A PLEA FOR YOUNG WIVES.
By Christian Union
WE have just passed through a trying time to all business men. Many have been the honorable, unavoidable failures, and we all know many have been the dishonorable failures, also; advantage being unhesitatingly taken of customs, laws, and licenses to secure freedom from financial embarrassment by a sacrifice of moral principle. Proudly happy be that man to-day, who, after an honorable course of strict economy in each minutest detail of his public and private life, now breathes easily; relieved of the burden of terrible anxiety, in many instances more on account of the loved ones of his home than of himself, and in too many instances borne alone. To repay him, he stands to-day with the world before him, honor upon his right hand, re-awakened ambition upon his left, and the broad pinions of hope overshadowing all. Scarcely a home in the length and breadth of our happy land that has not felt the effects of the late searching crisis. In speaking of this, said an old gentleman in my hearing the other evening, "The young women of our country have much to answer for in many, many cases of bad business failures. Yes, yes, they have had much to do with it." My whole being cried out against the injustice of the old banker's remark—although he intended none—and his opinion is that of a great many others. We felt that we could cry out with more truth, "They have not had enough to do with the great crisis!" We can all recall instances of young men, who seeing nothing but total financial ruin before them, involving everything but honor, and the knowledge that the loved ones at home must stand face to face with poverty, without a moment's hesitation have taken their own lives; and the terrible, life-long burden of sorrow was then laid on the fair young wife to whom the knowledge of the cause of her husband's suicide, when explained to her, was her first intimation of trouble in his hitherto prosperous business. Mistaken love, blind affection that shut her out of that business trouble! At its first appearance a plain, sensible talk with the young wife who was only ignorantly spending too freely, not knowingly dragging her husband down, would have enabled them to join forces, and meet the approaching trial with a system of coöperative economy that would have gone far toward retrieving matters. One of the saddest instances connected with the late crisis was a young man in New York in 1876. With the mistaken kindness of which we have spoken, all knowledge of financial embarrassment was carefully kept from his young wife. She spent freely as ever, with no idea that the money to meet the bills did not come as easily as it appeared to do. Her knowledge came to her on the day that her husband's business trouble reached the crisis and left him a mental wreck. To-day she earns her scanty living in the shadow of the building known as an "insane asylum;" between whose walls lives—a life in-death—the man who promised to cherish, love, and honor her. Had he honored her with his confidence, loved her with far-seeing love, he might to-day cherish her. Had he told her, what every woman who is worthy to be the wife of a manly man and the mother of his children should know, the exact condition of her husband's finances, all might have been so different! Our great longing now is to reach some, if only one, that will read this and profit by it. Pay your wife the compliment of believing she has the sense to understand as much of your business as is necessary to place before her your actual resources. For her sake as well as yours do not let her compromise your honor as well as her own by allowing her to spend money that is not, strictly speaking, yours to give her. It is no kindness to place her in a false position before her friends. "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." But it does not follow that ignorance491always is bliss. Before it is too late, while we are once more in the broad and, thank God, gradually broadening era of prosperity, before we fast-living, slow-to-be-warned Americans bring upon ourselves another panic, once more we beg, let our young wives, more especially, know each minutest detail of that business whose fair honor and success shall be as dear to them as to you; and for more reasons than the fact that it gives them money to spend. We young wives (our secret is out) stand ready and willing to aid the husbands that we love and honor, ready and willing to do anything honorable to help them through hard places. All we ask is a chance. Some of us have had it already, and we, one of the thankful ones, beg it for all. When the baby falls we tell our husband. If stocks fall let our husbands tell us. If the bread rises too much we do not hesitate to tell him; if there has been a corresponding "too much" rise in coal and sugar let the little wife know and have the satisfaction of saving a little. Begin right with little things. Train the young wives gradually into business-like ways of handling their household money; and then the great financial crises—of the far future, God willing—shall be met by husbands and wives hand in hand, heart joined to heart; and fewer shall be the recorded names of those who, rather than face poverty with those they love, prefer to face death alone. Looking at it from all sides, are we not right? Have not the young wives had too little, instead of too much to do with the late panic?—Christian Union.