South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-12-23
MINIMUM WAGE
FOR WIVES WANTED
"Money is Tire Root of All d.
vorces, Why Not Pay the
Wife an dSave Paying ALI
mony?" Asks Woman Writer
BY NIxoLA GREELEY-sMITH.
Copyright. 1913, by the Newspaper
ENTERPRISE Association.)

Copyright, 1913, by the Newspaper
Enterprise Association.)
\ campaign is now being conducted
in Italy to limit by law the amount
of money which women spend on
their clothes!
In support of the movement, an
Italian writer, Beatrice Maineri. has
unearthed the fact that in 1900 the
GenOvese republic prohibited the
wearing of dresses made of colored
silk. of lace, of gold and silver en-
broidery, and later forbade the dis
play of gold and silver watches. Elk
celtion was made in h case of
brides. who were permitted TO sport
the fnery of which the law deprived
their elders.
From denunciations which reach
US every little while Of the eXtrava-
gance and bad taste in dress of
American women, il is probable that
this r~eactionary crusade may find a
few adherents in the United States.
NJ / know a great many women
who would he very glad, indeed, to
have the law fix the amount they
should spend for clothes. In effect,
such a law would Constitute a sort OF
minimum wage for wives and the
conjugal peace would be no longer
subject TO periodic upheavaIs cUA-
corning money-the root Of all di-
vorccs.
And why not a minimum wage
for wives?
We have motherhood pensions in
20 states, though a few years ago the
idea of paying such pensions would
have been rejected as dangerous and
un-American. When a husband and
"a - - - 49,. - n nd
decides what proportions of the
mans ir >0me shall be paid to the wo-
man.
But when they are at peace. the
wife has no fixed economic value. To
find out what her service is orth TO
her husband she has to quarrel with
him! In other words. today wives
have to be paid when on strike, but
not when on the job!
There are homes in which the sub
ject of the wife's allowance for
clothes and other personal expenses
is a source of continual disagree
ment.
If the amount to be allowed her
for services to the matrimonial firm
were fixed by law on a scale graded
to the husbands income, this domes-
tic discord would be sulled forever
Also. if a woman knew that she had
to dress on a certain, amount; and
could not either by cajolery or bully
ing. get any more. she would soon
acquire system and responsibility in
her expenditures.
What is to be urged against the
Saturday night pay-envelope for
wives? So far as ] can see, only the
act that, under the present laws. she
would have to be paid whether or not
she earned the money. But this, at
least, would be no worse than the VI
mony situation which exists today,
under which a woman has a perpet-
ual lien on the earning capacity Of a
man for whom she performs no serv-
ices whatever. / do not mean that
every legal power should not be eX-
ercised TO compel a man to support
his children, but why should a child
less, ~ablebodied, intelligent woman
who has ceased to be a mans wife
lake money from him?
Surely it would be better for the
law TO pay wives who work-wives
who are on the job rather tina those
who have quit, perhaps. for the best
possible reasons, but for no reason
which should require support for
them except in case of children or in
validism.
Anyway. if the Italian plan of linn
iting our dress allowance should find
favor. let IL be carried still further
and let the legislators establish at the
same time a minimum wage for
wives.
t. - . g GHsEai6IGa !u>s<zP
NIXOLA GREELEY-SMITH.