Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-07-10
Mendioant Wives.

| ness side, as partner or a salaried en-
| pioye or mendicant? For it must be
| Que or the other. Perhaps she is regarded
| as partner in the domestic firm, having
| the same right to draw her share of its
| proats as the other partner, even If he
| Keeps the books and has the money pass
| through his hands. II is a very common
| thing in firms for one partner to do the
| selling, or the manufacturing. or whatever
| II l., while the other acts a treasurer and
cashier. But the latter does not for that
| reason claim any superiority over his as
soclate. 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. Thi. is sure
~ the way IN which the marriage partner
| ship ought to be 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 the children. If proper
| ly done, Is usually to he set against his
work at hi- place of business 1t is equally
essential To the marriage partnership, and
| though the money passes through his
| hands, shr has really as much right to it
! a. ne. ~ course, IN cases where the wife
/ has no children and lives at hotel or
| boarding house, and simply spends the
| husbands money while doing little in re-
| turn, II IS less of a grievance to talk of his
| giving her money. Even then perhaps
! they 1--we in this way by his desire There
4 are such cases, no doubt, Just as there are
! cases, at the other extreme " here the wife
+ actually earnS-or ownS-the money. and
/ the husband merely spends it, But neith-
/ cr OF these Is the normal state of things :;
/ the normal condition Is for the wife to he
a. hard-wulk,d at home as is her husband
4 abroad, and Ia this case il is fair To regard
/ u a an equal partnership, in which both
I partners have right to share the profits
aud there i no giving" about it,
/ But suppose that, for any reason. the
"ltc cannot convince ncr husband that
this theory of an equal partnership i, A
last one, >hc ha- perfect right "a but The
matter In another way. "IfI am not a
/ partner, >he may fairly say, II have a
Just right tn hc regarded a> an cmploye
IL am not partner at least render Ger
tam services tn the household, aud can
tihim ae of rlght-uot by giving What
ever compensation ynH would pay IT, any
thlrd person for the same services Put ID
a, matter of equal partnership or OF em-
"NmtHt, NhlohrN"r You please, only do
not eNadc the obligations Of both Surely
t"le demand at least i reasonable If the
vile + simply au official let her be paid
Tor the olfCas work and cali THE coiupcn-
>Ati"n her own. II she Keep, house. >hr
= Al least entitled to what YOU would pay
"u>okteprr; If She does the duty of a
g"Ncruts>. let her have the compru,atinn
"t "rr; # She docs duty a. II cook, She
earns COOKS wages 10 not regard All
tines" economies simply a. something -ayrt
70 ihe husbands pocket; the saving has no
place In his pocket for ii belongs in that
"f his wife You do not expect auy one
else to KEEP house, or teach the children,
"r cook the dinner merely for her board
or lodging Why should you ask lhc wife
t" q" itf II a penny saved j, ~ good A.
I"uty earned. Her saving should count A.
earning.
Il Is not enough to say But We do not
wish io complicate the matter with these
tcchu!oalItics." Observe. that it j. ALWAYS
a tcrhnicality When il IT, i question of ,hc
moneys -nin- ID the wife. but il II ayast
and simple business principle whenever il
goes 10 the husband w men my wife
a>N~ me for money, | give it TO her" But
l. that the kud Of relation yuu like To-
nave with your own cmploycr-onc of
asking ani giving: You prefer ID
fcrl mat YOU earn Il, ani that tile yrrg
moment pay day comes 1t is yours anu
there Is no giving" ahaut it. Fran that
moment the !aw itself makes 1t YOURS. If
men, who are trained to rough il ia tAc
world, feel thl, shrinking, women cannot
escape il. only long ann patient ob.rrva-
tiuu suppose. can enable any mere man
10 understand The contiuuai ana uuiu,t hu-
initiation undergone BY multitudcs of adj
mlraolc womcn-thr pincAiug and con
irving and patient enduring they will uu-
d,rgo dr>t because Of this perpetual or
doal of ''a>kn." their husbands for money.
The husband may ~ thu he~t-naturcl man
living the y fe may know that a,klu.
means receiving; hut that VIII ch annoy,
her : tile a>kIu! Itself. In many ease,
the money : pald without it, | know. as
an allowance: but in that case the word
j. sun one which implies 4 favor given ana
received ID j. not an ,'aIlunaucc" proper.
~ speaking. but j, simply her share of the
income, if you regard her as partner; or
her salary If yOu view her a. an tmployr.
Why doe, she need this sense Of indie
pendence In hcr possession of what /, due
her: She need, ID iii many WAYS. Fjr.t.
that ~he may feel that ,hr i, a woman. no,
a child; that >he j. Of age, not under tutcl-
age. Secondly. that she NAV feel free. as
her husband would feel to subscribe for
such charities a. may seem to her dc>ir
able A. iti~. any substitution agrntwiu
trl you That thr husband put, down Li~
dollar Or I'll, tel dollar, without hesitation
%H n's own uuI.'ienl me she "lIr rare
-f'Ne'NhAis H"VItiN or lIIt H'h-si't ti"iht