Zanesville Times Signal from Zanesville, Ohio • Page 20

Doris Stevens: Contr won work Images Wives' or Fifty-Fifty Split on Incomes of Married 'Folks, as Proposed by the Leading Feminist Doris-Stevens, Held Not Feasible by This Attorney, Who Wants to Know "How Can You Figure Pay for a Kiss or a Smile? BELIEVE in a divide- A you-go policy. that the home is a cp-operativi stiturion with two joint directors. Pool money capital and labor capital, and decide in each what division shall be made of surplus, no matter how -as- gnize in- case The marriage contract, its proponent admits, is still in the theoretical stage, some-, thing to be discussed but not ready fbr practical operation By Isabel Stephen rvTARRIAGE contracts for wives! iVi-Divide the annual surplus as you Doris Stevens, leading: fenunist, vice president of the National Woman's wife of Dudley Field llalons, claims to have solved that burning household problem of ar.ancial recompense for wives. "At present," she says, "the lav? re- ognizes no such thing as a contract. stiH taking: the view that mars "and are one- But woman isn't just part 01 her husband-see isn't a slave, though the economic; arrangement of the family as now constituted makes her one.

She is an individual, and entitled to individual rights. "1 propose a Sesible contract of mutual support to be drawn at marriage, and frequently redrawn, if desired. A contract recognized by the law as binding on the two partners, enforceable against each otEer when broken by either without good catise. "Sneh contract ought not to stipulate length of marriage, as that period 13 incalculable, and such a provision would be anti-social. It insst stress the mutuality of support.

Then, if dissolution came, we would not see men retreating from continent to continent to avoid alimony, for such a contract, if properly carried out. should gradually supplant alimony; nor would we see the spectacle of --omen digging shamefully, through fear of insecurity and sometimes for revenge, for the last available coliar- I believe in a Recognize that the home is a co-operative institution -with two joint directors. Pool money capital and labor capital and decide in each case what division shall be made of the surplus, no matter how small." by Arthur GarSeld Hays, prominent Xew Ycrk attorney, to craw up such a contract. Miss Stevens accented the proposal. Bat after several days' deliberation, she declared the contract was still in process of incubation." She was nnaiiy convinced, however, that it was practicable, in spite of the lawyer's skepticism, "I am all for contract in any case it work, and if anybody can draw up a marriage contract -which Arthur G.

Hays: would work cut satisfactorily for tee wife, no one would be more pleased than I would be," said ZIzjs. "Before the subject itself, I would like to state categoricaJly certain things ir. which I do believe. First. I that women, bearing and bringing ap children, do roore valcable work than rr.en do in earning moaey.

Second. I believe that work -deserves compensation. Third. I do say that husbands do not their wives--they soise- times do, bat not oftener than wives swindle their iiusbands. "I insist, however, it is not possible to figure that corripensation on sny standard whatever.

It certainly is not 03 for service rendered to any man. usually is paid for provision for support throughout lift-, which means as good a living as a man hiniselt has, acd also by insurance where one can i asr amount paid and the- usually has to do with human emotions and that payment that has to do -sith aUEian emotions is usually very unsatisfactory. Bat since the relationship of marriage is or should be an emotional relationship, the unfortunate of it cannot be divorced iron: the fortunate. SHOULD say that, by and large, ordinarily men undertake the sap- port or women ace provision for family for just or.e reason--which is an emo- tior.al one. Ii" is rarely a.

business proposition. It is rarely a proposition ot bavins 'somebody to take cars of a house. In that emotional state men contract to. support worsen expecting to get in return what 2 woman expects to give, and thst. is a living emotion and one that is preferred above everything else.

"Xow, the cannot wholly control her emotions in the- future any more than can the msr. the woman's emotions she- is co'd to her with a smile, th real thing for -which the man pays jrose, and he keeps right or, paying. Ths woman counters by saying that is care of his home end his chiidren. Incidentally that is the only tirce she regards them as his Kays grir.r.sd. "Under any other circumstances except that related to thc-y are her children.

Therefore, from the point of view of compensation for services, the man has beer, if he is paying for services he longer and this, after all. was the chief service, 'if or-6 can use that that he ha-d is mind. "I eo r.ot claim that a mar. should cease supporting a woman and the children at that time. I think thai is preposterous.

I claim having married ar.d having found the thing was rot a but having tSK--r. on a responsi- man shonl-i cor.tin'ue provide. "A man in his i-e it lawyer, doc- pleasa other people. I ear.not keep my clients ur i p'ease it comes harcl. SorriOtirr.es it requires considerable I am rather carefa; not t-- be grouchy, short or unpleasant to them or they Kd io some-bony -vho a position.

Iri order to iKake my living, roust to control my emotions. I Sr.o that in the business world not difficult to control toward those people a married woman has ope IN customer--her husband. Does she feel it is necessary to please that customer or does she ordinarily say s.nat as a natural human being she is going to live her own life, and that if sne doesn't meet him with a smile it 25 nis own fault? ilakisg a some is not merelv keening a cook, serving meals and having beds made. Making a some. at.

least from the materialistic- standpoint of the male, is having a center where he would prefer to be rather than be anywhere else. Human beings gravitate toward things that are nteasst a avoid things that are unpleasant." "3ut why shouldn't ihe man be pieas- "He should. But we are talking economics. I say, from the point of view- of dollars and cents, a married woman has but one customer, and if she make a success of cr.e customer the results economically are just as disastrous as if the husband fails to make a with his employer or with ni3 numerous employers. And I say economically that the chief thing that a jr.ar: pays for is a smile.

"There is a general resentment on the part of. woTr.es who do not earn money ssjKinst the husbands who do, and there a greater resentment on the rart 01 the worriers who do not ir.ai:e mor.ey to the husbands who --io not. a natural feciing every or.e likes a feeling cf independence of every one "I often see women going abroad or to Atlantic City for s. few, weeks or months. They.bewail their dependence.

Their husbands are perspsr- inic at their desks in York "However, il the surplus were divided these woTr.cn would a feeling of snfoper.dencs, ar.d the which so mriTiv wives feel toward the 'wage- carr.ur' would be dissspatcfi," we brought the interviev-- back to Miss Stevens' proposition. "Oi course, it is very interesting for the inteHiecr.tsia to discuss this question, and I have an idea that this question of surplus of --ages applies to them, and they verv small class in the -community. The figures issued on National income in 1320 is that they a-o-J-ted to a year. Oa the basis of 24.000,000 income vrould ce aooro i. -av fc' a little bit more now.

This jast about enough, evea IV-7'iv divided, to provide a Tnimmuiri h-ait'a and decency, it woald for few, ii any, comforts. i jgig returns, oo le incomes, had less than about S3 per cent received In view of these figures, less tv.j-jTj that this question vir- G0 't4ofves more than 2 per cent uS States, whers there than The other straggle along as best they can; wife trying to make There is no question of a is hardly a question ot meager entertainment. "Q-ald that in a large 0 cases of poor families, the handles the badges. Ordmaruy, receives money for canaresu aiT'-'-es are as extreme as one teat a In the paper the other day, Eugenia Regis had ner nus- band" It appeared that he as a cook a montn; tnat sne allowed him teii cents a cay. Somenow or other he had his clothes pressea every ar.d wore clean linen.

See did no. l- 0 trhere he got the money to do this! The magistrate discharged Mm ard he was too good to his wife." "And what of the 2 per cent jvho have a jai-ca enough surplus budget to di- vidf-7" we- asked Mr. Kays. "Have yoa ever attempted to draw up a marriags contract for any of them?" -y C5) replied with a reminiscent "A cc-jsie of clients of mine who of Miss Stevens' proposed contract to me and consulted me on its possibilities. Irs my presence they discussed financial family affairs without r-xcessive heat.

The man was quite g. lie had an income of $40,000. found that family expenses would amount to 520,000 a year. Kis necessary personal entertainment ar.c" rt mother amounted to a year. This left thera $10,000 tr, which give the wife S50CO.

She assured me she would save I pointed out to her that in the course of ten years, if she invested care- fullv, she would have perhaps thai the income on this would be per- 1 TORK deserves compensation, but in marriage, I insist, it is not possible to figure that compensation on any standard whatever. Marriage contracts would be very difficult things to write; they would have to be fitted to each particular case-'' or children if he is earning money his wife is not. "I agree that there are mean I asree that women are oftea swindled. as "i would agree that there mea." women and that men are often swindled. But I don't think a mamag- contact as outlined by Miss Acuity, nor is st -eperal, for it deper.ds upon a "obiieation which ever, if permitted l-a would not be recognized husband or wife if eitter to be the one -vho vras tnaaing money.

A. woman I wmld say, 'Don't I such a contract witnout legal I OW 1 aa 5r and vou may avoid the estioa husband, but in place. tf-e-r einenditure you make, be- tior-s aal expenditures f- 8C a iointly! but if they are inej ar- will come out spend TV- 0 a will have to account lor haps a year; that if her husband left her at that time, a man with an earning capacity of she would be entitled to support at the standard of living to which they had been accustomed--in other words, perhaps STOOD or a year, if the marriage contract were drawn up, however, and they seoarated, there would be no question of alimony; the wife would have to be content with the income received from the amount she had saved out of their partnership. "I advised aiy client not to enter into the contract. I told her that any man who was willing to enter into that contract was apparently a man who could be trusted to.meet his obligations, and that if he" was trustworthy the present situation, with ali its faults, was obviously more advantageous to her." "But suppose everything spent by either is a part of family expenses and it is merely the surplus after that that is divided?" was asked.

"Well and good," he replied. "Along comes a year when the man's earnings fail eii considerably. Does a woman then pay half the deficit? The horrible grind of month-by-ironta expense continues. Does she bear half of each month's deficit? Or, more broadly, does she rid him of the responsibility oi providing for the family? He still is the moneymaker. It is his responsibility.

Neither word of his nor contract can rid him of this responsibility to society and to other human beings. "When plan is evolved by which a decent man can be relieved of the responsibility for future support--not by law, but by his sense of decency--then there would be no objection to this plan for such marriage contracts, but that time has, not yet arrived. TTNTIL a situation comes about where responsibilities are equally divided the position of Miss Stevens can be defended only on the theory that wives are better investors than has- bands. Sometimes they are ar.d sometimes they are not. There is no presumption that they wili be.

Usually the economic sice is more along the line of the man's experience. And a woman would gain very littlo more independence if she were obliged to save her share oi the surplus. The whole proposition is suggested in order to give her a choice of her expenditures. And if she spends, it seems hardiy fair that the other party should have the continuous responsibility. Rid him of that responsibility? You can't rid 3.

decent man of the responsibility toward wife exmenditnres there husband will claim were lor "-jjT-soral benefit and not for the "For instance, he inigt even c'aim insurance premiums on ms be Daid entirely by you, as for vour benefit. You'd merely transfer the field of discussion, and with a mean man you'd have no moro left, while with a generous man youtt have much less freedom of choice." "To the man I. would say, 'Don't sign such a contract. It won't free you from any obligation that you feel in casa yoar wife fails to save and she wants you to provide hereafter for herself and the children, ar.d it would lead to an accounting for every expenditure and veto power on the part of your wife of the money you sper.d, for if it is family expenditure she shares, and if it is a personal expenditure you bear it Many of these things that you think you are paying for your family she'll claim are for you. and at the er.d of the year, because of the anr.ual expenditures that you will be called upon to make because you are making money, you wil! find that your personal expenditures were so large that virtually you have wiii go to yoar wife, and she will deterriiinc how you will live in your 'old age- and when you can retira from 'To both I say, 'These matters, in my judgment and -under our present social custom, cannot be arranged by contract; that ar.y contract xvoulti be changed by mutual consent when the parties in a happy emotional state; that tae wife's far coat would come oat of tha husband's surplus, and that bis golf Jncs would come out of hers.

On tha other hsr.d, vrben you were not in m. Sappy a5 stare, every expenditure jnade by the mar. would be garded as one to come from his surplus and every expenditure made by tha woman from hers, so that the day-to- isy desire to change the contract would upset, all calculations and make tha itself So it seems that the good oM contract the marriage ceremony. "With ail 1.