The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-07-31
TN WOMAN'S BEHALF.
MENolcANT WIVES.


MENoicAMT WIVES.
4 Sensible Talk On Domestic Money Nat
tera.
Is a man to regard his wife, on the
business side, as partner, or salaried
employe. or mendicant7 For IL must
be one or the other. Perhaps she II re-
garded - = partner in the domestic arm,
having the same right to draw her share
Of its profits as the othcr partner, even
II he keeps tho books, and has tho mon
ey pass through his hands. II IL . very
common thing in firms for one partner
TO do the selling. or tho manufacturing,
or Whatever it Is. while the other acts
as treasurer and cashier. But the latter
does not for that reason claim any supc.
riority over his associate. He does not,
merely because the money passes
through his hands, talk Of giving" his
partner what he pays him; he knows
that the money belongs to his partner
as much as to him. Thh - srely the
way in which the marriage partnership
ought to bc viewed, on the business side.
In the great majority Of cases the wife
works as hard as the husband, though In
different way. Her management Of the
household and tho children, II properly
done, is usually to be set against his work
1t his place Of business: Il II equally os-
sential to the marriage partnership. and
though the money passes through hts
hands, she has really - much right TO
hn g. vu,fA t1A
wife has no children. and lives at hotel
or clearinghouse, and simply spends
the husbands money, while doing little
in return, 1t 10 less Of . grievance to
talk Of his giving" her money. Even
then, perhaps they live in this way BY
his desire. There are such cases, no
doubt, just - there arc cases at tho 9TH
er extreme, where the wife actually
earns-or owns-thc money, and the
husband merely spends 1t. But neither
Of these is the normal state Of things,
the normal condition Is for the wife to
be as ,hard-worked at homo AZ 10 her
husband abroad, and in this case II Ii
fair to regard It - IN equal partner
ship, in which partners have right to
share the profits, and there is no '.giv-
ing" about 1t.
But suppose that, for any reason. the
wife can not convince her husband that
this theory Of an equal partnership j. 4
just one, she has perfect right to put
tho matter in another way. III am
not partner. she may fairly say. u
have just right TO be regarded ~ IN
employe. II an not a partner. ] u
least render certain services to the
household. and can claim ~ Of right
not by 'giving'-whatever compensation
you would pay to any third person FOL
the same services. Put 1t - matter oi
equal partnership or Of employment
whichever you please, only do not evads
tho obligations Of both" Surely this
demand at least Is reasonable. II tho
wife is simply an ofacial, let her be paid
| for the official work, and call tho com
pensation her own. II she keeps house
shc is at least entitled to what 20,
would pay ahousekeeper; il she does th,
duty Of y governess, let her have til,
compensation OF one; II she does the du
| " Of q cook. she earns cooks wages
do not regard all these economies simpl,
IS something saved to the husband
pocket; the saving has no place in hi
pocket, for it belongs In thatof his wife
You do not expect any one else to kee]
house, or teach the children. or cook tn,
dinner merely for her hoard or lodging
why should you ask the wife to do 1t? l
. penny saved is IS good - = penn,
earned, her saving should count as earn
Ing.
1t Is not enough to say, but we d
not wish to complicate matters will
these tcchnicalitiea Observe, that
Is always . tcchnicality whom 1t Is
question Of moneys going to the wife
but it il vast and simple business prin
ciple whenever IL goes - the husband.
"When my wife asks me for money,
give IL to her." But Is that the kind o
relation you like to have with your owl
employcr-one Of asking and 'igiv
ing? You prefor to feel that you carr
1t, and that tho very moment pay -da!
comes 1t is yours, and there Is no ',giv
ing" about it. From that momcnt tn,
law itself makes 1t yours. II men. VIII,
are trained to rough it in the world. fee
this shrinking, women can not escape IL
Only long and patient observation,
suppose, can enable any moro man I.
understand the continual and unjust hu
initiation undergone by multitndes o
admirable women-tho pinching ant
contriving and patient enduring the,
will undergo first-because Of this per
pctual ordeal Of asking" their husband
for money. The husband may be tn,
bcst-natured man living: the wife ma,
know that asking means receiving; bu
that which annoys her 10 the asking 1t
self In many cases the money is pal,
without 1t, know, as an allowance
but in that case the word Is still on,
which implies . favor given and re
ceived; it is not m allowance proper
~ speaking. but is simply her share Q
tho income. II yon regard her ~ part
ncr; or her salary, II you Wow her as u
employee.
Why does she need this sense OF indc
rendcnco in her possession Of what /
due her? She needs it in many ways
First that she may feel that she is
woman, not child; that she il Of age
not under tatelagc. Secondly. that sh
may feel free. as her husband woul
feel, to subscribe for such charities .
may seem to her desirable. As it Is
any subscription agent will tell you tha
the husband puts down his dollar or hi
ten dollars without hesitation. on hi
own judgment; while tho wifc rarel
ventures on subscription even to til
Missionary Society or the Seaside HON
for Sick Children, without rc9nes. In
the agent to call again, that she ma
have had an opportunity to ask her hus
band. Thirdly, that she may make pre-.
ents. and feel that they como from NOR
! ey that is justly hers, and which she
not merely requiring her husband to civ
something to Cousin Sarah, to whom h
is quito Indifferent, or tc Aunt Mehii
abel, who once broadly limited that h
was not good provider for his famil,
That may be very good reason why
should not be taxed for them; hut ina.
much as it was Aunt Mehitabel VIII
brought the wife up from childhood, an
Cousin Sarah who nurscd the bab
through diphtheria 1t is perfectly rigl
that the wife should give them