Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1891-05-01
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ABSOLUTELY Pure
THE WIFE's WAGES,


/
She - Often More Poorly Paid than the
Servants.
was asked to speak ct farmers in.
lstitute the other evening on the subject
lot the wifS's share This is talk" of
which never tire, says T. ID. Berry, in
Rural Neac Yorker. In it took coca
lsion to speak OF the grumb'ing way in
which some farmers dole out money to
their wives; how the vie often has to
ask and almost beg for what is simply
her own in justice. The next day
was talking with a well-known manu-
facturer and merchant in the town on
the subject. He thought l did not
loverstate the matter. He said that q
farmer and his wife were in his store
trading. No, / mean that the man was
trading, and the wife, or servant, or
slave, was standing by. While doing
this, she picked out three or four little
articles on the 5 cent counter, (only
costing 5 cents each) and asked her
husband to let her have them. She
pleaded that she would like them 30
much. He answe cred, with an oath,
No, by, vou cant have any money
to spcnd on such tom-iooery." Web
s:er defines slavery as having ones
will under the control of another. Isn't
that woman a slave? Are there not a
great many farmers wives, and town
mens wives too, who are slaves to a
greater or less extent? And still |
suspect that even the man spoken
OF above was not really as bad as his
words might indicate. Let us in
charity, while condemning the deed
IN stronge language, think as we'll OF
the man as possible. Doubtless money
came slowly and hardly to him. Per.
haps he was brought up by lord and
master father; or little by little he had
come to lord it ovel his mate, until
thoughtlessly, let us hope, not inten-
tionally, he had become veritable
tyrant.
In regard to town wives, have it di-
rectly from a lady living in the city that
sne is. unknown to her husband.
scrimping their living expenses and
laying up small sums IRON time to time
in the savings bank to her credit. This
Is saved from money grudgingly given
her, oftentimes, for household ex-
renses. And she says she knows a
neighbor's wife who has quite little
money in the savings bank, which she
has from time to time taken out of the
money drawer vt her husbands store
when she could do it unseen. At
another time when her husband was
called down stairs at night she took
some money from his pocket book. The
remark wee '"~do chat she, had .rnt
through begging for what was her own;
she had found ont better way.
These cases can vouch for.
A lady says on this point, in recent
number Of the World: Husbands sell
dom pay their wives the compliment of
thinking they can manage bank &C.
count. What is the result? The wife
grows cunning and underhanded, and
condones the ways and means she em-
ploys to get money from her husband
as legitimate self-defense. She en-
c"s into unholy alliances with her
and milliner to send in bills
for larger amounts than she really
owes, and through their connivance re-
ceives the difference. She resorts to
cosxing and all the pretty juggling a
woman possesses-nay, she even picks
her husbands pockets at night"
think it was Beecher who said that
If you wanted man born right you
must begin with his grandmother. ]
would like to know what sort of men
we are likely to have in the future from
such grandmothers rs the above men
toned women? hope every man who
reads The Rural will do what he can to
put an end to this terrible state OF af-
fairs. If he isn't yet prepared to take
his wife in ~ . full and trusted partner,
let him ct least surprise her, beginning
the first OF next month, bv handing over
to her reasonable amount Of cash, &C.
cording to their circumstances, once q
month, to do as she pleases with. Let
this not be less, il possible, than she
could earn by doing housework for
some one else. II it doesn't bring
tears of joy to her eyes and gladness to
her heart, in many cases, enough to
we'll pay you, I miss my guess. But
do it because it is simple Justice; be-
cause it is right. Do it for the good Of
future generations ii you haven't any
love left for your patient, hard-work-
ing, faithful wife. Give her . little
taste of the freedom you enjoy. But,
for heavens sake! if you must continue
to be lord and master, and the head at
home in private, when you 60 to the
store to trade, and other people are
around, do not make your wife's lot
doubly hard by showing up your true