The Springdale news., 1889-10-11
LEGAL LIMITATIONS.
The Law Regarding Necessarles for Wives
 Gases in Which Women Jurors Are

American States which adopted the common law, comprising d great ma jority of the States, wife has implied authority, as her husbands agent to purchase articles necessary to the com fort of herself and her family. This means, writes Mary A. Greene. in Woman's Journal, that the wife, even without her husbands consent. has a right to make purchases of clothing. food and other articles for herself and the family, and to have the amount charged to her husband
 But this right of the wife is not un- limited If it were an cxtravagant woman might with legal impunity rem der her husband penniless, and keep him thus. Moreover, the shop-keeper who sells goods to a married woman has right to know to whom he is to look for his pay, Consequently we find the following limitations to the law:
 l. If the husband has requested his wife to trade only at certain stores, she has no right to buy goods and have the amount charged to him at any other stores. And if he keeps her supplied with sufficient amount of ready money to pay cash for her purchases and has requested her not to buy on credit, he is not bound to pay for any thing she buys in violation of his ex- pressed request. In case of any dis pute over thiS it is for the jury to de- eide whether the amount of money given to her was sufficient for the fam fly expenses. and ill deciding this the jury is to consider the pecuniary cir cumstances Of the husb4Ad and the family manner of living. If he has not in the opinion Of the jury, provid- ed sufficient amount. he is liable for necessary articles which the wife has had charged to his account, and it is no defense for him to say that he gave her some money for her expenses. if the jnry think he did not give her enough.
 Z If the wife abandons her husband without just cause, she has no longer any right to charge him for her pur- chases But so strongly does the law protect this authority of the wife to pledge her husbands 5 credit. that fl she leaves him for just cause, she still has the right The notices we often see in the papers, where q husband posts his wife, stating that he will pay no bills of her contracting. have absolutely no effect to release him from his obliga- tion. if the wife is without fault in leae- ing him. They may serve to warn shop-keepers Of trouble ahead, and to put them on their guard. but they do not absolve husband from still pro- viding for his abused and, it may be, long-suIering wife. So in case of U judicial separation-not amounting to a divorce unless some definite agree ment is made between the parties. the husband is still bound to pay bills Of his wiie's contracting
 3. If the shop-keeper, at the time | woman buys goods. knows she is q married woman, and yet prefers to charge the amount to her, he can not afterwards turn around and sue the husband for his pay
 f Not all the bills contracted by the wife are required to be paid by the husband. They must be bills for "nec- essaries9 for herself and her family. Now this term 'necessaries' has d technical meaning in the law. much broader than it's ordinary collsquial signification. In law it does not sim ply include tho base necessities of life. Among persons not thoroughly conver- sant with law, there is belief that it does moan only this and nothing more, and so they not unreasonably conclude that this particular law is very harsh to women.
 Now, In deciding in given case whether the article purchased be "nec- essary," many things are to be consid- cred. Diamond earrings might be considered necessary for the wife of u President of the United States, while they would not be necessary for the wife of a day-laborer. Theoretically, 1t is for the judge to say whether the particular article in question could pos sibly be necessary for any one. If he thinks that it may be- it is then for the jury to say whether the article is nee essary for this particular wife, and in deciding this, they must take into con sideration the pocuniary condition of the husband, the style in which he i lives and the station in society of him. self and his family
 Practically, at the present day, our courts take such a liberal view of the needs of wives, that a judge will sell dom take upon himself the responsible ity of asserting that the article pur- chased could not by any possibility be necessary for any woman. He will leave it to the jury to decide upon the evidence.
 Thus, in rather recent Massachu- sets case. judge declined to rule that a piano. gold watch and chain, and other articles of jewelry were not necessary for the wife of a carpenter nn1 hi1i11ar thl,S inv, ,,1,,ipr, thot +hoco