Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-05-04
Setting Ones House I'm CIDER.

When the head of the house is laid
'ow there is trouble. And the trouble
s greater if, as so often happens, Death
lnds him before his house is "set in
order and he is ready to depart. If he
aad lived he would have collected
iebts, Strengthened out tangles and got
things INTO proper shape for his success
sor:: II he had lived, perhaps, only a
little longer. he would have made his
will, and aided so far in settling his es-
tate amicably and according to his plan.
a great many more men die intestate
I than otherwise. A man has the feeling
that making will is direct and inn
mediate preparation for death, and that
/ putting oil this duty delays the final,
fatal dart. But when this dart has sped,
! and the widow finds herself alone and
responsible for settling the estate, she
feels utterly lost and knows not which
way to turn. The legal forms that
must be gone through with are quite in
eomprehensible and strange to her, and
she has little idea what ought to be
lone, or OF the manner in which the es-
tate ought TO be settled up. In too
many cases the wife knows very little
about her husbands business affairs. his
obligations, his assets. his liabilities
She takes for granted that she knows
ais own business" and is not only COM
potent TO manage il in the best way for
The interests of both, but that he does
so, and that she is secure in any event.
Many wives have a feeling that the
manifestation of lively interest in the
exact status of affairs would betrav or
seem to betray lack of confidence in
their husbands, and in accordance with
this feeling they hand over TO their hus-
bands all their own property and eff
tects, trusting that by so doing they can
lose nothing. But unless accounts are
kept and the wifc's property is protect
Ell when the husband dies and creditors
and heirs come in, and there are fees to
DE collected, there l. no lack of Oppor-
tunity for the widow To be robbed of all
which the greed of those in whose pow
er she is may be able to swallow.
Fortunate is she that can find trust
worthy and capable man who will adj
wise rs to the winding up of the estate
and see that II is thoroughly and care
fully done. Women ought To know
enough of legal forms and requirements
n TO these matters to be able intelli-
gently to sign papers in their own in
terest, and To refuse TO sign such as
would injure them; but while their hus-
bands live, there seems to be no need of
this, and when their husbands die they
are often too much bcwildered and
overcome by the new aspect of things
to learn what is best to do and to have
done. There are many cases in which
widows have 'resolutely set themselves
to work To master all the principles and
details involved in the settlement of es-
tatcs, and have administered upon them
with skill and sagaciy. This course
c;n not be too highly commended. In
some OF our States there are special
treatlses upon settling estates, giving
the law and the forms tn be gone
through; a woman with such a book for
consultation would be able TO have an
intelligent opinion rs to the various
steps TO be taken in her own case As
months are required for the work of
which we are speaking, there need be
no haste in taking the various steps.
Where there are minor children it is
sometimes impossible to conclude mat
tiers until the children attain legal ma
Iorlty. In such cases there is time for
the widow to become so conversant with
her affairs that she may act intelligent
ly and with the advice Of competent
counsel before taking any important
step.
When the wife dies, with or without
a will, there are few legal difficulties,
often none at all. for the husband to en-
counter in settling up her estate; but
when the husband dies without will
the wife is hampered at every step, and
most of all by her own ignorance. The
best remedy for this, in the existing
state of things, is for the husband to
keep accounts so carefully and exactly
that all property or moneys belonging
to his wife's estate may be readily
identified as hers, and so not at the
mercy of his creditors, and to see to it
that all titles TO property are unincum-
bcred. y widow left with farm of
which her husband supposed himself
to I've the owner. found after his death
that the man of whom the farm was
bought had no power TO give title, this,
by the operation of self-foreclosing
mortgage. having passed into the mort
ga%ee before her husband bought il. A
mistake of this kind is generally much
more easily remedied by the buyer than
by his widow. for human nature is such
that the power TO Cypress too often be-
gets the disposition to do so. That this
has always been SO, is amply evidenced
by the frequent references in the Scrip
lures To the care of God for the widow
and the fatherless, and the denuncia-
tons against those who Cypress them.
10 these the defenseless widow NAV he
take herself and find in them abundant
support and consolation.
There is no truer way for the husband
to show his love and care of his wife
and children than by systematically so
arranging and ordering his affairs as TO
leave them. in the event of hi. death.
protected from all who would take adj
vantage of their ignorance OF their
weakness. This he will do if he sets
his house in order and keeps it so.-M.
Y. Tribune.