The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-10-02
And Repent at Leisure at Prov
ident Association.
Wives Are Too ExtraYagant,
Husbands Incompetent.
WOMEN WITH CHILDREN
They Seek Shelter of AssOcia-
TONS Refuge for Unfortunate.
Widow With Seven Children
Bought a GraphaphOne.

Hasty marriages, extravaganza of
! wives together with their inability to
cook, are set forth by the management
| of the Topeka Provident association as
causes for a large percentage of the
divorces in Topeka. The men simply
can't stand the pace.
Then the allurement of the INSTALL
ment plan for the purchase of goods
! is a means to the end. Mothers of
| large families where the income is
small will buy expensive rugs, talking
machines, kitchen ranges and other
articles, simply because on the face
of things it looks as though the
! monthly payment system will make
! the purchase of the goods a simple
matter.
Hundreds of married people in To-
peka, is the charge, do not plan ahead.
| They take in the shows and live in
more or less of a princely fashion,
exhausting all their resources; then
comes sickness and the chill northern
blasts of winter. The natural conse-
quence is that they become destitute
and as a final resort apply to the
Provident association or county for
aid. There are some who actually
expect each winter to depend largely
upon charity.
MANY of the wives in Topeka do
not know how to cook" said Miss
Mary Vose, secretary of the Provident
association. 1.-The families simply live
on bakery stuff, which is not nourish-
ing and besides is expensive. One
woman with five in the family ran up
a bill of $40 for food in a single
month. This is too much for any
poor family. The result was that the
husband deserted his wife.
These women will buy all kinds of
cookies, cakes, pies and doughnuts and
let the children live on them, instead
of getting eggs, bacon and other nour
ishing things. There is planning
ahead. They eat everything in sight |
and then 60 and buy for the next
meal; there is no supply of provisions
on hand in the house. This, conse- |
quently is an expensive way Of doing |
things.
Old. Old Story.
Young people will marry with no |
money on hand and frequently when |
the man in the case has no position |
Girls know oftentimes that the men
they marry are drinking heavily. but |
it is the old story-they believe they |
can reform them.
The children spend much money |
on the nickel shows and on candy. |
Frequently in our day nursery child !
begins to cry. Want some candy, |
is the appeal. At home they find that
by crying for it they can get it.
I'VE have had half a dozen cases
recently where husbands have desert
ed wives.
1--WE now have a woman with us,
who when she came here last Fri
day was nervous wreck. She is
gance in her home. She was married
when she was IA years old; she is now
20 and has four children ranging in
age from to II years. Her husband
is five years older.
when the case came to the notice
of the Provident association she had
not seen her husband for a month.
She was sick and had no fuel or food.
Her husband works for bridge
and has been away from her
much of the time. He draws a sal
airy of SPA a month, but recently has
Even his relatives do not know what
he has been spending it for. He has
overdrawn his salary $40.
County Must Pay.
''The county got hold of the case,
and the commissioners arranged to
have her stay at the Provident associa-
ton. arranging to pay for her meals.
house rent. and she will leave the end |
of this Week. The children will be
placed in school and she will find
work. The ProVident association eX-
poets to help somewhat in providing
furniture. The county will provide
supplies for the time being.
zone mother whose husband de-
serted her. bought q rug for $3.50,
and a pair of curtains for $9-on the
plan.
"A widow with seven children, doing
day work, mainly washing. whose
properly clothed, bought a graphic
phone on the installment plan. We
hear of many such instances of ex-
on the part of poor fam
lies.
''The Provident association is in
clothing at the present time
IN SI1nDfv the demand