The Bulletin. 47 



THE COUNTRY WOMAN'S SPENDING MONEY. 



By Mrs. James G. BoyCin.. Wadesboro. 



A prominent educator of North Carolina, now a president of one of the 

 most thriving banks of our State, said to me when a girl of fifteen summers : 

 "Be something; know something, and do something"; to these three admoni- 

 tions I will add, "have something." 



In the home sometimes the question of the rule of the fittest arises, who 

 shall carry the purse, the husband or the wife? From my standpoint the 

 solution is this : let each have his or her money. 



If an opportunity is given a cheerful working woman to make her spend- 

 ing money she usually profits by it. 



Women, as a class, must have something to do to be content. A woman is 

 never happier than when she is independent. 



Contentment is a beautiful trait of character to cultivate, and a woman is 

 happier in proportion as she is content. Everyone has an individual talent 

 for something and every ambitious woman has a special object in life she 

 hopes to accomplish. By her efforts of hand and brain she leaves an impress 

 upon the world, in the work she does, and pays a debt to her Creator. 



Every woman should start a savings bank account for this reason : when 

 she comes from the market, after having bought a few necessaries, there is 

 only a little left, and this thought comes to her mind : These few pennies 

 amount to so little that I will never accumulate anything, but as the little 

 sums jingle in the small iron bank, her ambition for more pennies and dimes 

 is aroused and thereby a system of saving is established. 



Little by little, as our savings increase, our opportunity for doing greater 

 things is enhanced. The time for the wife to begin saving is in the early 

 stages of married life ; as the family increases the expenses of feeding, cloth- 

 ing and the sending to school of the children must be met. Then all the extra 

 earnings of the mother are used for these things and to all appearances her 

 work amounts to but little. The children should be encouraged to work by 

 paying them. Boys and girls will help make the mother's spending money 

 account grow by having a commission given them on the produce taken to 

 market. 



An individual bank book is a stimulus to every man, woman and child. 



Children have favorite schemes which they hope to accomplish. Oftentimes 

 with boys it is the pony and little red saddle, and with the girls the doll with 

 golden curls. While the sons are out on the farms making wages, raising 

 colts, which will mature into a span of well-matched horses, the daughter just 

 developing into womanhood ought to have the privilege of making money. 

 So, many times the farm life grows monotonous to the young lady. A yearn- 

 ing desire seizes her to go into the town to earn her livelihood. 



Girls on the farm who make an effort can have as much spending money 

 for their individual pleasures as the girl who goes to town to work at the 

 stenographer's table or behind a ribbon counter. 



In the case of the educated daughter there are the younger children to 

 teach. What nobler calling can the young girl graduate follow than teach- 

 ing the children of her neighborhood, be they kindred or tenants? The coun- 

 try children need the advantage of higher education to keep abreast of the 

 times. At the present market value of produce there is no reason why every 

 neighborhood cannot have a teacher supported by the earnings of the women 

 of the community. An honest man or woman of sound body and trained 

 mind can become fitted to enter any position in life. 



The country woman is coming more and more into prominence. The State 

 Department of Agriculture is issuing helpful bulletins for her benefit, at the 

 cost of the asking, on subjects like these: Butter-making, bread-making, the 

 wholesome foods, etc. 



