Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-07-26
WOMAN'S DEPARTMENT.
WOMEN AND MONEY,
The Capacity of the Sex to Understand
business and Engage in Financial Trans
actions.


business and Engage in Financial Trans
actions.
Our Girl lives from hand to mouth
a ''life of trust far more pathetic than
Muller ever knew or wrote Of If papa
is in good humor and easy in body
and purse, she gets money ION call. "
If 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 q complication.
Papa owed her "a living, legally and
naturally. John is transmogrilied 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 means
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 request for the
sum necessary for the supply OF the
daily wants of the household. She
cringes, like a 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 u fellows
earnings as u reflection upon her hon
esty. For every instance in which the
estate of wifehood is proprietary there
are one thousand where it is eleemosy-
nary.
The effect of this virtual pauperism
is the history of irregular charity the
world over. 1t demoralizes the finan-
cial conscience and begets shiftlessness
rather than thrift AS rule, it is only
old maids and widows who have indie
pendent business concerns TO manage.
Should property and responsibility fall
upon them in advance of age they have
a chance to test the feminine ability to
conduct business sensibly ami success
fully. Even then the novitiate is pain
full.
'Such pity that Jane should have
the management of her husbands
estate!n confided James cousin to me
"Only to think! A million dollars left
to her in fee simple, and when Johr
died she did not know how to write {
check, or even that the money was de
posted in bank for safe keeping ant
, convenience, She thought it drew in
terest and that 1T was pity to disturb
it until the July dividend was de
clared.'
The more shame for john" / re
joined, ''first to make her helpless an
then crush her down with untried cares
How was she to learn these things if nc
from her husband at homer"
{ Even she had glimmering conscious
ness of savings bank laws and advar
a tages. Thousands of women live an
die without that much.
Another and older widow, also lei
sole legatee and executriX of her hu'
bands estate, was thus spoken OF by he
son, her advisor:
1 ''In effect, | run the whole thing as
would for two-year-old. She, dea
soul! doesn't know coupon from
: check, bond from bill. If | were {
+ tell her she would better be somewhs
g economical for few months, sh
would half starve herself and walk
y save car fare. We're | to assure he
n that she had enough to maintain he
It comfortably, she would buy damon
necklaces for my girls and fast hors
n for my boy"
d Here again the blame should fla
= upon the foolishly indulgent HUSBAND
|. who kept the woman he loved in infal
d tile ignorance during his lifetime, ca
d rying her in his arms lest she shoul
" touch her dainty toe against a pebbl
- then dropping her suddenly amor
sharks, boulders and pitfalls.
! The cashier of the Fifth Avenue Bar
" in New York City has issued a mo
=, sensible little pamphlet, entitle
=. "Bank Accounts for Women" fro
y which l gratefully extract the folloN
ing:
4, MANY husbands and fathers gi'
" their wives and daughters a certa
=" amount each month with which to II
" the house or for pin-money. By depo
=, iting this in the bank, carefully payir
it out by checks, and knowing VIII
D., they have spent and what tn,
~ have ahead, they learn how fast lit
I. sums, added together, make great sum
~ and how small economies accumula
into great economies. 1t gives WON,
40 business habits ard helps in fifth
them to take care of property, If at al
is time it should come into their posse
IL sion; and, best of all, for married W
L men, it relieves them from the nece
rs sity of so frequently asking their hi
" bands for money. 1t also saves {
husband much care and annoyance
IS the midst of his busy and anxlo
?" life, for the presentation of small hou
n bills is often confusion and an irrii
IL, ton.
er "Presuming that there is the prop
TX confidence between husband and wi
bank account and check book
list longing to the wife will save both pi
do ties much wear and tear, and in @
?n climate and social condition every thi
lis which makes life easier and more tr;
a quill is to be studied.
w The writer of the foregoing h
looked at the subject from all sid
ng giving the result in terms so fair a
ks succinct as to command the respect
:" attention OF the most prejudiced h