The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-10-06
EXPENSE ACCOUNTS.
Personal and Household Cash BOOKS %
Kept by the Average Woman.

p.r.onal and Household Cash BOOKS %
Kept by the Average Woman.
"You should keep account OF your OK
oenses so as to know just where the +
money goes" A harmless appearing b
remark enough, full Of evident good a
sense and practicability, but, alas! the Q
unfortunate and inexperienced recipient q
If the wise counsel little realizes what
pitfalls and sloughs of despond are be-
fore her. 1t seems the easiest thing IN
the world. All one has to do is to set
down in one column the money she re-
ceives. and in another the various
amounts spent from time to time, and
80 at the end of the week add both, bal
ance them and it is done; but the
trouble is, it never, never does come
out right by any chance, and then the
brain-racking begins.
In a certain literary society OF ladies'
not a thousand miles from Boston, the
subject before one of the meetings was
''Household Finance. . Those VINO at
tended 1t, did so with the hope that
some royal road to success would be
revealed. The Introductory paper was
q humorous sketch describing one
woman's efforts to keep her
accounts. 1t may seem like
telling tales out of school, but in the
open discussion that followed one lady
| after another described her own efforts
and failures. They all heartily APP
proved of the idea, and started at the
beginning of each year with noble reso-
lufions and clean blank books. One
never could make the list of expenses
reckon twice alike. She figured up and
found certain result, then she reckon
ed downward with different conclu'
sion; thus she found herself no wiser
than at the outset. She considered &C
counts the most aggravatlng, irritating
confusing things imaginable. Another
lady, who had charge of large and ex'
pensive household, in her desire to
know where the bountiful supply OF
money went that passed through her
hands, undertook regular system OF
double entry bookkeeping 'and made
a botch of it," she frankly confessed
She honestly made up the deficit regu,,
larly from her own purse. Ii any OF
; the members present were successful IN
{ in bookkeeping experiments they were
not public-spirited or courageous
enough to .'speak in meetin and tell
, how they did it.
\ A very systematic young woman, a
0 student at one of our higher schools, SAID
one day: 81 am sure one OF the serv-
- ants must have stolen money from me-
/. I miss over three dollars. am very
v strict about my accounts and put down
d every thing carefully. am sorry to
# suspect the girl. but am driven to it. -
e Possibly you have forgotten to note
t. some item.
N ..No, it is not possible. | am very
D. exact"
"You put down that half dozen
+ pocket-handkerchief you bought Satur,
10 day, of course?'
A blank look came over her face
lie which quickly changed to one OF horror
,e IL did not
le "And the lace?"
"Nor that either"
ne The very foundations had given way
m and her faith in the infallibility OF he
10 account being destroyed, its value wa
d. gone, too.
The husbands and brothers love t
uy twit the women-folks a little on facts
gu but would they themse YES do any bette
under similar circumstances? DO the
H. ever keep strict account of trlfilng &c
d, tails of personal expense, or do the
/ sum all small ters-cigars, neWspi
t's pers, car fares or any unaccounted TO
in deficit-under the comprehensive hea
l,.:o A
N. devoting herself to her account woul
ng rack her poor brain to recall the item
and consider that convenient ''sul
he dries as Sinking the issue.
Then see the advantage the men hay
ou in the matter of pockets. Suppose the
were limited to two or three OF tho
is useful appendages, artfully hidden
draperies, instead of the twenty-five I
he thirty, more or less, which appertain
as the suit of the average business ma
How would they find room for the bi
yer book. memorandum-book stylograpll
but pen. cigar and match-case, buslne
ak cards, bunch of keys, change-purse al
ere all the other impedimenta? A m;
dis clothes himself in the morning for t
and DAVIS occupation, once for all, and h
} to the needful conveniences alwa
tin at hand; while his wife max
OBJ nothing of changing her dress sever
k it times day-morning dress for hoi
ame duties, second best street suit for
lelp rands, afternoon dress for receiving
lrs. street dress for making calls, etc: I
the notebook and pencil are sure to be II
d at gotten among the changes, and will !
cely no ready when wanted.
her, In business life vouchers and
ms counts are presented and paid by chez
opp at stated intervals, and remain as G
ed. dence of the completed transacti'
ied. Clerks are employed to attend to
il ne books, and devote their whole attentl
oily to that department. 1t may be a CO
rry, fort for the discouraged sisterhood
hit a remember that women make the best
ney, professional book-keepers, and are
be ployed in many of the large mercan
she establishments by wide-awake men
sctly know what they are about, and wo
not put up with inferior help from ]
Vhen tives of (false) economy. These
lded women quicker, more observant OF
n to tails, more accurate than men, and
Mt at tainiy equally honest. A default
tie to woman cashier is yet an unheard OF
rusal dividual, and may it always be 81
you Mary Winchester. in Good Ho1seseep