Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-25
1he HQskin Letter . ' : ass2a
ADJUSTING FAMILY FINANCES

according TO his or her honest ability,
and that each should draw upon the
family resources according to the
need. She advocates joint possessions
and a joint bank account.
Marriage Means Partnership
She admits that if a man who has
an earning capacity of $4,000 a year
marries q girl who before marriage
earned only $1,000, he may find it
hard to see why he should share
equally with her. But after all the
fact of his choosing such a girl would
BILE wife for him and once chosen
she has a right to an equal partner
ship in the firm.
husband who decides automatically
whether or not his wife shall spend
money for a new hat. The allowance
idea In all of its phases is strongly
opposed. Following out this idea it is
illogical for a divorced wife to expect
her former husband to pay her an
alimony allowance.
''If there are children, the divorced
husband should be made to provide for
them or should do his share toward
their support, until they are of an age
to take care of themselves" says Mrs.
Gill. but as far as the couple are
concerned, I believe that the property
and savings accumulated during the
partnership should be equally divided
and each left free of the other finan-
cially."
In this division of possessions.
property of which a man or woman
may have owned before marriage is
not included. How such property is
to be disposed of might well be de-
cided by a couple before marriage,
she suggests; that is, whether the
husband and wife will retain the prop
erty then in their possession separate
~ in their own names. But every
thing accumulated during the years of
marriage she would have held Jointly,
and, if the firm is dissolved, divided
equally.
rangement in that it provides specifi-
cally for a possible termination of the
partnership. This has no doubt be-
come necessary in any practical theory
Of family finance, since the increase
in divorce has had an obvious influ-
ence on the modern couples attitude
toward household economics.
With marriage nc longer regarded
as necessarily Il life long matter. both
husband and wife may have a feeling.
perhaps only dimly realized, Of inse-
curity. The feeling manifests itself
in q tendency toward keeping possess
sions distinctly separate. This is one
factor back of the reluctance Of some
husbands to let their wives know their
financial status. Consciously Or I'M
s~ciously they are afraid that they
might some day be called upon to pay
a high rate Of alimony. based on their
resources. The same feeling is back
of the wife's resentment when the
husband keeps the bank account while
she has no savings to show for her
work as h~ouSekeeper.
The only drawback to Mrs. ellis
system. If it is a drawback, is that
it p~resupposes honesty and trust be-
tween the two partners. If either
takes advantage of the other the sys-
tenn is moi much better than the old
fashioned arrangement. No plan.
however, would be proof against dis
honesty. And an arrangement which
gives husband and wife an equal
chance financially. with all casds on
the table. is certainly worthy of con-
sideration by the progressive and ex-
perimentaliy inclined bride and groom.