Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-01

of Dorothy coming from the opposite d.
rection AS they walked up to the house
she was beaming upon him with admira-
tion for his fine figure written over her
features. A uniform and a few setting
up exercises make a great difference in
the looks of a man, as we have discovered
recently.
"You are looking well, Mr.. Ames," she
was saying. "The soldier clothes are
most becoming. l didn't know you could
look so WELL"
"I am glad you like them, Doro-
Miss Owen" he confessed with evident
pleasure.
"You may call me Dorothy If you want
to-" she conceded as she let him help
her up the steps. She was blushing
rosily through her tan when we greeted
her. She had just returned from the
mountains.
"I see that Dorothy approves of you
at last, Cabot" said his uncle.
do you, Dorothy?" Ames asked
quickly.
1--WE were talking about wages for
| wives, Dorothy" said her brother, COM
| ing to her relief Doctor McFabre is
| inclined to believe that they should be
paid You are a woman. What is your
| opinion?"
Wages" she exclaimed. "It seems to
| me that if you should put the relations
| of a husband and a wife on a financial
| basis it would take all the beauty out
| of them"
Good for your This from Ames.
II have just been reading a book" said
| I, '1n which it is suggested, not that
| wages be paid to wives, but that the
| State pay them for bearing children and
| make an allowance for each child. The
figure mentioned is $500 a year to be
paid presumably until the child is old
enough to work."
where would that money come
| from?" asked Owen. From the State'?"
| IT wonder If the author knows what
the State is" Owen went on. II do
not suppose he or she has ever thought
that the State is only you and I multi.
| piled by few millions. Let's see how
the plan would work out"
He figured a minute or two on the
margin of his newspaper
about $4,000 babies are born every
year in Philadelphia" he said. "At 5000
apiece this would take s13,50o000, and
as the babies would have to receive the
subvention till they were fifteen years
old-no child can work under fifteen
the annual charge to the city would
ultimately be O2,500,Oo0. Some of tn.
babies would die. Let us suppose that
the annual charge was $165, 100000. This
is ten times the amount raised by tax
alton at present for city purposes, ex
elusive of education. 1t would increase
the tax rate from 81 on every 800 OF
valuation to $11. 1t would increase the
taxes for city purposes on a $4,000 house
from $40 year to $44o. 1t would more
than double the rent Of every house and
apartment"
Yes" interrupted Doctor MoFabre
but 1t would be paid back to the fam
lilies with young children"
"I know" admitted owen, but wher
a young man finds it difficult to supper
a wife with rents at the present rat,
how could he get through the first yea
IL they were doubled? And IL he livet
! in a $4,000 house the sum paid for the frs
baby would leave him 800 worse off thar
under the present plan. / do not know
:: who proposes it, but the plan would no
work. Until We have complete stat
; socialism it is economically impossible.
.. But it is simply an extension of tn
systems Of mothers PENSIONS" said Doc
tor McFabre.
4 TT is more than that" said I. so
|, mothers pensions are merely a forr
i of outdoor relief for dependent childrel
. Who would otherwise have 70 b care
! for IN orphan osy1ums. xhe sndowmsn
:. e n6ohmaoo1 iqNct1eo ~ neoxe cas