Evening journal., 1917-04-21
TIMELY TALKS
(Written Especially For T HE EVENING JOURNAL.
A POINTED PLAYLET

Theme-Should Wives Be Paid A
Salary For Their Work?
Subject-Mrs. Stint's Salary.
Time-Summer Morning.
Cast-Mrs. Lander, Mrs. Buzzer
Mrs. Swagger, Miss Snipe (all sum,
mer boarders).
Mr.. and Mrs. Stint-also summer
boarders.
Scene-Hotel veranda at summer
resort. Mrs Lander. Mrs Buzzer
Mrs. Swagger and Miss Snipe all
seated on the hotel porch in group
All are knitting or sewing, except
Miss Snipe who has a copy of "The
/ Fighting Chance" in her hand A
neatly dressed, but rather old-fashion,
ed looking woman, comes out on the
hotel porch She is followed by a
thin, stoop shouldered man, who is
her husband. They nod to the little
group as they pass on down to the
/ boardwalk.
Mrs. Lander following the couple
with her eyes)-There go Mr.. and
Mrs. Stint. You know they say she
never has a cent to call her own, and
him we'll to do. too. l declare. think
it's terrible the way some men treat
their wives.
Mrs. Buzzer-I've heard the same
thing Why, l was told only the other
day. in fact, that she had to borrow
nickle to pay for telephone call
Isn't it awful the way some men are?
Expect their wives to do all the
work and then keep 'em strapped for
funds.
Mrs. Swagger (threading her EN-.
brOidery needle) when a man
treats woman like she was a shred
ded wheat biscuit. it's all her own
fault Why. Mr.. Swagger is perfectly
grand to me in the way Of allowance
! never have to ask him for cent
hardly.
Miss Snipe Oanguidly laying down
her book)-Well in MY opinion, it's
no more'n a man OUGHT to do to
pay his wife, who cooks, sews, mends
takes care of the children and does a
million other things which keep her
going all day and sometimes far into
the night, / say, it is no more than
he OUGHT to do to pay his wife in
cold cash for her services. Maybe !
put 1t a little too cold and business
like, especially as it is all supposed
to be a love proposition, but a man
pays his stenographer, doesn't he?
Then why shouldn't he pay his house.
keeper?
Mrs Swagger-That's just what ]
say Miss Snipe. There are just lots
Of little things that every woman
Graves and being tied down to a home
and maybe children all day long. IL
would fit her to do better work if she
had the money to go to town and buy
something pretty or get a nice lunch
somewhere.
Mrs. Lander-Yes, agree with
you, Mrs. Swagger Why, just look
how dowdy and old timey Mrs. Stint
looks? And ! was told the other day
that she never even goes to the
movies
Miss Snipe-Well. that isn't any
thing against her. However, you
catch Me marrying a man without
some sort of an agreement. And this
is the way4 figure it out Say a man
makes 80 dollars a week. Twenty of
it maybe. goes toward household ex-
penses and sundries; that leaves ten.
five of which goes into bank Then I
say that the remaining five dollars
should be divided equally between
them to do with as they choose. OF
course. where there are children and
greater expense, there wouldn't be
that much left over, but l say this
much, that it doesn't matter If there
is only twenty cents left over. that
amount should be divided equally be-
tween husband and wife. That is
what I call a square deal, and mar
riages based on a square deal very