Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-05
AND BECOMES A BEGGAR.
Too Many Husbands Are Either
Tnoughtless or Downright Mean.
NOTED WOMEN SUGGEST REMEDIES.
How Happy East End Couple Manages
the Family Purse String.
VIEWS OF MRS. L1VERMURE AND OTHERS
rPREPARED FOR THE DIsPArcH.I


Anything wrong with the coffee this
morning, John?"
"No. It's good enough"
biscuits all right?''
81 haven't any fault to find with the bis
cults"
''Steak cooked about right?"
II don't see anything wrong with the
steak. What are you driving at, Maris2"
''No complaint to make about anything?"
"No. What in the world do you
John, l wish you would let me have 80
cents to buy some ribbons"
This brie. dialogue, taken from q Chicago
paper, and going the rounds of the press,
may serve to illustrate an important subject
! brought up for consideration by an inter-
esting article in the September Forum from
the pen of Mrs. Alice E. Ives on the admin
istration OF the family finances She calls
attention to the uncertain, strange and
anomalous position which, in so many house.
holds in the United States, the wife holds in
relation TO the domestic treasury" and de-
| clares that the time has come when this mat
ter appears to demand full and se1ous
consideration. 1t is, she asserts, far
reaching question of ethics, underlying the
| moral foundation of all human sOcIety-the
preservation of the home.
Here are some extracts from Mrs. Ives
article:
The bridegroom says reyerently in the solemn
| ceremony of the church, with all my worldly
goods thee endow." but he means not one
word Of this, aud the bride knows that ne does
| not Men who are rated as honorable, upright
| citizens, dealing Justly with their fellow-men
| will, when question of money comes up, treat
EIorr TtV F-
less honesty than they do the tax assessor, and
with much less consideration than they do their
| office bows.
The children, when not granted a certain
| weekly allowance, are tipped" occasionally,
but nothing goes to the wife without some
haggling, duplieity or humiliation on her part.
| Let it be understood that reference is made
| solely to the piLiabe state of things which so
| widely prevails i'll the disbursing of money liz
| the household and to the wite's private purse.
| Here few instances:
| woman-call her Mrs. White-who lives in
| good style in fashionable street, Is allowed no
| money Oy her husband from one weeks end to
| another. Mr.. White does all the ordering Of
| supplies for the household. For small needs,
| which he has overlooked, there is a credit book
which Mrs. White sends to the grocer, and in
this book all purchases are charged.
EVEN TO DRYGooDs.
When any article of drygoods is required.
Mrs. White makes tour of the stores and
brings samples of what she considers the best
| goods at the lowest prices for the inspection Of
her lord. Mr.. White makes his selection, goes
| to the store and purchases the goods. The res.
! idence being long distance from the shopping
/ center. Mrs. White is given street car tick ct
| only one, as she is expected to wall, one way.
| Mr.. White always walks and thinks She ought
\ to have the exercise. y Perhaps she goes
| through his pockets at night; the recording
angel would doubtless drop tear and blot out
| The argument may be raised that Mr.. White
| IS an exception-an unusually stingy man. But
i Mr.. White IS not parsimOniOus in anything but
| his dealings with his wife. He simply considers
\ her entirely irresponsible in the handling Of
money, and assumes this without ever having
| given her an opportunity to prove the contrary
Another case is that of Mrs. Gray She
| adopted policy of deceit and fraud toward her
| husband, and, though she is now a grand
mother, she continues it still. She is charit-
! ably-dlsposed woman, and when she wants
| little money TO help buy stove for a poor
| family, or to assist some sick and starving
| CREATURE to pay his rent, she tells her husband
| that the -four is out or that the sugar is iow
and so she gets the needful amount. She is a
strict church member,San probably under no
other eFeumstan would she tell a faIsehood;
| but the one Of all others whom she has solemn
! ly sworn TO love and honor she cheats and de-
ceives- And he, bound by like oath to his
wife, is, In way, guilty of less consideration
for her than the woman who scrubs his office,
forcing her 70 a course which is a moral de-
graduation, and which can but perpetuate itself
in the mental tendencies of his children.
THEFT AND ovERwoRK.
The papers are full of stories Of women who
get their milliners to send in bill for $40 in
stead OF $780, the real price, in order to take the
extra $40 for themselves; of those who overtax
their tired eyes and exhausted bodies by taking
in sewing without their husbands knowledge,
and of the farmers wives who smuggle apples
and eggs into town in order to get lew dollars
that tney can call their own.
This system Of regarding the wife as finan-
{aIlu nd Tnn Nv ira I1lo is
evil, to be looked sQuarely In the face and hon.
estly dealt with. The mother who is obliged to
lie and steal in order 10 possess any money Of
her own, will, IN all probability. be the mother
OF criminals. The woman who has no knowl-
edge of her husbands financial interests; who,
instead of beng his confidential partner. is his
pensiouer will, if she gets the opportunity, in
nine cases out of ten, ruin him through her
II the widow of man who has treated her az
q Totally irresponsible being is left penntless,
perhaps with children to support, she becomes,
In many instances, an object Of charity In
some cases she develops unusual business
abilities, but she has to starVe herself and her
children while she is rectifylng mistakes and
learning by experience GER ain things which
should have been part of her daily life a.
soon as she becomes wife.
LOSS OF INDEPENDENCE.
Young women who are self-reliaDt and earn
good salaries often shrink from marriage be-
cause they cannot bear TO be so independent
with many delicate Minded broad-souled, deep
thinking men there are none, because to such
a man the wife is an equal sharer in all things,
in his purse well as in his heart
What is the remedy7 One method would be
the granting to the wife OF a stated weekly or
monthly allowance for the household and other
uses, in proportion to the income of the hus-
band To the man who says, "But cannot pay
my wife like a servant" the answer must be,
Certainly not. She Is partner, and as such Is
entitled to share in the DIVIDENDS. To the end
that she may make the best use of such
moneys she should know what she is to expect
each week.
Is she so extravagant that you are In danger
of Iuin? Well, then there must be found
remedy, Just as there should be when the man
ruins his family by extravaganza. In the lat
ter case there is no restraining power In the
hands of the wife.
Undoubtedly the ideal remedy Is perfect
trust. confidence and higher moral develop
mont, for both men and women, but while man
kind is moving steadily on TO this, the weaker
must not be always going 70 the wall for the
lack of q protecting hand. No woman ought
to marry, without having some understanding
with her future husband on this point She
need not take pencil and paper, and make him
set down the exact figures of her weekly allow.
ance. but she should let hIm understand that
she expects one.
vrEWg nF nTurR WnMRM