Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-12-30
DOES IT PAY

Mrs Mary A. McIvor, wife of the
editor of the Hoxie Sentinel, is not
only good writer on economic ques-
tions, but keen observer. Writing
from Waco, Texas, Nov. "a, to the
Sentinel she says:
Sometime, so long ago that have
forgotten, 1 read an article in no less
authentic periodical than the Liter
airy Digest, advising young people
to marry while their love was
young and ardent, rather than
gagement, waiting for the man in
the case to make his pile
The writer gave it as his, or her,
opinion that it was better to marry
under such circumstances, though
the wife had to continue in her
place as a wage Garner down town,
even for several years, than to risk
losing those years of life together.
Now 1 have not had unlimited op-
portunity for investigation down
here but from what 1 have seen of
that sort of thing, 1 think it mighty
poor arrangement. In my estimation
the woman in the case would have
been much better off as an old maid
at home, even though she was en-
ployed down town during the day
than she is as Mrs. Blank without
any home influences and living inI a
boarding house from year to year.
Let me particularize. One couple
down here and they are very nice
hi
last word in style and price of gar
mentS-the man is a soda water dis
penSer in drug store; the woman, a
sales lady in a store. She earns more
money than he does. Consequently
when he is in need of wearing apparel
he has the bill charged against her
wages. Every Saturday they are
broke. Their room rent, board and
clothes take all they make. Teey do
not save anything, never have and
apparently, never will. They have
been married six years.
Another couple have been married
ten years, and during that time they
have been in several states. Every
where they have both worked They
have nothing. She is employed as a
filter and he is a travelling salesman,
working on commission. The last
time he was home she had to give
him the money to get out of town.
A third couple, and they are al
ready past the prime of life. They
are clerks. He is the head of a de-
part4nent and she measures muslin.
Together they make about 800 a
month. In all the years of their
married life they have saved enough
to buy a lot but never enough to
build house. They have no child
ren, they have no home. They have
boarded so long that man recently
had his place at table changed rather
than sit near them.
Then there is another case that has
come under my observation. This
couple has been married three years,
and the young wife feels that she is
doing more than her share in earning
S25 month in selling lace. Her hus-
band is a book-keeper in the same
store where she works, but morning
and evening she insists that he s'do''
their room, massage her face When
she desires it, and gather up the
wash for the colored woman Monday
morning. His expression as he sits
besidee her tells of weaoiness of the
bargain. ''Tm helping Clarnce earn
money so he has to help me do 10y
work, she says, in loud shop tone,
after she has recounted to the other
roomers all that she makes Clarence
do.
may be wrong about it, but it is
my opinion that any one of these
men would have amounted to more
as citizen and have had more OF
this worlds goods, if he had the care
and support of a non-wage earning
wife and family on his hands OF
course such an opinion sounds real
pie-faced country, but when 1 see
how lot of people live in the cities,
am right glad 1 am from the coun-
try.