Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-08-28
A WOman's Allowance.

ZenaS Dane In Good Housekeeping
A year or two before was married boarded
one winter with very excellent family In a
western village. The husband and father was
good man, but he had what his wife called
his "touchy points" and, good and honest man
though he was, some of these ''touchy points
were lifelong source of actual sorrow to his
wife, who was good and faithful wife and
common interests of the family. She was
economical to the last degree and most indus
trious. She seemed to me to be model wife.
Her husband thought so, too, and would have
angrily resented any imputation to the con-
trary. He taught his children to honor, and
love their mother, although falling, as it seemed
to me, i'll manifeSting love and honor for her
himself at all times, but these times were only
when his TOUGHEST point" had been pressed
One day accidentally heard the wife say to
her eldest daughter, NO. dear; cannot ask
your father tor money for you for new hat.
You know how very touchy he is on that point.
sometimes lie awake half the night trying TO
devise some method OF scrimpiug or saving SO
that l need not say the word money to your
father. Nothing hurts him SO much as TO be
asked for little money. l dread to think of
asking him for money for anything
l was engaged to Mrs. Dane at that time, and
made solemn vow tina: she should have a
purse OF her own and that it should never go
empty If had anything to put in it. We have
now been married six years. and have faith
fully adhered TO that resolution. And there is
no fixed sum- about it. Household expenses
vary at different seasons OF the year and under
various circumstances. Ten dollars WILL per-
haps, cover all the expenses one week, and the
next may be canning" or q company"
week, and several extra dollars will be re-
CURED. In any case, resent the idea that my
wife is mere pensiOner Oh my bounty; reject
the imputation that she has not common sense
enough to know the value OF money and dare
not he trusted with it. am not a "wOman's
RICHTER" in the popular sense OF the term, but
1 thank the Lord that L am man enough to
recognize the fact that my wife, as my wife
and the mother of my children, has rights,
money-spending rights, that have no
business interfering with. Every good wife
should have this right as u royal marriage pre-
rOgative. regard Mrs. Dane as an equal part
ner In the contract under which We have be-
come a firIn for Lie. We share profits and
losses alike. There is one money draw TO which
we both have free access. L have not the incl
nation nor the right To limit my wife in her
lures are within reason. Most wives and moth
ers honestly earn all they spend. A woman
who does her duty as wife and mother earns
more than money can pay for. 1t must be very
humiliating to woman To have to humby and
trembingly ask her husband for the money she
must have for her actual daily expenses ANY
sensitive wOlnaniy woman must feel it some
thing OF degradation to have to thus ask, or
even coax. for money given grudgingiy and
cOmplainlngly at last.
knew OF a woman who said once that the
only way she could get money from her hus-
band for other than her actual household ex-
penses was by watching her chance" and slyly
extracting bills from his purse when he was
asleep or his coat was OF. Imagine q wife forced
into such degrading act as that! Women are
often compelled to practice mean, niggardly,
cruel economy in order 10 make their expenses
come within the limit fixed by memorable hus-
bands who would iuriously resent any inter-
ference with their own expenditures.
/ believe that this simple question of the
wifes allowance has wrecked the happiness of
many household. Men often blind and
unieeling and unreasonable in this matter.
And OF course there are women who must have
q tight rein kept upon them because of their
tendency to wiiitul and woeful extravaganza.
There is, fear, little chance tor happiness in q
home having such a mistress over 1t. But the
the husbands OF wives thus worthy trust them
and this trust will not often be abused.
My own personal experience has been that
money Is saier with women than with men.
Most women can best man "all to pieces
making u bargain, and the marketmen and
grOcers seldom get ahead Of them, whereas most
men are careless purchasers.