The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-30
NOW WE HAVE 1T.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox Wants Bache
Iors Taxed for Their Liberty.

Iors Taxed for Their Liberty.
New York, Aug 30--The World
prints an interesting article on bachel-
orhood by Villa Wheeler Wilcox She
There is everything in modern civfH-
zatiOn TO render bacheIorhOod a pleas
ant life for selfish man. The spirit
which actuates invention must be mas
culine, for almost daily we hear of some
new device which renders wOnans
services as a caretaker unnecessary in
a mans life
The patent button sneers at the old
fashioned needle and thread The cleo
trio light and the heat radiator ilIuHi-
nate and warm the bachelor apartment
with no aid from woman. The steam
laundry keeps man collared and
shirted neatly with no feminine inter-
vention- The clubs furnish an excel
lence and variety of food more careful
" prepared than can be found in any
home save the homes of wealth
OF course these cost money. but so
do a home and wife and children
The bachelor can estimate the cost of
his club life each year. He can only
guess at the cost of a marriage, and he
always puts it at the highest figure
and decides that the luxury is too ex-
pensive and the risk too great.
Meanwhile young women who would
make excellent wives and whose great
est happiness would be in seeing how
much comfort they could give a man
for the least outlay of money, are left
to earn their own living.
III course, IN these days there are WO-
mems clubs, but when God made wO-
man he made her incapable of enjoying
one another's society as men enjoy each
other.
Women's clubs are successful organ
izations all over the land But the
members do not enjoy life as the men
enjoy their clubs.
The right woman has urged the right
man many times when the charms of
the club were triumphant.
Therefore, no matter to what indie
pendence women may arrive in the
matter of liberty of action. she finds
no such pleasure outside of home life
as is by nature open TO man Since it
is mans prerogative to decide the ques-
ton of his own and some woman's life
IN this matter, he Who elects to be a
bachelor ought to be ready and willing
TO pay a tax towards the support of
single women
Since he refuses to maintain one wo-
man and receive the value of her af-
lection and cOmpanionship in return.
let him aid in the support of many
with no reward save his own self re-
spect-
Woman was intended by the Creator
to be supported by man Man should
earn money; woman should use it in
the maintenance of the family. Man
gratefully. The child bearer should
never be the wage Garner, and, howev-
er the modern woman may diSdain the
idea of being regarded merely as a
fact that she was intended by nature
to be the mother of man.
If bachelors deprive her of the priv
nege, they should hasten to relieve her
of a life of self support or dependence
in her old age
Every sane and healthy woman is
entitled to three children The world
is maintained and society exists by the
birth of children.
Bachelors should be taxed to supply
what might be termed a PREPARATION
fund
If single women refused to draw from
this fund, it could be used in the sup
port of homes for the aged or in the
education of orphans
The majority of single men in cities
pay several hundred dollars a year
in club dues. OF course, the dues are
small portion of the expenses of club
life. Any bachelor who is able to pay
800 in dues ought to be taxed S25 q
year for the support of single women
over 40 years of age, besides separate
tax for the PREPARATION fund
No man should be taxed until he has
passed 35, because until that age a man
may be postpOning marriage to make
himself worthy of it, but after that he
is liable to settle into bachelorhood IN
less reused to the necessity of action
No woman, unless an invalid. should
receive the benefit of the bachelors
taxation before 40, because many wo-
men remain single into their thirties
from choice, remem boring that Cleo
patra and Helen of Troy were both past
that age when they inspired historic
passions. and many mothers of sue
cesSful families have married for the
first time in their late thirtieS. But it
is always a tragedy when a woman
pa SSes into her fourth decade with no
by her side. A happy mar
riage offers more real pleasure in any
one month than bachelors find in a life
time. For every pain or anxiety in the
life of a well mated couple there are
ten mutual joys to recompense- But
though man misses much by remain
ing single, the woman misses more
Clubs, travel, adventure are not the
diversion to her which they are to him.
1t is only right that he should be
taxed for his seIfishness, and that she