The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1892-10-07
THE KOOTENAI HERALD
Issued Every Saturday By
S. D. TAYLOR, Proprietor.
COST OF REARING A FAMILY.
Here Are Some Extracts from the Diary
of Father who Spent $4,000.

Here Are Some Extracts from the Diary
of a Father Who Spent $4,000.
What does it cost to bring up a family;
gentleman whose experience will be
recognized as having points in common
with other householders has preserved an
account of the expense TO which he has
been in rearing a family of four children.
He entered TIE following statement in bis
diary. 1t might be valuable statistical
fact for the census takers:
To-day | close my diary. Twenty-six
years ago today undertook to keep an &C.
rurate 5 cement of all my earnings and
expenses 30 that | might know actually
how much II costs TO live in the married
state Then all was anticipation. | and
my young wife counted our resources and
our expectations. | received Sl5 a week,
with promise Of more. / owned house
comfortable enough for frugal young PEG
pie to begin life in We were spared house
rent, therefore, and our expenses have
never included this item. Retrospectively
] see that we have brought up four chill
dren in comparatively easy circumstances.
My health has been good and my earn
ings have been constantly received / now
receive $50 week. and we still own the
homestead without any great additions to
Its wealth, except in an increased amount
Of furniture. have little more money
than | had when first married Perhaps,
all told, have SO, 500 now of assets; then
had perhaps $500. We have never want
ed for bread Sometimes we have felt in
need of more money. Three of the chill
dren are now making their own way The
fourth graduates at the high school, hav-
ing received the same schooling that the
Mt harc harra ha1 4 l.
for himself
Il shall not necessarily be at any more
expense on account of my children, and
the diary properly ends now. Would | be
willing to go through the same experience
again of rearing a family? / asked my
companion, who had borne the greater
part, this question, and / know that she
spoke with heart full of love, but was
compelled to say, Not for all that money
could buy would go through again what
has been necessary to rear IA family
Expressed in dollars the totals are these:
In twenty-siX years we have received from
my wages and incidental moneys that
came through my wife and the children
SAC, 900-or say $40,0 00-besides the amount
OF increase in the permanent assets. Given
plant of about s., 600 and two employees.
a man and wife, it has taken, therefore,
about $4,000 to each man produced. This
OF course includes all employees expenses
The plant is slightly enhanced in value,
but the employees have seen their best days.
The quality of the goods is yet to be dem
onstrated Prospects happily point to
cessation of labor and an increase of re.
ceipts, but there is no certainty about this.
The employees are proud Of their work, but
don't want another job.
Some of the items of expense have been
these: Doctors bills (twenty-seven years).
E,lOO (and all paid, probably the only in
stance on record; groceries, average per
week first five years, 81, next three, 50; re-
mainder of :he twenty-six years, $13 a
week. For ten years it has taken on an
average of one pair of shoes per week for
the family, including myself and wife.
The most annoying thing | have ever
known is the rapidity with which children
wear out shoes. Only one thing ap-
proaches 1.-THE high price of children's
shoes. | never could understand how,
with all the civilization of the age, and
the demand for cheaper results, children's
shoes have not been reduced in price The
human shoe is a failure No man not rich
can afford to Bay shoes for family, and if
had it to do ! would go to Timbuctoo,
where neither horses, mules, camels nor
men are shod. indianapolis News