The Washington times., 1922-08-25
SPOUSE IN
CLASS Of
lUXUR|ES
Mrs. Spreckles Wakefield's Of
fer Causes FURRY in Matri-
monial Quotations.
BY JULIA MCCARTHY.

bands are selling at one hundred
dollars a month.
That's the quotation from the
San Francisco curb revealed to-
day through the offer of Mrs.
Edith Huntington Spreckels Wake
field to buy the spouse of Mrs.
Rodney Kendrick for life. on easy
monthly payments.
Easy Payments.
After all, there's nothing like
having a husband in the family
one husband, at least. You can
always run around the corner and
"hock" him for enough to stave
off the butcher. Even when the
mahogany highboy has turned out
to be lowly pine, when grandma's .
diamonds are discovered to be as
full of flaws as an income-tax re-
port, when the bank has run
there is always the tidy little mate
, one has put by for rainy day,
and 1t is a rainy day, surely, when
one can't liquidate him.
"But 500 a month Is cheap"
says DIR. Rudolph Binder, professor
Of sociology at New York Univer-
sity, who was vastly entertained
when we told him about the buy.
ing OF Rodney Kendrick.
"If the woman who wants to buy
the man Is rich, why shouldn't she
pay more? That Is cheap-fOr
her!'
Fair enough, say we. 1t costs,
and rightly, too, rich man more
to have q toothache thwarted than
It does a poor sufferer. And a rich
woman who purchases a used hus-
band need not expect bargain prices
II he is in fairly good condition.
just Like Ballplayers.
Husbands are bought just like
ballplayers, sold off by their man.
ayers. But suppose this Mrs. Wake
field stops paying after a few years
or wants to leave this man? What
then?" asks DR.. Binder.
Big league wives seem to have
scouts watching domestic games
among bush league couples and a
likely "busher" husband is apt to
L. find himself sold right over his
own head. The managers-rich
wife and poor wife-cOme to terms
over their player in a friendly man.
ner, so the article on sale doesn't
need to don a mask during the bar
gaining.
Rich Mrs. Wakefield is thirty
nine, and was the first wife of Jack
Spreckels, California Millionaire.
She plans to divorce her present
husband to Wed Kendrick, a news
paper artist, who is also thirty-nine.
Poor Mrs. Kendrick is suffering
from tuberculosis and has a young
baby to bring up. She Is twenty
four. Strange as the situation may
seem, Kendrick declares his wife
says she no longer loves him, ard
he maintains a friendly feeling eX-
lists between parties to the proposed
transaction.
Already Mrs. Kendrick has given
her wedding ring to her prospec-
tive customer, Mrs. Spreckles Wake
field, so we can easily believe her
statement that she is considering the
wealthy woman's offer.
Cash Deal Better.
Cash settlements are better-say
$4,000 for the man." laughs DIR.
,&Binder.
Let the new wife get a quit claim
from the old one and then when she,
I'm turn, gets ready to put her mate
on the market there will be no
trouble about the title.
Seriously, though" he explains,
ct disapprove of. this scheme. 1t
shows the fundamental misconcep-
ton of the purpose of marriage
which is so prevalent these days.
"That purpose is first, that two
persons may supplement each
others qualities, and second, to
have children.
Marriage should bring out the
oe ti,iy, 20,
This couple, If they eventually mar
ry, will have started out wrong.
If marriage is to be put on a
money basis. the one who buys can
always say to the other L bought
YOU
Although l know divorce laws
are more lax In some of the West
ern States than in New York, l
had no idea 1t was so easy to swap
husbands.
"It is not right to allow this rich
woman to buy a man from his
wife. In ancient times a man could
buy a woman for SO much, and
when the lady didn't suit. he could
' say I'll knock your head Off OF
course, the rich woman in this case
would not be crude enough to say
exactly that to her purchased part
ner, but the situation might provoke
some such situation.
"I can't quite see just the sort of
man who would consent to be
bought. What self-respect could he
ever have?
"When n poor man marTies n
rich woman the joke usually turns
out to be that he is the best butler
his wife ever had. He gets no pay,
but she gives him clothes and he
must flunkey around her all the
time"
Seldom does a husband announce
his willingness to sell his wife, al
though many Of them do not object
IL the storm" leaves of her own ac.
cord. Maybe men are less willing 10
stick their friends. Selling her hus.
band to Mrs. Spreckels Wakefield
may prove TO be sweet revenge for
Mrs. Kendrick.
sgI oya Trader WranUln