The Washington times., 1913-12-11
Mere Man Scores
Allowances DOled|
Out by Husbands
TO Loving Wives

NAV a mere man speak on the aues-
tion Of allowances for wives? On the
various occasions when take time to
dip into "women's pages" almost In
variably find space devoted to the "ai-
lowance question" Under what news
paper men call "subheadings" Jane Doe
pens with righteous indignation her tale
Of the pathetic situations In which
wives find themselves in the. absence OF
allowances. These instances are 80 sad
that even a mere man Is tempted to
weep.
But when II comes to the preroration
toward the end Of the article. when
Jane Doe CRATES and declaims on the
vhys and wherefores that women should
have allowances. 1t all has fine enougn
sound. but It has a'so very nosicsaSry S,;,
false rfng-to a mere hArd-headeo oue
kindly disposed business man.
why all this great concern and ora.
tory with no better solution than the
allowance? Every writer seems 70 SCI.
tie on the allowance as the soiuuon 70
the vividiy pictured evils which no SEN
sible man can help deploring just As
Let us hear from the point Of view
of the business man VINO u SIk
carry the same principles OF ousIhSss
does in his office, a plan Of action and
principles which fully beieve tnS
onIy real solution to. this matter. wnich
seems to veX SO many women
Allowance Not Good Business.
Tn draw the contrasts sharply at the
start. first let me say that nothing more
absurd in business could ever De I'M.
asined than an allowance system
between two business partners IL ID
safe to say that probably no business
partnership was ever run on the pr1n-
ciple OF one partner controlling all the
income and expenditure. and turning
over to the other partner only set
suf,iciency to run the office, and
personal allowance. It could not De
partnership under such plan OF opera-
ton. 1t would be the relation OF em-
ployer to employe-and not a very
trusted employe. either.
INV what is sorely needed in the
financial arrangement between hus-
band and wife 10 real partnership. This
is impossible both under the system OF
doling out. which causes so much coW-
plant, and also Under the personai al
iowance system. The latter statement
will probably take many women oy sur
prise, but IL Is nevertheless absolutely
sound in principle. You cannot nave
partnership without co-equai response
biIity. and the very decided objection
which I have to the personal allowance
plan Is in the complete absence OF re-
sponsibility by the female partner IN
the partnership under the allowance
pIan. II is very necessary for women
who are clamoring for more rights In
the financial arrangement Of matrfmony
to be willing to assume a proportionate
share Of the partnership burden. ana TO
gauge their financial expenditures hot
only in relation to their allowance" but
to the general family funds after givins
attention to all the financial considera-
tions which both alike have to face, and
which are. in the great majority OF
cases. never the same from month to
month.
Give Women Responsibility.
To be more specific. 1 mean that just
as soon as you operate an allowance
plan you put woman on the plane OF in
nocent, shielded childhood: You invite a
woman to forget every larger general
financing consideration and direct her
financial care into the narrow circle of
the allowance, which has no real rela-
tionship to anything but her own whim
and personal fancy. Not that I fail to
recognize the superb economical genius
of women. My opinion Is that every
woman should have joint bank account
with her husband-her checks being as
readily honcred as her husbands and
that no restriction whatever be placed
upon her excepting the general welfare
of the partnership. Do this, and you
at once put a woman on the exact CO.
equal status of responsibility with her
You at once begin to give
her that very vital education in finan-
ciai conservation In larger matters
which she now so much lacks. You lift
her out of the petty sphere OF routine
household economy and purely personal
into administrative and
executive responsibility for broader
The allowance plan is distinctly
vicious In the hands OF the very type of
women whom it may be supposed to
help.
II tempts many OF them to practice