Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-08-09
Wt,MAN'S DEPARTMENT.
WOMEN AND MONEY.


actions.
Our Girl lives from hand to mouth
'.life of trust" far more pathetic than
Muller ever knew or wrote OF. If papa
is in a good humor and easy In body
and purse. she gets money ION call.
il one or all of these conditions be want
ing. she goes without it. She learns to
dread the asking for it long before she
leaves off short frOcks. and as early
learns to wheedle and maneuver to OBJ
tain supplies. When she is married
the difficulty becomes a complication.
Papa owed her living, legally and
naturally. John is transmcgrified from
the sutton, whose joy and pride found
inadequate expression in lavish gifts.
into the judicious (and judiciaD holder
of the family pursestrings. PIN
money" with the average wife meaps
that she can not buy row of pins ex-
cept with her husbands money and
consent She suffers humiliation in her
own eyes. and, she fancies, in his also.
whenever she prefers a request for the
sum necessary for the supply of the
daily wants of the household. She
cringes. like whipped slave. under
his comments on the rapidity with
which money melts in her fingers, and.
if high-spirited. resents his suggestion
that she fought TO keep an expense
book and learn the worth of fellows
earnings as reflection upon her hon
esty. For every instance in which the
estate of wifehood is proprietary there
are one thousand where it is eleemosy-
sary
The effect OF this virtual pauperism
is the history of irregular charity the
world over. 1t delnoralizes the finan-
sial conscience and begets shiftlessness
.ather than thrift. As rule, it is only
old maids and widows who have indie
pendent business concerns to manage.
Should property and responsibility fall
apon them in advance of age they have
y chance to test the feminine ability to
conduct business sensibly and success
sully. Even then the nOvitiate is pain
ful.
''Suca pity that Jane should have
the management of her husbands
estate!" confided James cousin to me.
''Only to think! A million dollars left
to her in fee simple, and when John
lied she did not know how to write a
check. Or even that the money was de-
posted in bank for safe keeping and
convenience. She thought it drew in
serest and that it was pity to disturb
it until the July dividend was de-
G.ared.'"
The more shame for john" re-
joined. First to make her helpless and
then crush her down with untried cares.
How was she to learn these things if not
from her husband at homer
Even she had giimmering conscious
ness Of savings bank laws and advan-
tages. Thousands of women live and
die without that much.
Another and older widow. also left
sole legatee and executrix of her hus-
bands estate, was thus spoken of by her
son. her advisor:
I'm effect. run the whole thing as l
would for twO-year-Old. She. dear
soul! doesn't know coupon from a
check. q bond from a bill. If were to
tell her she would better he somewhat
economical for few months, she
would half starve herself and walk to
save car fare. We're to assure her
that she had enough to maintain her
comfortably. she would buy diamond
necklaces for my girls and a fast horse
for my boy"
Here again the blame should fall
upon the foolishly indulsent husband,
who kept the woman he loved in infan-
tile ignorance during his lifetime. car
rying her in his arms lest she should
touch her dainty toe against pebble.
then dropping her suddenly among
sharks. bouiders and pitfalls.
The cashier Of the Fifth Avenue Bank
in New York City has issued most
sensible little pamphlet. entitled:
s'Banl1 Accounts fOr Women" from
which I gratefully extract the follow
ing:
Mary husbands and fathers give
their wives and daughters certain
amount each month with which to run
the house or for pin-money. BY dep0s-
iting this in the bank. carefully paying
it out by checks. and knowing what
they have spent and what they
have ahead. they learn how fast little
sums, added together. make great sums.
and how small economies accumulate
into great economies. II gives women
business habits and helps in fitting
them to take care Of property. If at any
time il should come into their posses
sion; and. BEST of all. for married NO
meu. it relieves them from the neces-
sity of 60 frequently asking their hus-
bands for money. 1t also saves the
husband much care and annoyance in
the midst OF his busy and anxious
lie. for the presentation of small house