The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-06

Periodically a discussion begins in
some paper or other concerning the
possibility of getting married on fif-
| teen or twenty dollars a week. and it
| is carried on with naive and calm Oh
! liviousness of the fact that there are
perhaps thirty-five millions of people in
| this country who belong to households
| in which the family income does not
amount TO twenty dollars a week for
! TIVE or even three people. The earnest
| debaters also ignore the circumstance
that marriage has been going on quite
steadily for a good many hundred
years among the masses of the people.
and that these masses subsist. and al
ways have subsisted, on incomes which
are not anywhere near the twenty dol
lars week standard.
The real question at issue is not
whether a married man with twenty
dollars a week salary can support
family. but whether he and his family
. are willing to be supported on that in
come That he can do 1t there is no
doubt whatever. If he should marry on
that salary. and his income should then
be suddenly cut down to ten dollars
week. he would have to get along on
that until times changed, and the
chances are that neither he nor any of
his household would starve, though they
might not be very comfortable. The &C
tual cost of subsistence is very little.
The money which we all spend is spent
on the things which are not necessary
to support life.
But some one will say there can be no
civilization without the possibility of
something more than mere bread and
meat and shelter and clothing. After
| these are paid for. there must still be
margin for the things which help to
develop the higher nature, or We might
as well all he poems in Mexico. That is
quite true The problem is to secure
the things which really conduce to the
higher life, and eliminate, If necessary.
those which are merely self-indulgence
which does no real good.
one trouble with this discussion is the
habit which people have of combining 1t
society. One hears a man or woman
say, with an assured air, that every
body does such and such a thing. when
what is really meant is that the persons
in the speakers circle of acquaintance
do that thing. When one considers how
small the average persons circle of ac-
quaintance is, it will be seen that it is
rather unsafe 10 generalize in this way.
But such hasty congratulations do this
harm: they create In the minds of peo-
pie who cannot have certain privileges
the impression that they are somehow
abused and unfortunate because they
cannot. For example, when an mex
perienced young girl reads or hears the
assertion that it is impossible to keep
house "decently'' without servant,
even II there are but two or three in
the family, and the housekeeper has
nothing else to do, that girl may take
il into her head. when she marries, that
she is not living "decently' unless she
is relieved of all household work As
matter Of fact. there are good many
millions of decent-living people in this
country who do not hire household ser
vice unless in case of illness or emer
gency. and they are in the majority of
cases very comfortable. OF course. the
work has to be done, somehow, and it is
done, but it is a question whether the
women who do it are any more tired or
nervous or inclined to invalidism than
they would be if they kept two or three
maids. and they are frequently intelli-
gent, well-read. and more or less tai
ented women.
The question of service. work, asld ex-
penditurc may be better understood
when IL is remembered that personal
Interest in a thing, determination to
discover the very best way to do it. and
ability To make ones self contented are
worth Everything in any business. If
people desire to save their money for
some special purpose. whether it is
buying home. accommodating library.
educating their children, or making a