Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-25
DOROTHY DIX
DISCUSSES
LIFE
BY DOROTHY DIX

a WOMAN banker mas stdELeu d
"A crusade to teach the daugh-
4 = tiers of well-to-do parents how
IN keen a budget so that they may
learn how to spend their money
wisely and we'll, instead OF wasting
it.
She urges every father not only
to make his girls an allowance pu1
to see that they live within IT, De
cause that is the only posslole way
Of instilling a sense OF 1lnanc!al 70
sponsibility and habits OF thrlIt ln'o
the youthful feminine MIND.
Let us hope that a few 1atners
will listen to the good advice gwen
by this experienced woman Ior
there is no other crime under INC
sun greater than that when par,
ents commit in raising up tnell
daughters in utter ignorance OIL tme
value of money and how TO handle
it. -
No one is so ignorant as not TO
know that the prosperity anu WEI
being of a family depend upon the
financial sagacity> of the wife, be-
cause the woman is the disburslng
member of the household. Unless
man is perfect wizard at mon
Wav against an extravagant wife.
No one is so foolish as not to real
ize that money is far more neces-
sarv to a woman's happiness tnan
it is to a mans. The creature COM
forts mean more to herl She is less
able than man to face hardshlps.
For the woman who has been raised
SOFTLY who has had dainty food ana
beautiful clothes and lovely sur.
ro,1ndings all her life. to have all
of these things torn from her. ana
TO he plunged into the sordldness OF
noverty. is never less than the blt-
terest of tragedies to her.
No one is so stupid as not 10
know the helpflessness Of women
who have been trained to no galntul
profession, and who find themselves
without money. and without the
ability to make money. 1t is Worn'
on such as these who sell their souls
for bread on the streets or at the
marriage altar.
Every one knows these common
place facts, and yet in spite OF TINS
knowledge and the further knoWl'
edge that the only way to keep mon
ey is to learn how to manage 1t, Ia
theirs and mothers let their daugh.
| ters grow up with no more idea OF
the value of a dollar than they have
Of Einstein's theory Of relatively.
1t seems to be assumed, IN the
first place, that the girl hasn I
enough intelligence to handle any
money, which isn't true, for the glrls
who earn their own money are gen
erallv the shrewdest Of flnanclers'
and get hundred cents out OF every
dollar. And in the second place 1t
seems to be fatuously believed that
when a woman needs to understand
about how to manage money, sne
will be miraculously inspired with
financial wisdom. This doesn't hap
pen, as is proved by the wastefulness
of young wives, and the number OF
women who lose the fortunes they
inherited.
Nevertheless, parents make no ell
fort to teach their daughters to pc
money wise. Mother buys theH
| clothes. Father let's them run up
| extravagant hills, and the girls new
err come to actual grips with the pur,
| chasing power of dollar, or Ilho
| out by experience that if you nave
spent it for one thing you maven
| cot it to spend for another.
| that re majority of girls have comes
| to them with matrimony. When they
set up housekeeping they have their
| initial experience in handling mon
ev. They cut their financial teeth
| on their husbands salary, and 1t IS
| pretty hard on poor husbands.
The bride doesn't mean to be eX-
| traVagant. She doesn't intend to
waste the money for which her nus
hand works so hard, but shN simply
| has no idea of values. She doesn'
know how to budget her expenses,
and she gets swamped by the bllls
| of the butcher and baker and can
| dlesticlz maker. ..
Husband finds that matrimony IS
ten times as expensive q luxury as
he expected it to be, and far more
| than he can afford. He complains
| of the high cost of living and loving,
| and there are tears and pickering,
| and hcartburnings and disillus1ongon
| both sides. All of which could have
| been prevented if the young wife
had been taught how to manage her
! end Of the matrimonial partnership.
! There is no business man who does
not have a procession OF forlorn'
| middle-aged women coming to MS OIL
| flee asking MIN Tor WORK, peSSliAS
him to tell them how unframed wom-
en- can make a living. These WON
ems fathers and husbands left them
comfortable fortunes, but they never
took the trouble to each the women
how to manage money, and they
spent it, or lost it through foolish in
vestments, or were cheated out OF
it.
| They are the women who cannot
| distinguish between capital and in
come, and gayly spend until the last
cent is gone. They are the women
who think that real financiering
consists in selling government
bond, and putting the money in
wildcat stock that promises to pay
90 per cent. They are the women
who will lend money without Sc
curity to the deacon in their church
because he prays so beautifully at
Wednesday night prayer meeting.
Do you think you are giving any
| young man fair deal by letting him
have to pay for your daughters edu'
cation in how to handle money? Do
you think you are giving the girl
herself fair deal in leaving her to
be the victim of her own ignorance
of money matters?
Consider that, father.