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Classic
Cook Books
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page viii
of what can be afforded; and it too often happens that both parties, far from
consulting each other, squander money in ways that they would even wish to
forget: whereas marriage should be a state of mutual and perfect confidence, and
similarity of pursuits, which would secure that happiness it was intended to
bestow.
There are so many valuable women who excel as wives, that it is a fair inference
there would be few extravagant ones, were they consulted by their husbands on
subjects that concern the mutual interest of both parties. Within the knowledge
of the writer of these pages many families have been reduced to poverty by the
want of openness in the man on the subject of his affairs; and though on these
occasions the women were blamed, it has afterwards appeared, that they never
were allowed a voice of enquiry, or suffered to reason upon what sometimes
appeared to them imprudent.
Many families have owed their prosperity full as much to the propriety of female
management, as to the knowledge and activity of the father.
The lady of a general officer observed to her man-cook, that her last weekly
bill was higher than usual. Some excuse was offered;--to which she
replied:--"Such is the sum I have allotted to house-keeping: should it be
exceeded one week, the next must repay it. The general will have no public day
this week." The fault was never repeated.
March's "Family Book-keeper," is a very useful work, and saves much trouble; the
various articles of expense being printed, with a column for every day in the
year, so that at one view the amount of expenditure on each, and the total sum,
may be known.
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