St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-29
WIFE AND MONEY.

Do You Always Share the Latter
Generously With the Former,
| was asked to speak at farmers in
stitute the other evening on the subject
of the wifes share. This is talk" of
which l never tire. In it took occasion
to speak of the grumbling wayin which
some farmers dole out money to their
wives: how the wife often has to ask
and almost beg for what is simply her
own IN Justice. The next day L was
talking with a Well-knoWn manu-
facturer and merchant in the town. on
the subject. He thought did not over
state the matter He said that 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 bv. While doing this she
picked out three or four little articles
on the tive-cent counter (Only five cents
EACH. and asked her husband to let her
have them.
She pleaded that she would like them
so much. He answered, with an oath,
mo, by you can't have any money
to spend on such tomfoolery" Webster
defines slavery as having ones will
under the control of another. Isn't that
woman slave? Are there not a great
many farmers wives, and town mems
wives, too, who are slaves to greater
or less extent? And still | suspect that
even the man spoken of above was not
really as bad as his words might !ndl-
cate. Let us in charity. while condemn
ing the deed in strong language, think
as well of the man as possible. Doubt
less money came slowly and hardly to
him. Perhaps he was brought up by
lord and master father; or, little by lit
ha hoh 70
until thoughtlesSly, let us hope, not in
tentionally, he had become a veritable
tyrant.
In regar to town wives, have 1t d.
rectly from a lady living in the city that
she is, unknown TO her husband. Scrimp-
ing their living expenses and laying up
small sums from time to time in the saw
ings bank to her credit. This is saved
from money grudgingly given her, often
| times, for household expenses. And she
says she knows a neighbours wife who
| has quite little money in the savings
| bank, which she has from time to time
taken out the money drawer at her hus-
| bands store when she could do 1T I'M
| seen. At another time when her hus-
band was called down stairs at night she
took some money from his pOcketbOOk.
The remark was made that she had got
through begging for what was her own
she had found out better way. These
| cases | can vouch. for.
A lady says on this point: "HuShandS
seldom pay their wives the compliment
of thinking they can manage bank ac-
count. What is the result? The wife
grows cunning and undetermined, and
ccndones the ways and means she en-
plOys to get money from her h usband as
legitimate self-defense. She enters
into unholy alliance with her dress
maker and milliner to send in bills fol
larger amounts than she really owes
I and through their connivance receives
the difference. She resorts to coaXing
and all the pretty Juggling a woman
pOssesses-na she even picks her hus
bands pockets at night"
think it was Beecher who said thai
if you wanted a man born right vol
must begin with his grandmother.
would like to inquire what sort of mef
we are likely to have in the future from
such grandmothers as the above-men
toned women? | hope every man whC
reads this paper will do what he can t.
put an end to this terrible state o
affairs. If he isn't yet prepared to TAKE
his wife in as full and trusted partner
let him at least surprise her, beginnin!
the first of next month, by handing owe
to her reasonable amount of cash, &C
cording to their circumstances, once
month, to do as she pleaseS with. LIE
this not be less, if possible, than sh
| could earn by doing homework TO
some one else.
If it doesn't bring tears of JOY to he
eyes and gladneSs to her heart, in man
! cases, enough to we'll pay you. mis-
nv guess. But do it because it is Simpl
Justice because it is right. Do it TO
the good of future generations, 1T yol
have no love left for your patient, hard
working, faithful wife. Give her a littl
taste of the freedom you enjoy. But
for heavens sake! if you must continue
to be lord and master and the head
home in private, when you go to tn
store to trade and other people ar
around, do not make your wife'S 10
doubly hard by showing up your tru
character.
My good old friend. Rev. w. tR. Par
= sons, who loves his Jersey COWS, some
, times think, nearly as we'll as he doe:
| his wife (and therein lies the secret o
t his suScess as breeder) said in the in
stitute recently, that no matter wha
{ confessions a man might make in til
} class room, his cows know his rea
t character better than he will be willin!
2 to tell it. | suspect that many coun
try II erchant knows more nearly til
with him than their brethren would b
able to learn from them in the praye
meeting room. 1t is good to pray TO
the oppressed and the down-trodden
but stop and think whether God ISM
waiting for you to answer your ow
prayer.
was standing in store in larg
town once, when weli-to-do farme
and wife came to trade. He was pro
fnse in his loud talk to her to get every
thing she wanted: but he kept close
her side, and, as it seemed to me, reall
decided every purchase made.
watched her face closely and thought
told sad story. After they had gon
out quietly asked the merchant abou
them. He boiled over Immediately.
would not like to repeat all the harsh
things he said. The substance was thu
if the poor woman had dared t
buy thing on her own ACCOMPLISHING
taken him at his word-she would hay
got such a blowing up when they &C
away as only such a man could giv'
God forgive him! But this is certainl
better than public insult. Let us hay
all the charity possible. He is OIL
brother man. and none of us is perfec
Be patient, dear sister, and do RICH
One wrong is no excuse for anothe
Justice and righteousness will preya
i'll Gods own time.