South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-12-08

She is going to high school and she
has 10 ask for money once in a while.
Money for a class pin. money for
class dues. money for class refresh
ments--and every time she men
tons the subject, there is a dOloous
moan from mother and. a scolding
from father. Sister Kate says she
ought to be ashamed OF herself.
Brother Tom grows sarcastic and
asks her How many pairs of silk
stockings have you hidden away in
your bureau drawer" And she's
desperate and she thinks Of running
away from home and earning her
own living and going TO high shoot
at highland then they'll see,
Poor girl I'm sorry for her.
aren't you?
And I'm sorry for her mother and
can't help feeling a faint, little
throb of sympathy for father, too.
Poor father, he is trying so hard
to put by a penny or so for a rainy
day and il does seem as If he never
al
his wallet without having somebody
come and make him break IL into
small change-and when that's done
obracadabra-it's gone.
The Allowance Plan.
But sister can't go to high school
and be different from all the rest of
the girls-she really can't.
She's different enough now. She
doesn't buy sundaes after school
nor take chocolate to class with her
She doesn't go TO the movies herself
or invite others to go, but when it
comes to class dues-really now, 1
think brother might chip in and help
her out and smoke less cigarets that
particular week.
The thing TO do in that family is
to have a plain, simple, common
sense talk about the whole situation.
Let father and mother make up
their minds whether they really can
afford to have daughter finish high
school or not. If they. can. let them
give her a certain allowance, so
much a month. and make her stick
to that allowance, counting the dues
and the extras and have them stay
counted. You can't smooth them
out by pretending they're not there.
After the thing is talked out and
the allowance is paid the first Of ev-
cry month, the matter will be set
tied once and for all. and this high
school girl won't go 10 bed in tears
so many nights and father and moth
er won't wish they hadn't, when they
see her come down 10 breakfast with
swollen eyes so many mornings.
Nagging. fretting. scolding-they
never did any good in the world and
have spoiled more dispositions and
broken up more homes than all the
other habits in the calendar of
habits.
Let's Be Careful.
People ought TO be careful how
they talk about money before chill
dren.
I remember a few years ago in
Chicago two little children wan
dered away from home. fell into the
canal and were drowned. They left
a letter behind them saying that
they couldn't bear TO stay at home
and eat so much, when meat and
potatoes cost so much money. so they
ran away TO try and earn their own
living and the mother who loved
them dearly died OF a broken heart
six weeks after the poor little things
were found locked in each others
arms at the bottom Of the clear
water.
They hadn't meant 10 commit sui
eide. but they were tired and des-
perate and bewildered. so they prob
ably fell in, one trying TO help the
| other.
They were the idols and the de-
light OF the home from which they
ran away The father and mother
idolized them, but they were wor-
ried about money matters and talk
ed about the price OF food every time
| they sat down at the table.