The Washington herald., 1918-05-03
The Allowance Question
By DOROTHY DIX,
THE WORLDS HIGHEST PAID WOMAN WRITER

wards the bills depends q great deal
on the state of his stomach and
whether he has won . game Of golf
that afternoon or been beaten. I
know that could manage ten times
as well, and get twice as good re-
suits from the money II costs US to
live IL 1t was given to me In Q lump
sum at the beginning Of the month
so that I could plan my budget ac-
cordingly.
II should think that men would pre-
fer to make their wives an allowance
just for the sake Of harmony and
peace" said the second woman, "In
nearly every household there's q nasty
little scene when the wife has to do
her little panhandling stunt and ask
for money. In most families this II q
daily occurrence. and therefore 1t
logically follows that domestic, fric-
ton on the money question would be
reduced to . minimum II the wife
only had to ask for the wherewithal
to run the household once in q month
instead Of thirty times q month"
TITS . queer thing" said the third
woman. that q man will trust US
with his name. his honor, his happi-
ness, his life, and think us good
enough and intelligent enough to
rear his children, but that he doesn't
trust US enough, or think we have
enough sense to handle a few dollars" t"
oont think that men get our point
OF view on the allowance question any
more than we get theirs" said the
'hfst woman. II never expect to un-
derstand theirs. Perhaps thew are
equally incapable OF comprehendine
ours, because for whatever reason INV
husband refuses to give me an allow
ance it is not stinginess. or a desire
10 deny me anything that money
buys, or lack of respect for my finan-
eial judgment. He wants his family
to have the best Of everything. and
ne never makes a business deal with
out talking it over with me-"
I think that the reason that men
object to making their wives an al
lowance," said the second woman. "is
because they are welded to the theory
that women are different from men,
and you can't convince them, to save
Your life, that it's not true, and that
women feel and think Just as men feel
and think.
"a @ASAA Ole IMAM be
dependent on any one else. He would
rather starve and 20 in RAGS than ash
even the most indulgent father for
enough money to buy every meal he
ate and every garment he wore. but
he can't understand that women have
exactly the same reaction towards de-
penoence, and that every time a wife
has to 90 to her husband for car fare.
or cajole him into buying her A new
hat. she Is Inundated into the dust "
The reason that q great MANY men
refuse to give their wives an allow
ance," said the third woman. ''is he
cause they are afraid their wives viii,
spend some Of Il in helping their own
families. I know cases like that where
women who dress like fashion plates,
and who roll around in Iimousines
and give costly entertainments. have
literally not one dollar of their own
that they can give to their STARVING
Old mothers. I have known women
with such husbands to buy 800 gowns
wear them once, and then sch them
Tor $25 to get q little cash that they
could give to some needy relative.
And I didn't blame them. These
husbands forget that a woman who
performs all the duties Of wife. and
mother, and housekeeper earns a fair
share Of the family income. and he s
a right to do with It what she pleases,
Inc very man who would be horrified
at the thought of letting his own
mother want while he had plenty will
resent and prevent his wife helping
ner poor relatives. 1t isn't fair. but
It explains why many women hays 10
nave everything charged on bills, In
stead Of having the money xtyen Then,
TO pay for 1t outright"
II asked a man once vhy man Oh
lected to making their wives An al
ioWance," said the fourth woman,
and he said very frankly that the
reason he had everything charged on
oils was so that he could see the wav
mis- money went How would YOU
like your wife to keep tab on every
cent you spent?' 1 asked him to which
ne responded, that 1t was his money.
because he made It."
The cad" calculated all the other
women In chorus, and one added hone
fully, well, I hope his wife reyenFed
herself BY spending with both hands," ("
She did" replied the woman grimiy.
think that the main reason that
men refuse to make their wives an al
lowance," said the third woman. is
because they have a sort of super-
human vanity that makes them want
to play the part Of a beneficent Prov
idence to those they love. They want
TO be the source from which ali bless
ings flow, the power that must be
propitiated and kow-towed to. and
that rewards humble petitions with
the gift asked for.
OF course men don't put Il this
brutally to themselves, but it's that
sort Of feeling in the back of their
minds that makes them force their
wives to come to them for every penny
and do the mendicant act before them,
They really like to give to their wives,
but they want the reward of the wife's
daily and hourly gratitude, and they
want her to feel that it is a benefac-
ton and not her right"
Ladies. ladies'" said a young girl
who was listening" you're discussing
a problem that will end with your
generation. for We girls Of today are
going to settle the allowances question
before We marry. and believe me,
rs going to be no allowance, no
copyrisht, ISIS. bg the Wheeler Syndicate, fnc.)
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