The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-10-21
THE wIFE's SPENDING MONEY.

tally means Shr1nkage IN the NUM-
Der of homes in the old fashioned def
milton ofthe word, is due not so much
to an unwillingness on the part OF
women to tackle the servant question
as to the unwillingness of most men
in moderate circumstances to give
their wives generous allowance OF
spending money, at least that is the
theory of some women of Manhattan.
A quartet of women met the other
day in the apartment of fifth, who
after eighteen years of housekeeping
astonished some of her friends by
abandoning comfortable house and
choosing to live with her husband
and her daughter in a three room
suite of an apartment hotel. They
got to talking the matter over.
"These rooms are nice enough" )"
one remarked rather family after an
inspection of the somewhat contract
ed quarters, "but compared with your
house in Bronxville-well they can't
be compared with it, that's ALL"
ST suppose you are right" laugh
ed the hostess. 81 feel that way N.Y.
self. / did not come here exactly
from choice.
"My husband does not dream of
the real reason why all at once ! be-
trayed yearning to live in an apart
ment hotel. It wouldn't be good pol
lev to let him know. I succeeded in
getting his consent to renting our
house furnished for the fall and win
ter and coming here to live only on the
plea that I needed a rest from house.
keeping that my health required
the change.
casa matter of fact, my health
has been running down a little, not
so much on account of housekeeping
cares, though as owing to the strug-
gle to get along with distressingly
small allowance Of spending money"
"That reminds me-" one of the
quartet broke in, "that I read not
long ago of woman living in Brook
lyn who testified in court that her al
lowance for all household expense and
for clothing herself and an eighteen
year-old daughter was only$3oa week.
Yet he was man of good income and
insisted on his wife and daughter
making a good appearance"
''Well, if that women had followed
nv plan in time it might never have
been necessary for her to go to court, "
observed the hostess.
ga husband isn't apt soon to for
give a wife who forces money out OF
his pocket. 1t rankles."
"I have always understood that
American men were the most gener-
Gus husbands in the world where
money matters were concerned, put
in the youngest of the party, bride
of less than year.
"That is true, think, of the com.
paratively poor and of the rich, but |
am not at all sure that it holds good
with the middle grade, the well to DO
husband who married on an income
of ST. 900 or 81, 200 and has climbed
up to $1,000 or so," answered the
other. "I know good deal about
the latter because married one OF
that sort.
"Women in tenement houses often
have more spending money, more
ready cash to handle, than the wives
of men who live in quite pretentious
style, for the reason that the wife ola
day laborer or artian generally car
ries the pocketbook. Even suppos-
ing the man is of the type who cele-
brates pay day with drinking bout,
whatever money he has left when he
winds up at home goes into the keep
ing OF his wife. If there is any ques-
ton of an allowance it come from the
man.
"And in most cases the wife of a
clerk on a salary of less than $1,000
has much the same experience, espe-
cially if she has children. AS rule
it is the wife who attends to the
distribution of the family income.
"Nine times out of ten the poor
man is anxious that his wife and chill
dren shall present as fine an appear
ance as the wife and children OF his
neighbor. When pay day comes
around, instead of squabbling over
how much spending money is due
the wife, both husband and wife are
more likely to sit up late discussing
whether it will be possible this week
to squeeze out a new hat for the lat
ter how much can be spared for
Johnny's school suit, whether the
daughter may have new jacket or
if she must manage with last year. S
garment, trife small for her now.
"To stretch the income to cover
the actual needs of the family is their
supreme thought, and not the per
centage of spending money which
husband or wife ought to have. Both
are willing to make sacrifices for the
children.
"Under such circumstances, know
ing that she has the privilege OF hand
ling all money in the family ex-
chequer, naturally good wife doesn'
grumble if the dollars she may spend
on her own account are few and tai
between. believe very few women
do grumble.
II know what lam talking about
When l married my husband s salary
was 81, 900 a year. When we mac
been married eight years he was get
ting 81, 800 and we had two children
a boy of 6 and girl of 7.
cat that time there was no ques
ton of money, between us. Our only
concern was to appoint the income
to the best advantage and try ane
save few dollars every month.
"Two year laters myihusband wa'
earning So, 500 and before long his in
come jumped to $1,000. 1t is more
than that now.
'It was soon after he had passed
the So, 500 mark that I first began t
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