Year: 1877

pride, ExtraVRgRnce and silence


About Their Affairs.


We owe you debt of gratitude
for the mildness of your editorial
on "Muddling Away Money SO
far as we women are concerned.
For some reason there has been a
lull in the TRADE against women
and their extravaganza. At one
time the whole pack, in full CRY,
"Tray, Blanche and Sweetheart"
were hunting down women as the
sole and only cause of all the fnan-
clal troubles of the country, if not
Of the world.


1t is too large subject to be
treated in the narrow limits you
allow, and perhaps enough has
been already written. A single
word as to your suggestion that
women might help, by " diminish
ing the waste, outside of legitimate
business" Doubtless they might,
and doubtless many women do. 1t
is impossible to draw any lines, be-
cause the proverb is true that "it
takes all sorts of people to make a
world" and the varieties and house
holds are almost infinite. AS a
rule, you will find that women are
better economists that men, and
will give better heed to little things,
which men loftily despise. But to
this there are exceptions. Also,
you will find that any reasonable
woman land a man should see to it
that he marries a reasonable wo-
man) will wish to adapt her style
of living and her expenditures to
her husbands means.


One grand fault is, the men do
not talk freely and plainly to their
wives about their affairs, at least so
far as to let them know how much
they may reasonably spend, and if
there comes pinch, how they may
also cut down expenses. Many men
are towards, and will, perhaps, blind
their families to the true state of
the case, till ruin comes.


Then, if a man is doing business
recklessly, who shall blame his wife
for Spendingrecklessly? Whatwould
har savings amount to? She hears
that he has lost $4,000, $4,000, $1O,-
600 at a blow-and she has saved
five or ten dollars. No wonder one
woman said: 81 may as well get
what | can, for John may fail any
day, and it will make no difference"
And, unless she had quietly put the
money away herself, it could not.


Again, there was a woman whose
husband was extravagant quite be-
yond his means, He was a profess
sional man, and was not in Wall
street. Finally, he told her he was
going to buy a carriage. She re-
monstrated, knew they could not
afford it, begged him not to go in
debt any deeper, and all to no pur-
pose. She then said quietly: "IfI
you do get carriage, will never
set foot in it, for know it is
wrong" and she never did. Other
members of the family drove in it,
and her husband himself much |
good must it have done him); and |
when be died hopelessly bankrupt, |
and left her to fight her way as she
might, at least she was free from
any charge of extravaganza in liv-
ing.


The chief point in which women
fail is said to be extravaganza in
dress, and it may be true--not that
it is any new thing. There are
records in the bible which prove
that such weakness may be in
herited. French people look at us
with horror and dismay. They say
well, they are more frugal in
every way, and keep up appearances
- on what to us would be pittance


lin dress; yetsilkS and other cost.
ly materials are trailed upon filthy
fleors and pavements, and gorgeous
are worn out of place.
Rut it is only a branch of the ma
tional extravaganza, and it is best
not to load woman with more than
her share Of blame. For dress alone
Wonl1 nnt ri1in no Aeo rula ,vou,an