Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-05-26
FAMILY FINANCES.

There is no other thing in the expe-
Renee of woman that is made so humil-
iating to her self-respect, and withal so
exasperating to her temper, as her
dependence on man for support. And
this is the mans own fault, and in it is
to be found the primary cause of much
of the discomfort and bitterness that
mar the loveliness of woman's character
and drive her too often to stifie her
natural and more congenial tastes for
domestic life in her determination to be
rid of this grinding sense of obligation
under which she has rested ever since
her earliest girlhood. And we find the
young woman. having said ''No" to the
man she really loves and could make
happy, pursuing her way in her profess
sion or trade alone, because she be-
Geves that as Don as the weight of her
support falls on his shoulders, he will
repent him Of his folly and wish himself
free from burden. Or as in the case of
some married women, who, finding the
grudging spirit with which the money
for their reasonable expenses is doled
out to them intolerable, neglect their
families and homes or turn them
over to the care of hired help, while
they engage in some kind of business
outside that will at least enable them to
pay their own way. Then aside from
these two classes we have mentioned,
which are acknowledged to be small in
proportion to the masses (but they are
as a rule noble natures) there are the
thousands on thousands who bear the
indignity of their positions so bravely
that none ever know they suffer. But
they do, and that most keenly; and
sooner or later the sense of this injus-
tee to which they are subjected will tell
on their tempers or their spirits, and
they will become impatient and fretful
or gloomy and discouraged.
Now there is no good reason in the
world why this state of affairs should
exist. Man and woman were made for
each other, and they are necessary to
and dependent on each other, if the
highest interests of society and posterity
are to be considered.
The husband, as o rule, earns the
money for the support Of the family,
and it is right and only right that he
should, save in the very exceptional cases
where the wife's strength and taste and
freedom from the responsibilities of
motherhood make it desirable for her to
engage in business. But the fact that
he alone earns money from the outside
world makes it about as reasonable for
him to share that money grudginglv
with the wife, or bestow it on her as a
gift for which she should feel an over
whelming gratitude, as it would be for
tho ro0thar IN lon1 =, %Io 1911
with her own child, because it has not
earned wages during the day it should
be shown at supper that it is not deserv-
ing OF the meal; when its apron is worn
out she should provide it with q new one,
and a long lecture on its extravaganza
and her boundless generosity in thus pro-
viding for its wants.
The idea is really so preposterous that
1t would seem useless to consider such a
subject for a moment, were it not for the
knowledge we have that nine out of
every ten men of families make this same
mistake, if we would speak charitablv,
or to call the thing by its right name,
treat their families thus ou~trageously.
We are we'll aware that it is impos-
sible for the majority Of men to pro-
vide luxurious living for those depend
ent on them; neither do we consider
this in any sense necessary to the hap
piness of the family. But as a rule the
wife can bring more comfort into the
house with five dollars that she NAV
have to spend than can the husband
with twice that amount. And this is
not wonderful, nor is she entitled n
special credit for it, more than he is
for earning the five dollars for her.
1t is part Of her duty for which nature
has especially fitted her. And if she
failed in it, it is either because she
doesn't try, or because the selishness
OF her husband has denied her the
means of developing this talent. For
this reason, then, we believe that where
the income is limited, the wife is the
best disburser of the family funds. And
if she is worthy to be the wife of an
honest man, she will do her level best
to make that money bring as much
comfort into the house as possible, and
in no case will she allow her feminine
love for the beautiful beguile her into
extravaganza. But we must not ex-
pect miracles. If the husband treated
her like a child for five years, and shall
at length come to his senses and decide
to act toward her like she was an intel
ligent woman, he will not expect that
she will display the judgment the sensi-
BILE mans wife across the street does, for
she has had just five years experience
in the use of her powers that his short
s%ightedness has deprived his wife of.
Where the income of the family is
sufficient to allow all the comforts and
many of the ~luxuries of modern living,
there arise difficulties that are harder to
adjust. For here love of dress
and desire for home adornment
is given some scope, and we know
what tyrants they become if left un-
checked by reason and a firm will. But
the best plan in this case is for husband
and wife to agree on a plan of living that