Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-01-23
WHO SHALL HOLD THE PURSEa
Are Not Women More to Blame Than
Men in the Matter of Money?


Men in the Matter of Money?
"Talk about German women being
oppressed and downtroddenr' said a
spirited daughter of that nation, I'VE
may black our husbands shoes now and
then II there is no servant to do it, but
In one thing, if | have been informed
nightly, we have greatly the advantage
ct American women. 1t is taken for
granted with us that the wife must have
the spending of the main part of the in
come for all the family needs. That is
her part of the work.
This view has been always held so far
as | know, and assure you that tyran-
nical husbands find some other way of
making their power felt than by holding
back the money for daily necessaries.
why, the bills must be met; the
family must live in the style decided on
as proportioned to the income Why
haggle about it?
But l am told that in America wives
rarely hold the family purse, and unless
a woman has money in her own right
she must ask, often beg, for every penny
she has. Why, German woman would
feel degraded with that sort of treat
ment. Besides, how can she wisely plan
unless she can know how much money
she has to use during the month or the
quarter. What one can afford is all a
matter of comparison and proportion.
1t is the most common thing in or
lower and middle classes for the wife to
draw the pay, keep the handbook and
order the expenditure of every penny of
the income, even to buying the hus-
bands clothes"
The reason why the married woman in
our country does not have as matter
of course more power over the income
seems to be partly her own fault. Does
she start out right in the very first year?
Is she imbued with the idea that she
and her husband are founding family
whose prosperity and whose standing in
the community is their common inter-
est? Does she feel that in this matter
there is no meum and teum; that all
plans and sacrifices must be made to-
gether? There are plenty of cases where
a selfish or thoughtless young man has
been brought TO this view of things by a
clever wife, and thenceforth they were
equal partners with equal rights. But
let woman once begin that childish
teasing for anew gown or new furniture,
and suspicious are aroused in the mind
of the money Garner that it will be hard
to allay. If he is man of any charac-
ter he will feel that he must protect his
family as to the essentials-a safe sur
plus in the bank account and a growing
fund for old age or emergencies.
He begins to prefer paying bills whose
items he can scan to giving ready money
into the hands of his wife. She will
make mistakes now and then, but if in
stead of owning them up and taking
counsel as to better ways she deceives
and conceals she is sealing her fate. He
feels if he does not know this conceal
ment, and now and then he will know it.,
and the painful result is well enough
known to us. 1t would be interesting to
hear from every woman who finds her.
self in middle life lacking the confidence
of her husband in money matters
whether the fault is entirely his or if she
does not in looking back find grave mis-
takes on her own side.-Mary FL. Abel in
st. Louis Republic.