The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-09-01
IDEAS for Uau1a1en.

tion ecently put tc the principal of ont
of our finest schools for boys. And tht
answer was one which viii be Of rea
interest to all mothers Of growing fami-
lies. Madame" he said, you should
nave begun to give him an allowance ter
years ago."
This good rule Of teaching the value
of money applies as well to the boys
sister as TO himself. Children" said an
aged Philadelphia recently. should be
given a little money and taught its
worth as soon as they are old enough
not to swallow it" And the sentiment,
although humorously put, was perfectly
sincere and the result of thought and OBJ
~servatson.
The system which American parents
adopt of providing a dollar here and
there for candy and flowers and theatre
tickets when the young people want 10
indulge in these. is. perhaps, al easier
system than that Of weekly or monthly
allowances. and may make the spending
money given seem less than it really Is.
But it has too many disadvantages to
keep in favor with the really thoughtful
mother and father.
Il wish 1 knew just how much to a
penny 04SIl ~ SptHo III 6
the young girl Of the house. Father al
ways says Go ahead and get HI you
want and I'll pay the bills. That sounds
very comfortable, but it isn't a bit. You
see. I am always afraid of OVERRIDING
what he would consider a reasonable
amount, although he is most generous in
paying up. Then l have to &c to him
every time I wan ~carfare. or a new book
or q magazine. l suppose he does give
me lots more in this way, but somehow
it isn't as nice. 1t doesn't seem so much
nor go so far. because l never am able
to lay 1t out beforehand"
The boys story. if heard, would vary
but little from his sisters. There is no
inducement to be economical 50 he keeps
up little private debts here and there,
over which MS father groans a little
when the time 10 pay comes around.
Sometimes he ~aecumulates such a figure
of indebtedness that his mother is per-
suaded to take half of it from her house
hold expenses, rather than allow the
master of the house to be confronted
with the entire sum.
He enters into things which only much
richer fellows could afford. in strict JUS
tee to. other members of the family.
Expensive railroad and boating trips,
theatre boxes and other affairs too nu-
m~eroussto chronicle. So that If the IA
ther could see in figures the sum which
he paid out to save the slight trouble
of a regular allowance he would hardly
believe the statistics themselves.
What should be the allowance? a
question can only be answered by taking
into consideration the family bank ac-
count But even in the cases where this
is great it should not be large enough
TO leave the young man and woman
nothing to- want for. IT is this allowance
and state4cf things which makes those
pitiahie creatures biase children. A BIZ
cycle bought the moment the desire for
one enters a child's brain is neglected
long before the good results 10 health
have had time to appear. Before the art
of riding it has been thoroughly MASTER
ed, IN fact. And so on through the cate
CORY of Inquiries.
There is yet another question to be
taken into consideration with regard TO
the allowance system That it should
De ScdA1a pg luS COMPARATIVE ages u
the children, as well as by the family
pocketbnok. The boy and girl of the
same age VIII require about the same
amount Of spending money. OF COURSE,
from this fund older children win be
required to provide their wardrobe, as
well as small private effects and ex-
penses- Their money knowledge can be-
gin very satisfactorily on bonbon ex-
peuses, dolls, and SO on. Little by little
the sum is increased and the RESPONSE
bilities are expected to grow with 1t.
Long before she is able to select her
frocks the little girl may begin to buy
her gloves handkerchief and small arti-
cIes belonging to the toilet. Her brother
may do. the same way. Once the period
other things of various kinds and To re-
ceive praise for every 5udicious bargain
There are many mothers who believe
In blowing the young ones nacket monav
and insisting that the donation he az
once placed in a small TOW AMI R,,t
these women defeat the nurpose thew
have in mind. Putting away monav for
safe keeping does not IN amy wav taaoh
the use of money which - nh. 80,
child should he anco.,rarad ~ TO-. -
Is, of course. an excellent nlan n n,t
away a little from time TO fine and a,an
Instead ~ a +rv n ~,