Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-06-27

asked him how he spent a cent. Think Of
the delight of that" she exclaimed.
Il don't understand how such a state Of
affairs could exist" said the sad faced
We'll you see it began way back" ex-
planned the little woman. when my hus-
him and his brothers and sisters: Chill
dren, my cash drawer is open. Its contents
ara yours as much as mine and now when
you need any money l want you to feel
free to go there and get it as long as there
Is a cent there. We are partners, do you
understand; and now, mind you, / didn't
say you must go when you wanted money,
but when you needed it. Then he explained
to them simply and clearly just what his
financial standing was. The result? Why,
those boys and girls say that they never
spent as much money as they wanted to.
and that they never took from that drawer
as much as the smallest allowance of their
companions. They had the feeling that
they were really their fathers business
partners, and were on their honor to pro-
tect his interests and to help him to save
And you say that the father never
asked them how they spent the money
that they took from the cash drawer"
ested In the training of boys.
Never" was the emphatic reply. More
than that, he never preached to his chill
dren. He took them to church occasionally
as he would to a circus. did not forbid
them doing anything or going anywhere,
and never asked them what they had been
uClnS or Wnere they had Deen.
1T was a great risk to take" interrupted
the sad faced. what are parents for if
they are not to warn, admonish and re-
prove their children"
II think parents are given to children
answered the young woman. ito develop
their own characters and those of their
children by example. Now my father-in-
law has always lived a pure. high life. and
as a result his children have never tasted
whisky. the boys have never used tobacco
in n form. they have never INDUCED
their appetites and done lots of other
things hat we women grant men the priv
ilege of doing. l tell you the average boy
oc girl resents not being implicitly trusted,
and when parents begin to watch and Ques-
ton them too closely the child will give
them something to see and to be answered.
But to get back to the allowance When
we were married and returned from our
honeymoon trip my husband said: Now,
come and let me teach you how to open
my safe and after doing so he went on:
Now, there's our money. When you want
any take II and I'll do the same until it Is
all gone. I shall never ask You what you
take or how you spend 1t, and 1 shall ex-
pect you to grant me the same independ-
lowed that plan, and / assure you it Is as
tonishing how little we manage to spend.
not how much. as you two say Il Is with
you, and We are bringing up our two little
boys in the same way. Even now, when
they want money they toddle up TO their
father or me and ask US to open the safe.
Neither has ever taken out more than a
s cent piece at a time. and sometimes weeks
go by without either asking that the safe
be opened. / really think the responsibility
of an allowance would drive me crazy"
continued the little woman with a laugh.
know women are not any better at
figures than they are at reasoning, and II
would drive me mad to have to calculate
whether 1 could have this. that, or the
other dish for dinner. or a new piece of
lace or ribbon, and still max my allowance
out even. l wouldn't like IT at all.
You see. I've never had an allowance.
When I was a young girl my father paid
all my bills. and / didn't even have any
my own living. and, OF course, was not re-
except by the amount I earned;
and then 1 married, and having been living