The Washington herald., 1920-08-02
THE ExrRAyAGANT WIFE.

What shall a man do with a wife
whose extravagance is running
him?" asks a correspondent.
L am no tightwad," goes on the
writer of this letter, Il want wife
to dress well and live well. / desire
20 give her every luxury that we
can possibly afford. and 1 make a
generous allowance that should
cover any reasonable woman 5
needs, but she throws money away
as IL II grew on trees, and as the
result am always in debt and
bounded by the bill collector.
Il am a young man, ambitious to
make a place for myself in the
world, and / know that ! have II in
me to succeed. I had already got
ten a good start towards my goal
at the time Of my marriage, but
have gone steadily backward ever
since. To get anywhere in business
you must show that you not only
know how to make money but to
save ii. Opportunity knocks in vain
at the door of the penniless man.
Big firms do not select the employe
who Is being dunned for his rent, to
manage branch Offices and factories.
Twice since have been married
I have had chances TO start in busi-
ness for myself in concerns that
have proved highly profitable, but
it Iock a few thousands to go in.
and my wife had blown in my saw
ings on an automobile that she had
hadgered me into buying. Three
times have inferior men passed over
my head by the firm for which l
have worked for years, and sent to
China and Japan to take charge of
the Offices there. and ] know that
the reason that 1 am sidetracked is
because of the shabby men in blue
with their coat fronts bulginE with
papers. who thrust unpaid millinery
and dressmaker and beauty parlor
accounts at me every time 1 step
out of the door.
Il know as we'll as il it had been
put in words that my firm thinks
that a man who can't live and keep
out of debt on the salary 1 get is
so poor a fnancier that he isn't TO
he trusted to handle big affairs. And
l can also see the big men looking
at me in a puzzled way and won
dering what has happened to me,
how l have lost my morale, why l,
who used to be thrifty. have gotten
to be shiftless and fallen into the
hands of bill collectors, why I, who
used to be on my tiptoes, am down
hearted and discouraged.
And I can't tell them that all
that is the matter with me is that
am married to an extravagant wife
T have endured this for five
years, hoping against hope that
could cure my wife of her vice, ar
Euing with her, pleading with her
but all in vain, and have come to
the conclusion that the buying and
wasting habit is just as incurable
As the dope habit. And unfortunate
" there is no law to restrain a wife
from throwing away her husband
money, as there is to prevent her
from buying drugs.
Now. I am not willing to spend
tho balance ef my days toiling like
a slave to enrich jewellers and caba-
rets and complexion specialists.
want to have something better Il
show for my Iifework than a closet
full Of imported dresses and hats
that is one side of the problem
The other is my wife. who buys and
buys and buys. What shall dc
about it,
NV advice to this man and everS
other man who is married to
woman who is not willing to live
within his means is to get up ano
leave her. Divorce her. Get rid oil
her Just as he would Of any other
business partner who was running
the firm by reckless extravagance.
believe in every man being both
generous and just to his wife.
believe in a family spending a lib
eraI amount Of it's income as it goe'
along instead Of pinching anc
scrimping every penny for some tu,
ture day OF splurge that none oi