New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-02-05

w "AANits CHCOlCN Viz "HOlC CAItiIll Ox
her.way back from St. Paul. And now,
fallen " land-siark'' left.
THE ALLOWANCE.
There arc few ways in which wives
are made more uncomfortable than On
the question of their personal expendi-
tures,, and few in which they have to
suffer more humiliation. II they want
a new dress, a new pair of shoes, q new
pair of gloves, a ribbon, they must 60
and enter into an explanation about it
all with the husband, and very possibly
before their children, who cannot but
be injured by the lesson they thus
learn concerning the dependence of
their mother, not to mention her falli-
bility, which is apt to be tolerably we'll
exposed in the course of the converse
ton. y..--.
1t seems to US something unnecessary
to state that man should not marry
woman unless he can trust her with
sufficient money to keep herself in the
array she judges to be fit and proper
for bis wife to Wear-unless, that is, he
has found her previously in possession
of enough common sense to be certain
that she will not waste his means, and
will appreciate his situation in regard
to money matters, and be anxious to
help him out in every way; and that
made sure, it is singular carefulness
that refuses to trust her with the money
that she needs. Nothing, surely, can
so belittle wife, and make her unfit
to: he the mate and helpmeet she should
be, as to dwarf and crowd her into
cowardly suppliance for the things that
she feels she must have and cannot do
without. We have known of women
whose proud spirits were so hurt by
the ordeal that they have worn their
shoes to the ground, and have turned,
and secured, and pieced, and "made
over' for years, while looking like
shabby-genteel beggars, rather than
ask for their right and due, while
their husbands never gave a thought
to the matter as long as they
heard no complaint, and as for them
selves, wore the best the tailor
could give them; and we have known
other women who, determined, after
sore experience, neither to go without
nor to beg, lay in wait to rob their hus-
bands pockets of half dollar this
week and a quarter that, making false
entries in the housekeeping accounts,
and even stealing and selling the hens
eggs to swell the secret amount into a
sum sufficient to keep themselves and
their children simply decent, becoming
fhi0vnc in tho os,l Eoh1o r.,
transmit the tendency to dishonest
dealings to children born after the hab-
it was formed, owing to the perjury or
the distrust Of their husbands. If
man is really poor, and is struggling
hard to keep his head above water, he
has some justification; but if his wife
is worthy of the name of wife at all,
even then she will DO better for being
trusted in the matter, and not having
to run to him for money to buy every
spool of thread that is needed.
It was early in the power of the
fathers of these wives to have obviated,
to some extent, the difficulties of this
nature which were to surround their
daughters later in life. If, as soon as
the girl left school, the father, with the
advice and supervision of the mother,
gave to her liked sum out of which,
and with no more, she was to furnish
her wardrobe, by the time of her mar
riage she would have learned perfectly
how to spend money and how to get
the most fer it; and her lover would be
pretty sure to have information of the
fact, and be able to govern himself ac-
ccrdin9ly, and either maintaining the
same amount, or increasing or dimin-
ish;ng it, as his own income required,
would still have recognized the fact,
and left her that little but necessary in
dependence which her own purse gives
to every woman.
Let us look at The subject moment,
and see if there is any right or reason
in this AFFECT attitude which the wife is
compelled to assume upon the subject
of her expenditures. The wife of whom
we speak-that is to say, not the wife
Of the great and rich, but Of the middle
class OF somewhat prosperous people
is usually a worker in the family as
much as her husband is outside of it.
The saying constantly goes that it is
he, the husband, who is earning tie
bread and butter OF the house; to our
way of thinking that working wife is
also earning, and in fit proportion.
But for whom is she working and earn
ing? For herself? If she is, where are
the proceeds? No, the law says other
wise: the proceeds are the husbands;
she depends on him for any of them;
she can do nothing with them during
his life, and on his death, she surviv-
ing, but a small portion is allotted her
BY this law, which, generous as it has
grown IN comparison to its old favor,
still stops short Of any point like equal
rights. If, then, she is not working for
herself, but for another, she is entitled
to some wages, and some other wages
than love and kindness. For what IS it
that she does? In many houses the
wife is the only servant; she is cook,
maitl-Of- all-Work, nurse and seamstress;
she is tailoress for the boys trousers,
milliner for the girls bonnets; ten to
one makes, if she does not also cut and
haste, their frocks; and in anyone Of
the capacities, it is universally recog-
nized, tor every other worker, that the
laborer is worthy Of his hire. AS mere
cook or char-Woman, ller wages would
be more. than hundred dollars q year
with board; as nurse or seanstress,
even more; while neither tailoress uol.
dressmaker would have much less than:
q dollar day; and meanwhile We pass
over her general management, market
Ing, overseeing, mending. darning, and
all the rest, because there the wages Of
love may be deemed sufficient, and
doubtless she deems them SO for all,
and when she asks. asks not half 60
much for herself o for the sake 81