The Washington herald., 1914-01-04
THE PENURI0US MAN
SHOULD BE STUNNED
Julia Dean, Leading Woman Of ''Her
Own Money" Says Stinsy Hus-
bands Make Unkappy Wives.

bands Make Unhappy Wives.
1t is too bad when idyllic melody like
the music OF wedding bells has to be
followed by the discord of financial
jangies between the united ones. but II 10;
II frequently Is: 30 frequently that plays
are written upon the theme; SO frequently
that any people declare that to the
wife's financial dependence upon her hus-
band Is due more marital unhappiness
than to any other one cause.
Miss Julia Dean. who will be seen In
"Her Own Money at the Belasco this
week, tells many anecdotes to prove that
the lesson that play breaches Is badly
needed.
II was staying with friend in a West
ern town: woman whose husband was
and is a wealthy man." she said recently.
'T used her telephone for a long-distance
call and when I had finished I said to
her. OF course, am going to pay for
this CALL I hate to have you do it.
she told me, but II I had a long-distance
call on the bill I should never hear the
last OF II from my husband
DIR. shaw Tells Another.
"But DR.. Anna Howard Shaw. the vet
! eran suffragist, has a worse tale than
that.
at was in an Ohio town. she said
there-well-to-do people. As the husband
was leaving the house in the morning
the wife said to him:
Edward am making a pair Of
trousers for Tommy and 1 need a spool
OF gray thread. 1t will cost cents
Edward laid down a nickle."
"'Oh, I forgot the wife went on. Tn
all out of darning cotton and your socks
need mending. Darning cotton is 5
cents
Edward laid down another nickle'
"And the worst feature" says Miss
Dean. ''is that a man hasn't the sense
OF business honor toward his wife that
he has toward other men. That is the
situation brought out in Her Own Money
!, in the play. save enough out of the
household money to buy little chicken
farm in the country, enough to make a
slight provision for our joint future. My
husbands and mine, because he Is waste
full and will not save. I don't let him
know OF my savings. but. when he falls
into financial difficulties go to a neigh
Dor and ask him to take my 5000 and
lend II to my husband. because i know
he will pay IL back to another man and
he wouldn't pay 1t back to me. He'd
think II was ours and ours would mean
the mans.
Woman should BE Free.
I'm the play all ends happily. Plays
have to end happily. you know-but in
real life too often IL doesn't. ! believe
that woman should be free in every sense.
in every way, but goodness knows when
that time will come. Financial indepen-
dence is one of the first things to strive
for. In every family where there is any
thing OF an income I think a certain sum
should be get apart for household ex-
foi
the rainy day and the rest divided equally
between husband and wife, and the wife
should have hers absolutely-to blow in
IL she likes on anything she fancies. just
as her husband may blow in his and not
account to her.
when every woman can earn her own
living suppose marital finances will ad-
just themselves rightly and yet I don't
know"-here Miss Dean laughed and then
looked thoughtful-"as women become in
dependent. men may grow dependent on
them. know husband and wife who both
work and earn about the same. They
agreed to halve the household expenses,
and, do you know, the wife has the great
est difficulty to make her husband pay
his share. He'd so much rather spend
his money on club dues and II is a hard
problem to settle.
Its almost an individual problem"
ment, on the individual circumstances on
so many things. II rule can be laid
down, it is that at the time of marriage
an agreement should be made, giving
the wife her fair allowance out of the in
come. but usually girl is too much in
love to think of that when she marries.
'T remember a young couple I knew in
Boston. Months after their marriage he
found her crying. He insisted on know
T., @t,o lon. r.
told him. She hadn't a cent of money.
she had used up what little she had at
their marriage and he never had given
he- any.
He was conscience stricken"
"'Why didn't you ask me- he kept
saying. But she had never asked for
money. She was one OF the women who
couldn't.
Not Allowed Cash.
'In many OF the cases where the hus-
| band keeps all the money in his own
hands 1t is Just because the wife began
that way AMI allowed things to go on that
way. OF course, there are many men
rich men-some Of them-who will have
control. There are wives who are allowed
to have accounts at stores, but have
| scarcely a dime to spend as they please.
who can order out the horses from the
stables but haven't a nickle for car fare
and they can't help IL; these husbands
are made that way. This money problem,
in matrimony, is a thin that wants to
be settled, but fear It will not be for
long, long time
| Mrs. Mary Ware bennett. suffragist
and feminist considers the question far
too big to be settled by the husband
handing over a share of the money he
earns to his wife.
''Why should heg' she asked. why
should a man be a mere salary grubber
for the benefit OF his family? Let both
wife and husband work to support the
home and let them share also in the over
sight Of the home and training of the
| children. Then the man will have the
delight of being really a father and will
be a human being instead of a mere
male"
To most people. though. the arrange
| ment whereby the husband earns the
money and the wife expends 1t appear
all right II only the husband makes good.
| Some women believe he does. In most
cases. One woman who believes so is
1 Mrs Arthur NJ. Dodge, anti-suffragist,
and another is Mrs. Charles s. Knob
| LAUGH, suffragist.
| should Have Fair share.
Certainly I think wife should have
| her fair share OF the family income to
spend as she choses." says Mrs. Dodge.
"Among the people know that is the
arrangement"
L