The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-13
A WFE'S ALLOWANCE
BY SOPHIE IRENE LOEB

mother of four children Is in
q great dilemma as to whether she
should go out to work and leave her
four children, since the allowance
her husband makes seems to her in
sufficient
She states the situation as follows:
My husband gives me $40 q week
to run the homo on. Out of that, l
get my table, pay for the children's
music (three children take lessons
pay s1.25 for insurance; buy any
thing that is needed in the line of
clothes for four children, the Oldest,
fourteen, the youngest seven. I pay
the gas, electric and telephone bills,
also carfare for the oldest child every
day. and lunch one day week.
also give them Sunday school, church
and spending money. l can't seem to
make the money reach. My husband
claims there is something wrong.
NOW, will you please tell me how
! can manage in order to make IT
reach. I have tried my best and can't
and 1t has me discouraged. as l love
my husband and children and my
home, but I am losing heart in the
home and am tempted to leave 1t and
go out and work.
Everybody advises me not to, as
they say everything will go to pieces.
rs there are not many housekeepers
to- hire. Also the children need their
mother"
II the conditions are as she de-
ecribes, I am confident this mother is
making every dollar stretch Its limit.
In fact, I don't see how she does 1t,
and as she says is able to carry on
everything nicely"
would like very much II 1t were
possible for this husband to take the
$50 and see how far he would get
with 1t. I venture to say If he had
the management of this sum week,
the children would not look the same
and 1t would be a different kind of a
home.
OF course, when one has only $50
to use in a homo of this kind they
have to do without a great many
things-perhaps the real necessities
of life, where six people are con-
cerned.
There are families who are living on
q great deal less. but they are eking
out a pathetic existence, rather than
living.
get at is the fact that her husband
could afford to give her more and
won't do 1t because he has an Idea
she does not need any more.
This is wrong theory. This
mother is probably doing her best to
pinch and scrape in order to come
within the amount he gives her and it
is quite natural that she should be
discouraged.
ANY wife who does her best in
such a case and Is still unappreciated
when she has saved every place she
possibly can in order to help her hus-
band, and he thinks she is spend
thrift-this is enough to make any
woman want to go out and earn for
herself.
If the truth were known this hus-
band in order to get the same work
done for his children that his wife
does now would have to pay about
SIS week just for that service as
housekeepers are being paid today.
He would not only have to board this
woman but pay for everything else
besides, and how he would manage
with SIS that would be left out of the
$40. to clothe and feed and pay for
music lessons for those children, to
say nothing Of electric. telephone and
gas bills, Is more than he could say
or any one else.
Such doubling Thomas OF a hus-
band needs an awakening, and l
think very rude one. He ought to
try 1T himself His one hold on such
a mother Is because of her mother
love. She will suffer anything rather
than leave her children.
OF course the allowances Of wives
differ in accordance with the income.
What is a luxury to one Is necessity
to another. No man who can afford 1t
should put his wife to such trials as
this woman sets forth. AS head Of
the family 1t Is his duty to see to 1t
that the scrimping and saving is not
on one side of the partnership In the
making of q homo.