Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-09-12
WHAT A MAN COSTS.
Dlry of Householder who Spent $40.
900 in Twenty.Six Years.

| 900 in Twenty-Six Years.
What does it cost to bring up family?
| gentleman, whose experience will be
| recognized as having points IN common
with other householders, has preserved an
account Ut the expense to which he has
been IN re sriug family of four children.
To. day he entered the following statement
in his diary. 1t might be valuable sta.
tstlcal fat for the census taker.
To-day close my diary. Twenty.six
years ago undertook to keep an accurate
statement Of all my earnings and expenses,
SO that might know actually how much
u costs to live in the married state. Then
all vas anticipation. and my young
wiie counted our resources and our expec-
tatlons. MAS receiving SIS week with
u promise If more. I owned house COM
Portable enough for frugal young people to
begin life in. We were spared house rent.
therefore, and our expenses have
never Included this item. Retospect-
lively, 1 see that we have brought
up four children in compare
lively easy circumstances. My health has
been good and my earnings have been con-
stantIy received. I now receive $50 a
week and we still own the homestead, With
out any great additions its wealth except
in an increased amount of furniture. l
have little more money than / had when
n ar married. Perhaps, all told, l have
$5,5OO now OF assets. Then had perhaps
$2'500. We have never wanted for bread.
Sometimes We have felt the need of more
money. Three Of the children arc now
making their own way. Next week the
fourth graduates at high school, having re-
celved the same schooling that the others
have had, and will begin to look out for
himself.
II shall not necessarily be at any more
expense on account Of my children, and
this diary properly ends now. Would be
willing to 60 through the same experience
again of rearing q family? i asked my
companion, who has borne the greater
part, this same question, and I know she
spoke with heart full Of love, but was
compelled to say, 'Not for all that money
could buy would 60 through again what
hos been necessary to rear our family
Expressed in dollars, the totals are these:
In twenty six years We have received from
my wages and incidental moneys that came
through my wife and the children, $40, 300
or say $40, OOO--beside the amount of in
crease of permanent assets. Given plant
Of about So, 900 and two employees, man and
wife, it has taken therefore about $4,000
to each man produced. This, of course, in
| SAeASo esAA 0AAVAoySo VAHOA6C5s 4Ao R160t
is slightly enhanced in value, but the en-
ployes have seen their best days. The
quality of the goods is yet to be demon.
strated. Prospects, happily, point to
cessation of labor and increase of receipts,
but there is no certainty about this. The
employees are proud of their work, but
don't want another job.
"Some Of the items Of expense have
been these: Doctors bills Twenty six
years. $4,000 (and all paid-probably the
only instance on record); groceries, aver
age per week, first five years, 81; next
three, 50; remainder of the twenty-six
years, $l3 q week. For ten years it has
taken on an average one pair of shoes per
week for the family, including myself and
wife. The most annoying thing I
have ever known is the rapidity with
which children wear out shoes. Only
one thing approaches 1.-THE high price Of
childrend's shoes. I never could under
stand how, with all the civilization Of the
age, and the demand for cheaper results
children's shoes have not been reduced il
price. The humane shoe is failure. Nc
man not rich can afford to buy shoes for {
family and if I had it to do would go tc
Timbuctoo, where neither horses, mules,
camels or men are shod. Indianapolis
| Journal