The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-04-14
FAMILY FINANCES.
A Fundamental Matter That Is Too ones
Neglected.

A Fundamental Matter That Is Too oftss
Neglected.
Underlying the family life, in sense
the plain, bare soil from which spring
its flowers and fruits, is the family
finance, says an exchange. Though 81
fundamental, it is matter that is 81
surprisingly often neglected. In thu
poyerty-stricken Old World a calculat
ing economy is felt to be vital to exist
ence. But in our rich young land art
homes of both high and low degree
whose one financial principle is prac
tically, ''Spend as you make" a princi
pie which has an alarming propensity
to stretch out into: "SpenG before yor
make, in anticipation of your making
And so another cause of fret and strain
and breakdown is added to our Amer.
lean living.
The pity of it! 1t is so easy, let one
but think so, to plan intelligently foI
the home of our love. 1t is so delight
full to unite Systematically, now in 8
wise outlay, now in a glorious extrava.
gance, now in a sturdy self-denial. The
delight of it gilds poverty, and adds 6
new luster even TO wealth.
Systematically, we say. And Ger
tainly, if system is ever needed in ouI
workaday world, it is when the heads
of the family meet in council upon q
peak of time to consider the family
finances.
In the ideal system our first care i:
the settling of the scale of expenditure
Too often this is set lightly, after the
scale of our childhood's home, or that OF
our social circle, or of our next-doo,
neighbor; or it is even set unwittingly,
by an accident, a friends gift, or an un.
wary purchase of our own. We now
set it deliberately, recognizing it as
the vital point of our system.
We set solemnly, realizing that,
sooner or later, every thing is likely to
cost in heart and brain and soul as well
as in current coin. We have no vulgar
shame of simplicity. Unhappily we
know that were ''plain living and high
thinking" to rule more widely among
our republican homes, there would be
many winged spirit set free for lofty
fight that shall now be cribbed, cab
ined and confined for baser uses through
all its mortal life.
Next we make a schedule of the fam
fly needs. 1t is to be a complete one,
with the completeness of well-rounded
living And our items shall be charm
ingly promiscuous-fuel, schooling, fur
niture, books, benevolences, millinery,
music, and so on. We linger over this
part of our work, determined to pre-
vent the crowding out of any of those
more subtle wants which are apt to be
disregarded in our busy days and care
less moods; haunted by some old, old
words: rs not the life more than meat,
and the body than raiment?'
And now, with our scale of expendi-
ture set and our budget of needs COM
pleted, we are ready for the great work
of family statecraft-the just 'appor-
tionment of our resources among our
need items. One practical suggestion
ere we begin it: Over and above our ap-
"leave margin" as were ever the un-
fortunate young fnanciers in ''Grea'
Expectations. Only our margin must
be real one, kept for unexpected emer.
gencies. 1T is the unexpected which
counts"
When we have stood aside to watch
the drama of life we have seen strange
sights-parents starving the minds Of
children in order to pamper their bodies;
women devoting wealth to the one
coarse purpose of display; men harden.
ing themselves against the suffering and
sorrow of their fellows into brutal cal
lousness, to go their own ways undis-
turbed. And now, as we ourselves are
called upon TO judge of the varied val
ues of life needs, how shall we be just?
How shall we keep our domineering
wants from playing the part of the lean
kline of King Pharaoh's dream? Oh, for
scale in our weighing that shall weigh
for us the impalpable things.-N. Y.
Star.