FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18939, 10 February 1925, Page 12

FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE.

Men make money. Women spend it. Generally• speaking, whether a man get! on in the world and becomes prosperous, or whether ho remains poor, depends not go much on v;hat ho makes as on how his wife spends. There are, of course, a few men of financial, genius who can make more money than a woman can waste, but the majority of men have no touch that turns everything to gold. They are, made or ruined by the thrift or lack of thrift of | their wives. Since, then, most of (he money in the world passes through women's fingers, is it. not a curious thing that, fathers and husbands liavo never thought it worth while to try to teach their wives and daughters how to handle money wisely and well ? Every man knows that his own wellbeing has depended upon his wife's financial sagacity. He knows that the prosperity of some other man and tho safety of his daughter is going to depend on it when she gets married. He knows that the possession of money is far moro important to a woman than it is to a man. He knows that there is no other creature on earth so forlorn and helpless as the middle-aged woman with an empty purse and. no trade by which to fill it. Yet, knowing all of these things, mm who love women make no effort to teach them either how to make money or take care of it. A father would think himself very amiss in his duty if he did not help his son to get a start in life. But he feels no such duty toward his daughter. If he is poor he does, not make tho sacrifice to have her taught some trade by which she can earn a decent wage. He lets her blunder into the first ill-paid job she can get. If he is well-to-do, he puts every obstacle he can in the way of her fitting herself for some work that will make her financially independent. He thinks she should be satisfied to have a few pretty frocks and go to parties, and he does not think it worth while to give her that within herself that will enable her to support herself when he is dead, or if she should not marry.