The evening world., 1911-06-21
Present Day Women's
Clubs Are Making
Members Shallow, Not
Deep, Says Playwright
and Essayist.
II a Wife's Pocketbook Is
Empty, the Chances
Are II Is All Her GUN
Fault.

AS
BY Marguerite MOoers Marshall.
what 10 . wifs's just share Of
the family incomsf
no the joys OF wifshood and
motherhood compensate for imam
oial dspsndsuoss
II h wtfs's empty poohstbook
factor In h divorce problsms
Mrs. Annie Nathan Meyer. author of
the play. The Dominant Set" and Of
many essays, IL a champion cutter of
feminine oordian knots. Sociologists
and S~ufrragettes may tic the most IN
trioate and puzzling ones. yet Mrs.
Meyer invariably rises to smite them.
Therefore. 1. was to her that I sub.
mitted Yesterday tho widely discussed
queries Of Mrs. Ella W. Peattie In q
recent article regarding the economic
status OF the modern wife.
The basic %diniculty IN the whole sit
uation IL the woman's n~effciency,"
promptly declared Mrs. Meyer. II do
not mean TO say that I consider tho
great majority OF American wives in
efficient.
nut there IL . certain S$ps 70
whom 10 seems to me Mrs. Peettis's
article and many similar articles
are meant to appsal-a selfish,
lasy, essentially incapable wom-
An, who pr1dss herself ON Q divine
d~isooutsnt with the existing or.
der Of marriage when hi ou9ht 10
b disseminated ana dissustsd with
herself ana her Incompetence.
The morbid rot that In written BY
and about this kind of woman make
me utterly weary. She Is exalted on
a pedestal when she should he put into
the primer class OF common sense.
EMPTY PockeTeook WoMAN's
FAULT.
Broadly speaking. I an, willing 10
assert that the woman whose pocket
book 10 empty after marriage emp,ie,
II herself by her own fauaa. You can.
not persuade me thas rho average
American man 10 not generous and low
Ing and. indeed. Just enough to give
hs wife all the money he can AFFORD.
Very often h gives her more than hs
should M works himself to Q nsrvous
breakdown to satisfy her ~exorbitant
demands, Certainly. when she 10 com.
petent to spend wisely and we'll the
average man In only too glad to turn
over that part OF the days work &c
her.
1T Is probably true that many
women can spend mUney to greater ad
vantage than their husbands. Only
they need not pride themselves too ex.
brilliantly IN that conclusion. They
have the time . opportunity to dc
their buying that Is absolutely lacking
to the average man. He must work
all day in h office instead Of hunting
bargains. So let the women be a little
modest AZ 20 their own .shopplns
achievements"
But nov just what DO you think
should be the ideal ecG ionic relation
between husband and wife?" / inter.
rupted.
when I discuss this question" Mrs
Meyer returned slowly. my friend,
say that being a happily married
woman l have no right to speak abour
the troubles that beset the woman
whose husband Is not generous and not
Just. But l do not think one has TO b.
! NV oI''u VI oiht 10 navy fitiN III tft
divorce problem. nor 10 he the wife OF q
drunkard in order to .loathe drunken.
ness.
~ think the natural division Of
labor In the household 10 for tho
husband to be the breaiwinner and
tho wife to have tie purchasing Of
all the necessartss OF the home and
PAY T0R THEM WITH HER
OWN CHECKB00x.
III the income 10 modest, I sup
pose . fixed allowance would be
best. But II there 10 anything I
hate IL 10 this talk about giving
the wife . salary, or paying her
for services rendered. Il ohsspsns
the whole marital relation.
1.-The husbands earnings are earne,
for the purpose OF supporting a home
the wife attends 10 making that hom
what II should be. A sensible maj
knows that his wife cannot both be
home-maker and a -wage-earner. Their
should be perfect cooperation and mu
tual trust--lf these do not exists II can
not be a happy marriage.
rAtH ~AAAr-Epc 0ucn nu,-,a,.