The Washington times., 1932-11-09

- @SSNAAN1SS4SA W.
importance he attached to PEN
nies in the beginning Of his
career. The late Russell Sage
framed the first dollar bill he
earned. And his wife showed it
to the writer in the course Of
an interview.
BE thrifty" sounds almost
like an insult in this third year
of the depression, doesn't it?
For how can anyone do any
thing but Scrimp and save to-
day? Yet men write letters to
this column continually about
lack of thrift on the part of
their wives.
ThriftIeSS Wives
When young wives Squander
the household allowance on all
sorts Of useless things it means,
almost always, that they have
never earned dollar or kept a
cash account. The young busi-
ness woman, who goes to the
marts Of trade herself in search
of the ever elusive dollar, is
apt to make a more thirty wife
than the pampered daughter
who stays home and wrangles
an allowance out of her father.
But the joint account the
young husband provides proba-
bly, represents the first check
the other girl has ever drawn:
and she draws, and draws, and
draws, as if the modest sum
represented inexhaustible riches.
The following letter is typical
Of a good many that come to
me.
Dear Miss Fairfax:
We've been married nearly a
year, and my wife's first orgie
of spending has not yet ex-
hauSted itself. = When she goes
for a walk it's practically i'm
possible for her to pass by a
beauty parlor and not have
something done to herself.
Nails, face, permanent and a
little eyebrow culture are all
tried in turn. AS she is only
81 this painting Of the lily and
gliding of the rose is absolutely
unnecessary.
Useless Buying
And when she is not dolling
up, she is buying stuff for the
house on the inStallment plan.
When I come home at night
tired, hungry and often dis
couraged, it's to stumble over
something useless we have just
acquired.
I've had two salary cuts, and
the end fear is not yet; but
I can't talk common sense to
my wife or she'll take to tears.
Often she'll come home after
I do, carrying a paper bag of
cream puffs or eclairs, and a
can opener will do the rest for
dinner. I'm only %, but my
hair has begun to turn gray.
I love my wife, but 'How long,
O Lord, how long?
G. B. H.
What are you thinking Of,
my dear man, to allow a pretty
young spendthrift to have a
joint account. Put a stop to it
Immediately, and put her on
an allowance, or dole out
enough money each morning
for, the days expenses. It
sounds punitive, but when a
married woman has no more
sense about money than a
child, what else is to be done?
Young people contemplating
marriage often write to this
column and ask me how much
is enough on which to marry?
In the case of this young
lady, I should say about $4,000
a year-and then she'd prob
ably run into debt.
Questions and Answers
@How much is enough?" Can
never command q blanket an
Swer. The best way to reply to
that question Is by asking a
few in return. First, how much
have you been accustomed to?
Secondly, how much do you
know about making one dollar
do the work of two? Thirdly,
what are your reactions to the
can-opener? Fourthly, do you
know how to scent out bar
gains? Filthy. do you know
the difference between a tea
kettle and a frying-pan?
The latter sounds absurd, I
know, but I actually knew a
woman who could never tell
when water was boiling. When
she was young, pretty and we'll
to-do, some people thought this
was "cute":; but when evil days
fell upon her family and she
had to go into the kitchen and
do things, it was tragic.
The women who save in
youth are the women who are
able to take their ease in limou.
sines in middle age. Several
schools, and good schools, too,
have taken into consideration
the depressed incomes and have
made compulsory their courses
in budgeting, practical house
keeping and marketing.
Let young men breathe a
prayer of thankfulnesS over
this, even II can-opener stocks
goes down. for failure to fol