Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1911-05-11
WOMEN AND WEALTH, OR
DO WE LIVE TOO FAST

en- away from the care OF their children.
But whatever the cause. the conscious
supeT, ision of the morals and training
of their children is not today what II
used 20 be.
II s. safe to say that the spread of
divorce is due more than anything else
20 the personal se1fishness, the person.
al extravaganza, and the personal aver
sion to anything unpleasant or the
modern woman of the world. And her
example is of influence on the less Well
to-do woman whose unhappy married
life is unrelieved by the distractions
open to the rich. In the main, the UNI
restrained selfshness and the exagger-
ated extravaganza leads many rich
woman to ask: What am / getting
out of it?"-.not, What am bringi.-S
to it?" The Willingness to control SELF
from a sense OF duty, steady per- =
Torrance of tasks for the sake OF
given object, the ability to sacrlhce
some satisfactions for the common
good, content with limited income
and rarer than they once were. Tho
forms taken by this selfishness are pro"
team; but the one which has large
economic significance is that OF nation
al extravaganza Not having had to GO
with the winning, but only with th9
spending of the wealth, re rich WOMB
an is more or less res psible for tD2
criminal lust for richeI which is now
cursing the nation. Moe than she can
possibly realize. his discomfort at not
having an expenditure equal to that or
others richer than herself is the cause
of the passion to get rich quickly.
More than she knows. she is at the
bottom Of speculation and of the
schemes of getting wealth other than
by saving in order that men may be
able to crafty her demands.
|. More than she knows, she is respon-
sible for the widespread disposition to
live beyond ones means; for the mort
cages on the homes, the snowy auto
mobiles, and the extravagant dresses
and entertainments which aim to ex-
press social superiority. 1t has not
passed unnoticed that diamonds to the
value of S4S, 000G00 were imported into
the United States last year. Traced TO
its ultimate analysis, the uncontrolle4
passion for pleasure and expensive
forms of qualification has caused the
living beyond our means in recent
years and influenced the extraordinary
reversal of late in the relation of tho
imports to the exports of merchandise.
For this our rich and our would-bo
rich women are in degree responsible.
With low ideas additional income does
not mean more of higher satisfaction;
1T means only more foolish, cumulative,
SNOWY expenditures; and in this COM
petition--as in the building of battle
snips-there is no place TO stop. The
indictment runs correctly against a
large class of American women to
whom it has been given TO spend swol-
len incomes. On the other hand. we
recognize instinctively the existence OF
a numerous class OF women--the sound
remnant against whom this indict-
ment does not lie. Possibly, it may be
answered that those who are not rich
have remained interrupted. Unfor-
tunately such a statement cannot be
made safely. The danger is not con-
fined TO those who have the means to
spead. The passion for social position
is almost UNIVERSAL and the example
of the rich who have low ideals is hun
grfly followed by those who have low
incomes. 1t is the deteriorating exam
pie of those who guide the expenditure
OF the rich women that Is spreading
widely and thoughtlessly over the
great class outside the well-to-do. The
danger lies In the increasing adoption
or habits, social customs, and expendi-
ture based on low ideals-which at
tracts the weaker and poorer members
Of the sex who are most influenced by
emulation.