The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-09-25
EXPENSE ACCOUNTS.
Personal and Household Cash Books -
Kept by the Average Woman.


Personal and Household Cash Books -
Kept by the Average Woman.
"You should keep account of your ex-
penses so as to know just where the
money goes" A harmless appearing
remark enough, full of evident good
sense and practicability, but. alas! the
unfortunate and inexper recipient
of 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
so ut the end of the week add both, bal
ance them and it is done; but the
trouble is, 1t never, never does come
out right by any chance, and then the
brain-racking begins.
In certain literary society of ladies
not thousand miles from Boston, the
subject before one of the meetings was
"Household Finance ~ Those who at
tended 1t, did so with the hope that
some royal road to success would be
q humorous sketch describing one
accounts. 1t may seem like
open discussion that followed one lady
after another described her own efforts
and failures. They all heartily ap-
proved of the idea, and started at the
beginning of each year with noble reso-
lut,ons and clean blank books. One
never could make the list of expenses
reckon twice alike. She figured up and
found a certain result, then she reckon
ed downward with different conclu-
sion; thus she found herself no wiser
than at the outset. She considered ac-
counts the most aggravatlng, irritating,
| confusing things Imaginable. Another
lady, who had charge of large and en-
pensive household, in her desire to
know where the bountiful supply of
money went that passed throug gh her
hands, undertook a regular system of
double entry bookkeeping land made
ia botch of it," she frankly confessed.
She honestly made up the deficit regu-
larly from her own purse. If 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
student at one of our higher schools, said
one day: II am sure one of the serv-
ants must have stolen money from me-.
i miss over three dollars. I am very
strict about my accounts and put down
every thing carefully. l am sorry to
suspect the girl. but am driven to it. ~
POSSIBLY. you have forgotten to note
some item.''
mo, it is not possible. I am very
exact"
'"You put down that half dozen
pocket-handkerchiefs you bought Satur-
day, of coursep'
A blank look came over her face,
which quickly changed to one of horror,
/ "I did not
"And the lace?'
"Nor that either"
The very foundations had given way,
and her faith in the infallbility of her
account being destroyed, its value was
gone, too.
The husbands and brothers love to
twt the women-folks little on facts,
but would they themse YES do any better
| under similar circumstances DO they
ever keep strict account of tritling de-
tails of personal expense, or do they
sum all small matters-cigars, ncwspa-
pers, car fares or any unacoeuntcd fol
deficit-under the comprehensive head
of "sundriesp'' A persistent woman
devoting herself to her account would
rack her poor brain to recall the items
and consider that convenient "sun.
dries' as shirking the issue.
Then see the advantage the men have
in the matter of pockets. Suppose they
were limited to two or three of those
useful appendages, artfully hidden in
draperies, instead of the twenty-five OF
thirty, more or less, which appertain to
the suit of the average business man.
How would they find room for the bill.
book, memorandum-book, stylographie
pen, cigar and match-case, business
cards, bunch of keys, change-purse and
all the other impedimentap A man
clothes himself in the morning for the
days occupation, once for all, and has
the needful conveniences always
ut hand while his wife makes
nothing of changing her dress several
times day-morning dress for home
duties, second best street suit for er-
rands, afternoon dress for receiving OF
street dress for making calls, etc. Her
notebook and pencil are sure to be for.
gotten among the changes, and will not
be ready when wanted.
In business life vouchers and ac
counts are presented and paid by checks
at stated intervals, and remain as evil
dence of the completed transaction.
Clerks are employed to attend to the
books, and devote their whsle attention
to that department. 1t may be com.
fort for the discouraged sisterhood to
remember that women make the best OF
professional book-keepers, and are EN-.
ployed in many of the large mercantile
establishments by wide-awake men who
know what they are about, and would
not put up with inferior help from mo-
tives of (false) economy. These find
women quicker. more observant of de.
tails, more accurate than men. and Ger.
tainly equally honest. A defaultine
woman cashier is yet an unheard of in
dividual, ami may it always be so.-
Mary Winchester, IN Good Housekeeping