The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-24

searches, this social philosopher, after due
reflection reaches the interesting conclusion
that it all depends upon :. mans wife whether
any money is laid up for rainy day or not.
Given good wife and $12 every Saturday
night, and prosperity, if not wealth and lux
ury, will follow, according to this theory.
The moral of this to the young man who
wants to settle down is obvious: First, make
sure Of the $12, then secure the managing
wife and dismiss all cares. The Chicago man
does not descend to details for the benefit of
would-be wives who are not accomplished in
the direction named. He merely remarks
that to spend so much money as some women
do is wasteful and extravagant, and waves the
matter aside as a question thoroughly disposed
of. An Eastern Profess comes to the rescue
at this point, and afte1 assuming, as does
the Chicago man, that American housewives
are careless and wasteful, as rule, in sup
plying ther tables, goes into compilation Of
statistics and market prices, which prove
conclusively to him that man can live well
at an outlay Of eleven cents day. Bills Of
fare given in support Of his assertion suggest
starvation to an unscientifc person who has
never tried to satisfy healthy appetite with
eleven cents day; but we have the Pro-
fessor's word for it that the food mentioned
by him contains all the nourishment that a
laboring man requires. This being the case,
it follows as a matter of course that twelve
dollar-a-week man, with even nine children
and the sort Of wife recommended by the
Chicago social scientist, is on the straight road
to afiuence Unfortunately for the carrying
out of the plan suggested, there are difficulties
in the way which have not occurred to the
amiable theorists. One is the mistaken as
sumption that family which consumes
liberal income necessarily spends
it upon the luxuries of the table. Another is
that only the citizens of foreign birth practice
economy in the kitchen; the third and most
insurmountable that in actual practice,
Americans cannot provide nutritious and pal
atable fare at the cost mentioned by the
Eastern scientist. A few years ago Miss Cor
son, an experienced professional cook, under
took to benefit the working classes by pub
fishing "fiftaen-cent dinner" book, wherein
was contained directions for preparing many
so-called nutritious and toothsome viands at
small expense. Women who were curious
enough to experiment with these recipes found
the connections to be mostly slops and messes,
good enough for those who liked that sort of
thing, but not to be recommended on the
score of excellent cheapness." Even the au-
thor of the work was finally forced.to confess
its shortcomings.
There is no doubt much wastefulness and
extravaganza in the American kitchens, but
there is far less than is commonly supposed,
and the constant exhortations to be
saving must become monotonous, if notirritat-
ing, to the frugal housewife who knows that
she provides even less literally for her family
than the x German woman next door,
and that the latter nevertheless, saves
money, while she does not. Americans,
as general thing, care little for the pleasures
of the table; SO long as their hunger is salts
fed it matters little upon what they dine; but
they do have other wants which must be graf
ifed else there is little satisfaction in living.
Even the most obscure among them may have
social ambitions-they wish to move in GER
tain circle of society, to do which involves a
certain outlay if their self-respect is to be
maintained. They have intellectual wants;
they require books and papers, and the stimu-
lus of lectures concerts and sermons; they
must keep their children presentable, else
they are apt to miss desirable companionship.
All these things demand an outlay which it is
a constant strain to meet. The wants of the
lately arrived foreign neighbors are less COM
pick, their aspirations of different sort; and,
being able to supply the one and satisfy the
other to some degree, are naturally
more content Their children and grand
children, however, will reach another stage
of development now occupied by the restless
Americans. This difference of conditions and
the impossibility of measuring all the desires
and requirements of one person or one family
by these of the less highly organized individ-
uals among them is the stumbling block
against which the guardians of society fall
when they point out to the intelligent, ambi-
tious man or woman-the product of the
highest Civilizations pathway to prosperity
which only the stolid, plodding person with
few and simple wants can follow. If the
scientists will turn their attention to devisng
plans for makino a small ;pooc,o ,onox,;d =