
Il nj IrWHR
We rhall undertake the task at ven
ture. though seriously doubling the value
Of even the wi-rst advice To one who ha-
tome To think, as our correspondent
app-ars TO, that an income OF Il teen
dollars a week i inadequate Tor decent
living
We have seen too many families living
wbOlesOmrly. even generously. rearing
children OF fine character aud liberal
culture. on an Income no larger than
that which our correspondent speaks Of
to doubt tor a moment the possibility OF
the same being done by him aud his
shopmates. We know, by that most
convincing OF evidence, p-rsOnal exp-
tirnce, that a large family can be reared
healIhiully ted, comfortably clad. aud
fairly we'll educated and we'll proyid-d
for every day, on very much less than
tiftern dollars week. Indeed. we haz
ard the assertion that IL ten thousand of
our best aud most useful citizens, living
aud dead, br taken at random. an inqui-
~ iuto their early history would prove
that the great majority OF them were
reared in lamilirs IA which an income of
fifteen dollars week would have been
accounted muuiticent But times have
changed, u Is saId. aud with tjrm toe
cOst Oi living True enough. though We
are by NO means sure that the nrcrssary
/ cost Oi living we'll Is any greater than ia
| time gone 10y. Go over the price. list OF
the essentials OF hralthtul aud honora
I ble living; aud We are inclined to think
/ that IA the aggregate the cost will br
/ found To be less. that Is, will rrquirp
/ lever hours Oi labor To buy, than ever
before. Thr tact that our style OF liyinl
Is vastly more complex and costly thar
IL used To br. that a larger portion a.
what VIC are apt To consider necessarier
were inaccessible luxuries TO our nra
ancestors, does not weaken the position
We have taken in the least One OF th'
great social requirements OF the presrn
day i the recognition Of our foolish ~
trAvaganee and readju-tment OF ou
modes Ot life 20 a more modest and NOR
economical standard. There are eve