The Washington bee., 1911-04-15
WHY so MANY MARRIED WON
EN- DETERIORATE.

laugh If you knew the time l have
had in getting the dollar which | en-
close for your inspiring magazine. l
would get a pound less of butter, a
bar less of soap. | never have a cent
of my own. Do you think it wrong
of me to deceive my husband in this
way? | either have to do this or give
up trying at all"
There are thousands of women who
work harder than their husbands and
really have more right to the money,
who are obliged to practise all sorts
of deceit in order TO get enough to
buy clothing and other things essen
tial TO decent living.
The difficulty of extracting money
from an unwilling husband has been
the beginning Of thousands Of trag-
edies. The majority of husbands are
inclined TO exert a censorship over
their wives expenditures. ! have
heard women say that they would go
without necessary articles of clothing
an other requirements just as long as
possible and worry for days and
weeks before they could summon
courage to ask for money, because
they dreaded a scene and the COnSe-
quent discord in the home. Many
women make it a rule never to ask
fer money, except when the husband
is leaving the house and in hurry to
get away. The disagreeable scene IS
thus cut as short as possible, as he
has not time then to go into the de-
tails of his wife's allegedeXtTaVaganC
and find out what has become OF
every cent of the money given her on
c5r715l9r nrayrIO14S occasion
The average man does not begin to
realize how it humiliates his wife to,
feel that she must ask him for fifty
cents, a dollar, or five dollars every
time she needs it, and to tell him just
exactly what she is going to do with
it, and then perhaps be met with
sharp reproof for her extravaganza or
foolish expenditures.
Men who are extremely kind and
considerate with their wives in most
things are often cOntemptibly mean
regarding money matters. Many
man who is generous with his tips
and buys expensive cigars and orders
costly lunches for himself and friends
at the club because he wants to be
considered a good fellow" will go
home at night and bicker with his
wife over the smallest expenditure,
destroying the whole peace of, the
household, when perhaps she does not
spend as much upon herself as he.
does for cigars and drink.
Why is it that men are so afraid to
trust their wives with money when
they trust them implicitly with every
thing else, especially as they are US
ually much more economical than
men would be in managing the home
and providing for the children? A
large part of the friction in the aver
age home Centers around money mat
ters and could be avoided by simple,
definite understanding between hus-
band and wife, and a business ar
rangement of household finances. A
regular advance 10 the wife for the
household and a certain sum for per-
sonal use which she need not account
for. would do more to bring about
peace and harmony in the majority of
homes than almost anything else.
To be a slave to the home, as many
women are, and then to be obliged
to assume the attitude of a beggar for
every little bit of money she needs
for herself, or to have to give an aC-
counting for every cent she spends
and tell her lord and master what she
did with her last money before she
can get any more, is positively de-
grading
Some one says that a man IS never
so happy as when he has few dol
lars his wife knows nothing about
And there IS a great deal of truth in
it. Men who are perfectly honest
with their wives about most things
are often secretive about money mat
ters. They hOOdwink them regarding
their incomes and especially about
any ready cash they have on hand.
No matter how much the average
man may think of his wife, or how
corsiderate he may be in other mat
ters. he rarely considers that she has
the same right to his cash that he
has, although he may be boasting to
outsiders of her superior manage
ment in matters of economy. He feels
that he is the natural guardian of the
money, as he makes 1t; that he has a
little more right to It than has his
wife, and that he must protect 1t and
dole it out to her.
What disagreeable experiences, un-
fortunate chickering's, misunderstood
IngS and family preJuQlCe COulu DC
avoided if newly-married women
would insist upon having a certain
proportion of the income set aside
for the maintenance of the home and
for their own personal needs, without
the censorship of their husbands and
without being obliged to give an item
lied account of their expenditures!
When the husband gets ready to re-
gard his wife an an equal partner III
the marriage firm instead of as an
emDlOye with one share IN a million
dollar company, or as merely house
keeper; when he is willing to regard
his income as much his wite's as his
own, and not put her in the position
of beggar for every penny she gets;
when he will grant her the same priv
ileges he demands for himself; when
he is willing to allow his wife to live
her own life in her own way without
trying to boss" her, we shall have
more true marriages, happier homes, a
higher vilization-SuccesS Magazine.
KING MENELIK'S ENVOY
ACCUSED OF FELONY