The Washington herald., 1913-02-07
Deyotcs Her Entire Service.

When a woman marries. she gives up
her career as a wage-earner, and her
entire service Is devoted to the home,
while the man goes on with his work,
whatever 1t may be. and continues to be
a wage-earner the same as before.
Now, he may earn little or he may
earn much: he may be fair and very just
indeed, or he may look at things with a
single eye, an eye perpetually turned on
self.
But from the time he marries. because
he is the one who earns the money, il
is Tor him to say what shall become Of
any excess over expenditures. Perhaps
it is not too much to say that Il is only
the exceptional man who counts 1t right
and fair to put this excess, however it
may be invested. in the joint name of
himself and his wife. The average man,
rather, naturally, too. all things consid-
cred, thinks it quite fitting that property
acquired through his earnings, should be
invested in his name, maintained in his
name, and. at his death. disposed OF
according to mis- best Judgment.
And there's where the trouble comes in
Because il must not be forgotten that
while there are wives who sit in pretty
homes wearing pretty gowns and fol-
lowing no higher pursuit than that or
pleasure the day l"ng, the majority are
working wives whose hopes, interests
and labors are bound, hard and fast, to
those of their husbands.
And when it happens that wife has
worked as faithfully. as well and as tell
ingly as the husband, II may bring quite
a hardship il she finds herself n widow.
with property disposed of upon the basis
of his judgment. For while he may leave
her his all, or at least a gocdly portion,
he may think it quite enough to grant
her a small life interest And when she
has done her best and has devoted all
her energies IN helping to steer the home
craft Alright working no less than the
husband, that is nGt her way of spelling
Justice. Or he may deem 1t sufficient to
let the law take its course. and grant her
her dover right, which he cannot will
away.
And that dover right, to wife who
has worked all her married life. may
not always seem so great a concession.
Just How Matters Stand.
II the provision in regard to the SELL
ing of property and a few otbers of its
kind are looked upon as likely to upset
the balance of things. and if there must
he an eye for an eye and tooth for
4 tooth all along the line. then surely
there will nave to be some adjustment in
the matter of'compensation for wives
And if for every right there must be
a corresponding burden, then We shall
have to determine just how matters
stand.
Police duty. the bearing of arms and
the course Of time as an Offset to new
found rights?
AS to the jury duty, in some states
women are declaring their willingness to
take their medicine just the same as
men. And If men really want them there.
there Is nothing to Indicate that women
Will refuse. One fancies. however, the
burden of objection would come from
men, and there are many good reasons
for that.
And, as to the work of policing ana
the question of bearing arms. there Is
much that might be said. But there is
one thing that comes to mind:
On statute books all over the world
and in unwritten laws as well, there is
a growing tendency looking toward the
protection of women. And the protec-
ton is not because they are women, and
therefore entitled to consideration and
an excess OF watchfuI care, but is due
to the more practical fact that they are
the mothers OF the human race and. as
such, must be safeguarded, not for the
sake of themselves, but Tor the wider
sake of the state. For not even the
hunter counts II a practical thing to
shoot down the mothers in a herd of
animals that he wants to see perpetuated
Indeed, men make rigid laws for their
protection.
IT is not exactly a pretty or a senti-
mental way to put 1t. but then some OF
the speeches We hear and read about, in
their reference TO the equality or the In
equality of rights, inspire some sort OF
answer. For they imply that women
are seeking an excess of favors. while
lInprepared for thelr share In burdens