Evening journal., 1903-11-17

but the rule has taught men and women
to respect their marriage VOWS, and thus
the foundation of society has been pro-
tected.
IL is somewhat startling to read the
opinions of modern writers on the rela.
tions between husband and wife. There
has grown up in the last few years
habit of discussing these relations in n
spirit purely commercial. 1t is a busi.
ness contract we are told, and that a
woman is entitled to her share of the
husbands income. In fact, most of these
articles are based on the supposition
that every man has fixed and assured
income, and that certain definite
amount should be set aside as the wife,s
moiety. A woman's page article before
us tells of wife who on the return
from the wedding tour coolly asked her
husband what she was to get. He
promised her home, servants, good
clothes and all kindness; but she brushed
this aside with the remark that the
days of slavery were passed. and that
she expected certain allowance based
on his income. The story says that the
man saw the point and yielded grace
fully. Possibly his surrender was due
to the discovery OF the sort of woman
he had married.
These writers forget many things.
First of all, the average income of men
is small and the obligations are great.
Then it devolves upon the man to pre-
pare for the future as well as to look
after the present. lie may invest in life
insurance in order to protect his wife
and children in case of his death As
matter of fact few men are certain of
definite income. Business may be bad
as we'll as good, and those who draw
salaries may have them reduced at any
time, or may be thrown out Of employ.
ment altogether. Then sickness and
doctors bills must always be provided
for, so that few men can say from
month to month what their incomes and
expenses will be.
The woman in the story objected TO
slavery, but She put their contract on a
commercial basis; she was 10 be house.
keeper and companion, and the consider
alton was to be in dollars and cents.
With such view we ask what would she
do should her husband fail in business
or lose his positiong Logically she
should ask the court to annul her con-
tract of marriage as it was no longer
profitable to her.
It is a fine thing for woman TO have
an allowance that she can absolutely
count on-and il is also fine thing for a
man. But out of whose fund is to come
the money to meet emergencies and dis
asterg Who provides for all the extra
ordinary expenses that nobody can esti
mate in advance? The man, and if he
be man he will work day and night
and deny himself everything to do it.
1t is true that thousands of wives are
mere slaves, and God pity them But not
all husbands are brutes, and not all of
them are carried to the skies on flowery
beds Of ease" Many poor Irish family
has the right idea. There is a pot into
which the common earnings go, and each
takes out freely as he or she contributes
generously. We say as a warning to
these new women propagandists that
when men come to believe that women
regard marriage as a mere business con-
tract, there will be a greater number of
lives spent in single blessedness. 1t is
all very well for the woman to have her
separate bank account, but it is the ef-
fort of the average man to see that she
does not need IL.
There is something grotesque in the
worlds scramble for money, but it is
disgusting when it extends to husband
and wife, each seeing how much he or she
can get or withhold from the other. And
this modern demand that wives shall
have salaries is introducing an element
Of commercialism into welded life that is
disquieting and is pointing the way to
thousands to the divorce courts.