Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-03-16
IN W0MAN'S BEHALF.
WOMEN IN HE HOME.
Why Some Men Fail by Not Placing Con-
fidence in Their Wives.

IL IS true that the world has a right.
in measure, to look to the woman in
home for what goes on in that home,
and hold her accountable therefor But
only in a measure, so long as the pres
ent conditions of society exist 1t is an
actual truth that one-third of the wives
of this country to-day have no idea of
the income of their husbands. The hus-
band achieves a certain success in busi-
ness His commercial ascendency seems
to require of him that he shall sustain
higher social position. My dear, says
the husband to his wife, now that /
am more prosperous we must live lit
tie better" The wife acquiesces, for
what woman does not desire TO ''live
better" when she can? But the husband
does not tell her how much more pros
porous" he is. or how much better"
her establishment must be. She is sup
posed 10 guess and define what he
actually knows. She is supposed to be
perfectly cognizant of a state of
affairs which were never explained
TO her. Let wife ask for figures, and
the husband is apt to say: Now, my
dear, don't you worry about figures; let
me do that 1t is enough for you
to know that ! am making a sufficient
income to keep you and your children
in good style. Don't be extravagant,
but let US live easily, you know" Live
easily, you know That's what some
men call being definite. Now, ] ask,
in all fairness, how is woman TO steer
a ship when she has no idea whether
the rudder touches the water or not?
And yet this is precisely what scores of
wives in this country are doing every
day of their lives With the husbands
prosperity his tastes expand, and the
wife strives 10 meet them. She orders
without the slightest idea whether her
husband has sufficient means to pay the
amount Of the bills she contracts. She
is told to dress a little better" so that
you can receive my friends in a way
more becoming to your better position,
you know" And she purchases better
dresses than before She dresses her
children more prettily. When the bills
come in the husband frowns a little,
but they are paid. And SO the domestic
pantomime goes on. Suddenly a crash
comes. The street shrugs it shout
ders and points up town" over the
shoulders The insinuation of keep
ing an expensive establishment" is met
by the husband in silence which very
silence colors the suspicion, and an
other calamity is added to the list of
those caused by woman's extravaganza.
Logical, isn't it? So just to the wife,
too!
Never is there hint in catastrophes
of this kind as to possible mismanage-
ment of business, unwise investments,
incapable assistance, lack of judge
ment on the part of husband. Certain
ly not! He was all right; he did all he
could. But don't you see" says some
wise-acre, its the old story of wife
living beyond her husbands meansw
OF course! The wife, too, knew all
about her husbands means!" Why,
certainly! Wanted to dress ex-
travagantly, you know, and her hus-
band couldn't afford il, but he, good fell
low, didn't have the heart to tell her
so, says another. Model husbandl /
have absolutely no use for men who
are always ready to hide another man
behind the. skirts of his wife. Only
towards resort to that, and the biggest
coward of all is the man who permits
himself to be so hidden, Why can not
husbands give their wives a truer idea
of their incomes? Then, ] suppose,
says some cynic, business calamities
will be unknown Well, my good
friend, let me tell you one good, square,
hard truth: Business calamities may
not be unknown, but there win be
fewer in number Some men have
a way of sneering at womans powers
at financiering, but the fact re-
mains that out of little list | have
just made on pad beside me, OF eigh-
teen wealthy men in America to-day
sixteen of them allow their wives to
fnancier for them And their securi-
ties are far stronger. and their money
is far better invested, they have re-
peatedly acknowledged to me, than il
they had handled the reins themselves
Women know a thing or two, my good
friend, although you may not choose to
give them credit for their knowledge
We men are pretty clever-too clever
for our own good sometimes. But the
Lord didn't give us all the wisdom He
had for distribution. Man hasn't a
corner" on intelligence. Woman man
aged to get little just as well. And
when few men that you know, and
know, arrive at this conception Of
things their homes will be the better
for it, and so win their bank accounts,
and, incidentally their own peace OF
mind. Edward w. Box, in Ladies'