The Washington herald., 1911-09-04
By DOROTHY DIX.

The new department Of Home EcoS
nomics of the University Of Wisconsin,
Is responsible for the assertion that wo-
men OF this country spend $9,OD0, 600
Of the $4,000, 10000 annually paid out for
clothing, rent. and food
These figures make us realize that
practically all Of the money that is spent,
| except what men spend on their vices
and their outside clothes. is disburseI
! by women. 1t is the wife who deals
directly with the butcher, baker. and
grocer: who buys the clothes of thet
family and the housefurnishings; who
generally decides what papers and mag
azines shall be taken; what amusements
shall be indulged in, where the children
shall be educated.
Yet men do not teach their wives and
| daughters anything about business and
| this Is the reason that women who in.
herit money nearly always lose il. They
are absolutely at the mercy Of their
trustees.
Another disadvantage that women la
Dor under in money matters is that al
though the average woman spends a lot
OF money. she very seldom knows what
she has to go upon, or even sees the
money. 1t is only the exceptionally for
tunate woman whose husband makes her
an allowance, and who. having a def
mite amount at her command. can make
her plans 50 as to get the most out of it.
Run Many Bills.
The great majority of women buy on
bills which their husbands pay with more
or less grumbIng. The wife comes to
expect this as a matter Of course. and
so goes laundering along not knowing!
really what she can afford and what
she cannot, and whether her husbandi
protests against her expenditures are the
result OF lack OF money or grOuchiness.
Any man would perceive that he could
not do business intelligentIy. nor thriftily.
without knowing the extent OF his in
come, but he expects his wife to manage
economically when she is in the dark
about the amount of capital upon which
she Is running the family.
As matter OF fact. women do not
get such bad results out of their spending.
They are clever enough on bargain hunts,
but thev do not do half so we'll as they
would il they had been given a proper
business training and were given a fair
and rational treatment Of money matters.
Heaven alone knows why but most men
would rather have their eye teeth pulled
than TO give a woman actual money in
her hand. They seem to think that they
can keep a check on their wives by hay-
ing them charge things on an account.
Never was there a greater mistake. Bills
are the open door to extravaganza, be-
cause they do not visualize the swift
flight OF money to woman. She has to
see the wad in her pOcketbook- melting
like ice in the sun TO make her get
death grip on II.
Entitled to Consideration.
Considering that almost every woman
has the spending of the earnings of some
man, and that this in the aggregate
amounts to S9,OOOOOO.O0O a year, 1t does
look as IL the subject were entitled TO
more than the casual consideration that
has been given TO it, and that il would
be at least worth while to give a girl the
same instruction in business methods that
Is given a boy.
Perhaps, though. when a man looks at
the number of things his wife can buy
with s. and what ne can get with the
same amount of money he lacks the
nerve 20 try to teach her anything about
the myteries of high finance.
For II is a fact that woman can pre-
sent a fashionable appearance, make
presents to her family, have money in
the savings bank, and take trips TO Eu-
rope on an income on which a man would
be perpetually in debt and wear fringe
on his trousers.