Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-02-17
BLAMES WOMAN
FOR HIGH LIVING
In the Old Days, Mother Made
Johnnie S Trousers from Pops
and Saved Money.

New YORK. Feb I6,.-woman is ono u.
the causes of high living. according to
Or. Simon y. Patten. professor ~
political economy .. the University OF
Pennsylvania.
The trouble. Re says, In en- article ia
The Independent Is that woman has
changed her ideas Of how to r,in tie
home.
Forty years ego man could itvo
comforts'1ly or s.rC year" re says.
Under tho magic OF tbs vifes hand
this 400 became $500 or $500 Size
create more value by industry In :hs
home than her husband did out OF &.
'lo'h "car- clothes, nour bread, AMI
fresh fruit. tho winters preserves TIE
wife no Longer contributes to tho family
Income by creating values. and with the
increased standard OF elaborate dressing.
she is often its CHIEF burden"
This deviation OF woman from the old
traditions Of ,he housewife, Professor
Patten calls the rev statue Of woman"
and he gives i: IN all seriousness As ora
Of the four caaHss ~ what he ckarac-
,e .es the "crisis n American home
life He Eives the Impression that lie
would willingly re-establ!sh the olden
ers from those Of Pop" and when tbs
weight Of tempting preserves which tia
woman OF the home had prepared in tia
summer.
1T Is no solution OF the present prob
lem to increase tho incomes OF some OF
those earning $3.50 70 1850 a year
the professor AYERS. The reason for
10 tI,ot bo I'M "a ha
his salary raised drops into more expen-
sv habits. It Is up 20 tho wife and
mother to strike at the problem right a.
the roots. and that means to economize.
DEMAND NOW IS FOR COMFORTS.
Professor Patten maintains that the
crisis in cost OF living affects. particu-
larry, those whose incomes range from
! 81. 900 to 5000. and he argues that the
urgent unsatistied demand to-day is
not for food, but for comforts. Fami-
lies with incomes of $1,000 a year he
says. have set up new standard of
! liberality Of expenditures. There is a
constant effort to keep up appear
anCes." and this has been disastrous.
because the day laborer still saves
as is evidenced by the size Of his saw
| ing bank account. We assume that all
classes above him are likewise, when.
as q matter of fact. the class above
him is no longer saving" SAYS Pro-
fessor Patten. The new standard OF
living has cut down the amount OF
saving as it has likewise cut down on
tho number OF children per family.
small family or no children does not
argue an increased amount of saving.
Small families and small savings are
ard Of living The family with no
children is also the family with no
saving
MARKET THE PLACE TO BUY.
This lack of saving. Professor Patton
| finds is another Of the causes OF the
present crisis. Still another cause is the
bad distribution Of population He
| finds fault with the tendency, in the
large cities to live in crowded tenement
| and apartment houses, where rents ara
| high instead OF spreading out into tho
rural neghborhoods,
| The isolation of the producer and con-
sumer is the fourth cause discovered by
the Pennsylvania savant for the excess
| i've cost OF living. Too much none
now goes 10 tho midhlemnn. &c would
! have il arranged so tnat ,he housewife
does hex Shopping drect 81 tns market
! The change IN this respect FROM the old
| system, which had 10 dealing With the
, lniddemsn, 10 the nov. Professor Pat
| ten calculates has meant TN increase ot
"a 20 20 per cent in prices.