The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-24

of Indian How They Think
Should Mana Household Affairs

believed in conducting household affairs
upon a business basis said:
Yes, sir. That is the only means OF
mans knowing just where his money is
going. ] do not believe in allowances. III
man gives his wife an allowance, and
she runs behind in her expenses, he has to
make II up any way; so what is the use
of giving her any stated amount. Nine
women out of ten, If you give them an
allowance, will manage to spend II, and no
matter whether expenses run lower from
one month to another none of the allowance
is ever turned back into the treasury. OI
course, If a man is in financial condi-
ton where he does not have to watch this,
it makes little difference to him; but, on
the other hand, If he is not in that condition
he has to see that he Is living within his
means. / believe that an itemized account
should be kept, so that ii can be easily told
just where every dollar Is going However,
after all is said. L guess 1t is all a matter
OF circumstances.
Mr. Horace Z. Ryan contends that the
ter, and that the husband and wife should
both see TO il without reducing 1t to any
strict business principle.
1t doesn't seem to me-" he said, that
II Is question whether q woman should
manage her home on a business basis, but
whether she would. l don't believe in a
womans spending more than she has TO
spend, and | don't think that Ii seems
reasonable to cut the household affairs
down to a regular business routine. One
month a person may want to buy carpets
uTdperleS, furniture or clOtnlnS, and as this
occurs but seldom, no exact allowance can
be made. / believe in people getting to-
gether and talking over what Is needed to
run affairs that way.
There is one necessary thing in bust
ness, and that is, IL a woman naturally has
not the instinct she should acquire it, and
that Is to always demand a receipt for
every account she pays and to keep that
receipt. There are lots of women who do
not consider the value of receipts and do
not keep them; consequently an account is
often paid twice. While / don't think that
a woman in her management of a house
should have any particular system of book
keeping or rigid business rules, because
believe enough b1isiness METHODS sbni,ld he
employed about housekeeping that economy
can be infused into it."
Said Mr.. j. A. Rink, when asked about
women running their houses upon a bust
ness basis
Eyes, 1 think a woman should have full
control OF her house, and that she should
manage IL in business-like manner. Any
woman who takes an interest in her home
can acquire enough business method to
manage II accordingly; ii does not require a
great amount of instinct of this kind and
by little patience she can soon learn 1t.
She should keep account of everything that
comes and goes from the house, keep all
receipts, and should conduct the whole at
fair as one would a store or any other
business concern"
II believe" said Mr. David c. Braden,
''in a mans giving his wife an allowance
III,
either by the week or month. Upon this
allowance she should base ali calculations,
and, of course, If any expense comes in
that does not come under the ordinary deal
ings, then an extra allowance should be
made. think a woman should have a
system of bookkeeping so that an itemized
account can be kept"
Mr.. Henry j. Huder is another one of
the men who believe in business methods
for conducting household affairs.
Yes" he said. Il think every woman
should conduct her home on the same prin-
ciple that the man does his business; that
ts, the financial part of it. My opinion is
that she should be given an allowance
every month, and upon this she should base
all calculations. To do this woman does
not necessarily have to be business wom-
an. | think that any woman who will APP
ply herself q little can learn business
methods to this extent. Take for instance
home where woman does not realize the
| month to spend, and at the end of the
month accounts amounting to $3.50 come in
there is bound TO be trouble. / will not
however, lay ii all on the shoulders of the
woman, and say that she does not know the
value of money, for very often we find men
ion that If people will live within their
means they will not have any friction i'm
the family, and l will venture to say If they
would live this way that ii would make
! more happy and contented homes"
1t seems to be the general sentiment
| among men that household affairs should
| be conducted upon business basis, so fan
| as the financial part of ii is concerned. A
number of other men gave their opinions
| but they took exactly the same stand as
| the majority OF those whose remarks are
| quoted. And after all their talk none OF
them threw any light on the real domestic
| problem-that OF getting a cook and keep
Ing her.