Fig. 33.—At a tender age girls are instinctively fond of doing such work as is displayed here. Strange to say, some mothers deny their little daughters the character-forming benefits of this childish occupation.
“It is not necessary that the daughter be given a monthly or yearly allowance of so much cash, but the really better way, it would seem, would be to start her in some special branch of work, say, poultry-raising. Or perhaps she might be given a cow or a horse or a pig, which would in time bring in sums of money by careful management; and the business, a small one perhaps in the beginning, would easily develop. Many young girls like to work in a garden as the produce is always a good source of income and an interesting and educational work.”
Certain rules to be observed
If we are to give up the idea that the young woman naturally possesses the necessary business judgment, and to substitute the better idea that she must be taught how to manage her own affairs; then, What are the fundamental steps necessary to impart such instruction? It seems to the author that they are these:—
1. Teach the girl to work.—As was shown in a previous chapter, the girl must be taught carefully and conscientiously how to work. Even though she may be so fortunate—or unfortunate—as not to be compelled to do any of her own housework, only a first-hand knowledge of how such work goes on will enable her successfully to direct it. The strength of our democracy is much dependent upon the character of our women. The modern tendency toward the development of a leisure class among the women and girls of the wealthier families is quite as much a menace to social solidarity as was the older order of keeping women in ignorance and servitude.
The problem of household help is much intensified because of the disfavor with which the so-called better classes of women look upon the vocation of the domestic employee. The necessary inequality of rank of the home mistress and her employees is more a matter of tradition and imagination than of reality. The social inequality which follows and which drives many young women into less advantageous places of employment will disappear just as soon as all growing girls are conducted through a carefully planned course of work and household industry. No farm parents can afford to deny the daughter the excellent disciplinary results of careful training in the performance of every ordinary household duty.
2. Teach her business sense.—In cases where the growing boy or girl is simply given spending money for the asking—or the begging—there results a perverted idea of the meaning of money. A girl so trained during her youthful years is inclined to take this same attitude toward her husband in the future. That is, she will probably regard it as necessary to beg for an allowance and deem it right and proper to spend all she can obtain in this way. The seriousness of such relations between man and wife is easily seen. But the growing girl can be taught that money is merely a convenient unit of measurement of values which are produced chiefly by means of work.
Advanced students of our social life are putting forth much effort to solve the divorce problem. In their efforts to determine causes and to provide cures for divorce, some of them have gone so far as to advocate a school for matrimony, one of the ends being that of preventing incompatible persons from entering into the life union. Among the causes contributing to the divorce evil have been the radically different ideals of the use of money on the part of the contracting pair. An attorney of long standing experience with divorce cases says:—
“As a rule the woman who alleges non-support in her petition for divorce reveals the fact, before the case is ended, that she is lacking in the proper idea of the use of money, is often especially weak in knowledge of how the family income should be spent if the family affairs are to go on satisfactorily.”
3. Train her to transact personal business.—Then, begin early in her life to teach the girl to transact business affairs that relate to her personal interests and to the home life of women. Do not buy all the little articles necessary for her, but allow her, with money reasonably provided, to make her own minor purchases under your advice and direction. The intelligent farmer knows somewhat definitely what his yearly income and outlay are. Why should not his daughter be told how these accounts run, in the usual year, and she then be asked to keep an account of all her own personal affairs for a year? Such required practice will do more than all the arithmetic lessons in the schools to inculcate an intimate knowledge of the value of money in relation to her own affairs—to say nothing of the good business judgment likely to be acquired.