The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-01-11
A Hardship OF Marriage.

We are constantly told tint the lifo
work Of wife is az arduous and absorb.
ing rs that Of her husband. We are
told that II she does her duty to her
family, she can have no time to study
metaphysics or to put slip of paper
into ballot-boy. | think It was tho
conservative DR.. Edward H. Clarke who
declared that the duties of the mother
Of family required as much toll Of
brain and body MS those OF the CAPTAIN
Of n ship. Grant it all; grant that sho
works rs hard Ms her husband does. IL
50, the inference is irresistible TINT she
earns her share of the family income.
The fact that he receives the money
and pays the bills makes him the
treasurer Of the family, that is all and
he has no more right than any other
treasurer to take airs upon himself and
talk nonsense. When he paws out
money to her it is not as gift, but as
earnings.
In many cases the money all came as
her dowry to begin with. In many
other cases she does her full share in
thedir ect earning of the income. As a
rule, | am told, actresses and women
Who sing in public support their fam.
lies, including THEN husbands. In our
New England farming regions the wife,
work Is not only rs hard rs the
husbands. but a considerable share OF
the money getting comes upon her.
For farming in New England, while
Welding comfortable support, yields
Tut little in the form Of money: and in
many eases the greater part cf the nc.
tual cash receipts during the summer
months comes through the energy oi
the wife in taking city boarders. In a
farmhouse near my summer abode, a
cook is hired ut four dollars wecl,
while the boarding season lasts. and q
! second girl" Mt three dollars and half
IN another farmhouse near hv, the
Young wife If tho farmer does all this
/ work herself, with the assistance OF a
little Girl Of l.: and she does it rs we'll
! and for nearly rs many boarders. Con.
sidefing merely the wages she saves
hef work is worth nearly dollar day
and considering the profit She brings "a
/ the establishment, it is worth probably
i three times that. Yet probably the
payment is generally made through her
husband rs treasurer. and whatever
money she spends would be regarded
| by the neighbors as "given" her by him
And if the farm is paid for by
their joint accumnlations, the neighbors
would consider-and indeed the law
/ would assllme-that it was paid for by
him, and belonged to him.
lam perfectly willing to admit tina,
in the majority of eases this whole mat.
ter settles itself: but there is large
minority OF cases where the wife is kept
during her whole life, in false position
from a false theory of treasurcrship
| There are no doubt cases where man
earns n great fortune, while his wife:s
existence is that Of butterfly. These
cases are rare: taking one family with
another. the wife works as hard as the
husband; and the fact that his share in
wolves the handling of the money does
not make it his money. 1t belongs tc
both and what he pays over to her il
not gift but matter Of right "This
was present to me from my wife," said
a rich man. showing MI ornament
bought with your money! said 3
friend loosely. mol" he said, "out Of
her own hard earnings. She keeps
house for a man Of your acquaintance! 7
II. ". UiagiRson.