The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-20
WOMAN'S
WORLD.

eu;ad ife?" is one which has been
- me so often, and others in my
-i,., that l have been obliged to
mink very deeply on the subject. After
INC over the ground thoroughly and
e-noetlv. 1 have come to the conclu-
~, that. aside from ungovernable
nar the lack of an individual in
no causes more unhappiness to
nv wife than any other of the nu-
n,.rous reasons advanced as an expla-
.a+ion of the condition of marital I'M
,.anriness which is more universal
than many know Of.
Men says Mrs. Russell Sage, in Col
rer's Weekly, do not like to hear this
assertion made. They say, why should
,ives need more than we give them?
Nc provide good homes, clothe them,
nav their bills, keep them in a style
oftentimes greater than we can really
afford. simply because they have de-
sire for social pre-eminence, and we
NV 10 crafty their every wish. What
need have they for money!" Do they
forget that her loving nature must
make her kind and generous? This ar
enment is all very well from the stand
noint of the man who pays his wife's
hills. But how many are there who do
mt liouidate the bills which women
holding a certain position in society
must contract, especially if they have
no money of their own and no separ-
ate income given them by their hus-
bands?
lust here we are met with the OBJ
lection that women are extravagant
and run up bills entirely beyond any
reasonable limit and by so doing i'm
peril their husbands business. We
will grant that in many cases this is
true but the reason for this, according
to my Judgment, lies in the fact that
the average woman has not been
trained to know the value of money.
am speaking now of the woman
Who marrying young, leaves a COM
Portable, perhaps luxurious, home for
one of her own, and who, like her
mother before her, has never had a
separate income, whose every want has
been supplied by credit system, the
bills being settled at the end of the
month, or six months. or year, by
check drawn by the head of the house.
Give a young wife brought up under
these conditions an income and she is
bound to squander 1t at first. But sta
tistics tell us, and those who have Civ
en- the question deep study tell us, that
a woman is naturally more honest in
paying her debts than a man and will'
intuitively learn to spend her money
judicously and wisely.
Several cases of marital unhappiness
which came under my immediate no.
tice while I was q young woman made
very deep impression upon me and
were the primary reasons for the deep
interest which l have always taken in
this question.
l was visiting at house once, the
family consisting of husband and wife
and several children. The man was
well to do as wealth went in those
days. He was looked upon as a mod
ell husband and good provider, and
those intimate enough with the wife
TO know the inner secrets of her life
knew she was unhappy, yet could find
no tangible reason for this unhappi-
ness.
The husbands business took him
away from home on long trips. lie
would often be gone six weeks or two
months at time. The particular in
cident which enlightened me as to the
reason of his wife's unhappiness oc-
Cured at the breakfast table on the
morning of his departure on a business
trip which would keep him from home
two months.
The carriage stood at the door ready
to take him to the tation and he had
hurried through his breakfast, leaving
US seated at the table as he rose to
bid the family good-by. He had kissed
all the children, made his adieus to
me- and lastly had bid his wife a very
affectionate farewell. AS he was leav-
ing the room his wife said to him:
George, will you not leave me some
money? 1 have none at all, and you
Will be gone so long"
He came back very readily and. put
ting his hand in his pocket, pulled out
5O-cent silver piece and laid it on the
table beside her plate.
oh, George!" exclaimed the wife.
this is not enough. Can't you leave
me some more?"
What do you want any money for.
anyway" he queried; 81 will pay all
the bills when l return"
Kissing her again, he hurried away,
10 be gone two months and leaving no
more money in the house than the so
cents which he had just so generously
given her.
Another case was that of a. woman
cal ability, who, while single, had been
IN receipt of very good income.
which she earned by giving lessons in
music. Finally she married a very
wealthy man, and every one consid-
eied her an extremely lucky woman.
!, Alter her marriage she discovered
lnat instead of being the happy pos
SCISSOR of good income, she was actu-
ally penniIess.
one had a beautiful home, horses
anu carriages, servants and all the
household bills were promptly paid.
Out she never bought new clothes and
never mad penny of pin money.
one had been asked to very swell
entertainment one evening, at which
cue mad sung, and her voice had been
sieatly admired. She had received
many compliments, and her husband
1ou oeen so proud of her that he had
..SoHsfatulated her upon her success, as
oney drove home in her handsomely
appointed carriage.
But, she replied, sadly, 81 could
naNe sung so much better and been so
i,iuch happier had l been as handsome
y eoWned as some of the women who
ii ~ to me. This dress l have on
oeglnning to be shabby, and have
married."
>, That is Just like a woman" cried
the husband, peevishIy; you are new
81 satisfied. What do you want with
new te~ clothes? You looked handsomer
NJ oio VI, any woman in the room, in spite
VI oil their fine clothes"
NJ a case which comes to my mind, and
hnich rather refutes the argument
r n'uught forward against giving wo-
M separate incomes on account OF