From The Saturday Review.
POCKET-MONEY.

forgot of how much importance even a few shillings may be to a person who finds it almost impossible to make her income THE man who defined happiness as cover her inevitable expenses. Girls are "having a nominal income of five thou- often subjected to painful humiliations sand a year and a real one of ten " merely when staying at friends' houses merely on meant that he liked to have plenty of pock- account of this dearth of pocket-money. et-money. He had made the discovery They are perhaps forced to allow gentlethat it is not in the spending of an income, men with whom they are only slightly however handsome, that real enjoyment is acquainted to pay for cabs or for an admisto be found, but in the possession of a sion to a picture-gallery or a flower-show. large percentage over and above the fixed They suffer agonies from not being able to scale of yearly expenses. A shopkeeper give tips to servants. But, worst of all, with a steadily increasing trade may have they lose that nice sensitiveness in money more use of his money than some of his matters which ought to be most carefully customers who are twenty times as rich. nurtured, and which of late seems to have Our poor seem to imagine that all lords gone out of fashion. It is cruel and go about with their purses full of bank- wicked of parents to permit their children notes of large amount, with which they to be placed in circumstances where they could light their cigars if it so pleased are tempted to put themselves under oblithem, without suffering even temporary gations to people from whom they have inconvenience. They would not give cre- no right to receive them. A girl, out of dence to such a fact as that some time ago, ignorance and impecuniosity, may somewhen one of our most wealthy young no- times find herself placed in an equivocal blemen came of age after a long minority, position from which she does not feel able he felt almost like a younger son. The to get free; and cruel embarrassment may

vast accumulations of the estate had been be caused because she had not a few shilinvested to the last penny in improve-lings in her purse when she wanted them. ments, which although they eventually As a rule, a married woman in the middle added enormously to his rent-roll, left him for the time being practically without pocket-money. He could of course borrow to any amount, but the mere notion of such a thing was too ridiculous. In some way or other the greater number of our aristocracy allow themselves to be so burdened with permanent expenses that they are not able, even if they were willing, to do the great public services which might well be expected from them. Those of our middle classes, too, who have fixed incomes very rarely so apportion them as to leave a sufficient margin for the extras which make all the difference between being able to enjoy life, and spending it in the endless drudgery of trying to make ends meet.

Women, as a rule, suffer a good deal from want of pocket-money. Young men send in their bills to their fathers, and have generally a sum wholly independent of necessary expenses to spend as they please, whilst their sisters have usually only an allowance for dress. In ordinary cases, and particularly where there are many girls of one family, this allowance is not one calculated to show any margin when the milliner's bill is paid. Miss Yonge lately spoke with regret of the ignorant young women who dabble in literature merely for the chance of earning a few pounds. She perhaps for a moment

classes is not much better off than her unmarried sister in the matter of pocketmoney, if she has not brought her husband any fortune, and if she is unhappily burdened with a conscience. She finds herself in possession of house-money and dress-money, and, being probably inexperienced in management, she finds it hard enough to keep within her allowance. She never feels as if she could call a few pounds her own, and is thus deprived of many small pleasures, and even necessaries, which her husband would never dream of refusing to himself. This is one of the reasons why ladies' clubs are not at present likely to become very numerous. Clubs presuppose a certain amount of pocket-money which a woman has not, hitherto been supposed to require. A man would feel that life was not worth having if he had to account for every cab, cigar, or brandy and soda; but a lady who is obliged to balance her weekly books would have to chronicle the small beer she gave to a friend at lunch, and all her afternoon cups of tea. She might, however, take refuge in the convenient item of "sundries," which fill an important place in most female account-books. Being obliged to do without pocket-money, and to empty the hitherto fairly abundant half-crowns into the family purse, is the real trial of a young man's life when he

66

Lo

marries on the same income which he has | our pleasures by not providing for them, hitherto spent on himself. He must re- and so turning them into extravagances. main very much in love with wife and But this would not be the case if we laid home if he does not sometimes regret the aside money for the purpose of gratifying jingle of the sovereigns in his pocket a legitimate taste, be it for lilies or which were not mortgaged to house-rent hengrin." Any one without a taste does not or servants' wages. It will be well if he deserve to have pocket-money. He does always remembers that he cannot both not know its use. We mean the word in have his cake and eat it. This is the its widest sense, of course, by which it can impossibility aimed at by many of our be made to include hobbies, whether they artisans. They encumber themselves with take the direction of ragged schools or a wife and countless children, and then etchings. Children can scarcely be given feel aggrieved if they cannot have as much an allowance too early, but it should not money to spend on beer, tobacco, and all be for pocket-money. They ought to music-halls as their single comrades. be required to provide certain things out of it. This teaches them to distinguish between income and pocket-money. Many people, unfortunately, never learn the difference during a long life. Parents are very apt to forget that their boys require to be taught about the management of money as well as how to do fractions. They avoid speaking on the subject before them, which is generally a great mistake. Young men are often extravagant, entirely from ignorance of the value of money. They get into debt before they are aware of it, and have not moral courage to take means to extricate themselves. They treat the allowance which their father intends to cover all expenses entirely as pocketmoney, with painful results to all parties concerned.

It is provoking to get behind the scenes in a household where the income is amply sufficient if it was only sensibly apportioned, but where every one is made miserable by the constant screw that has to be kept on incidental expenses. The servants, the garden, the stable, swallow up everything. There is no margin left. One of the girls has a fine voice, but it is uncultivated; another draws cleverly, but has not learnt perspective. Lessons would cost too much, so Lucy must go on singing through her teeth, and Maude doing sketches out of drawing. Perhaps another of the family becomes hopelessly ill from want of proper medical advice. Books, pictures, travelling-expenses, and all the little etceteras which add flavor to life, are done without. No one is able to indulge any little harmless fancy or generous impulse. The mother's life is spent in trying to make every pound do the work of two, and her husband's in grumbling at the impossibility of keeping a balance at his banker's. It never seems to occur to them that, by substituting a neat parlormaid for the puffy butler, and by being contented with fruits and flowers in their season, they might get rid of most of their anxieties and make their children much happier. A hundred a year reserved for household pocket-money can confer a wonderful amount of pleasure. It will buy a new piano, give three people a nice little tour, or present a stained-glass window to the parish church, as their tastes may incline. It is dull work drawing cheques for the wages of servants who are only plagues and for the food which they spoil in the cooking. "Where much is there are many to consume it, and what hath the owner but the sight of it with his eyes s?" The French understand this better than we do, and reserve a large portion of their income for their amusements, whether these consist in drinking eau sucrée, eating bonbons, or going to the theatre. We often spoil

The enthusiastic affection displayed towards pattern old bachelors and fairy godmothers of the approved type is mainly, we fear, owing to the command of pocketmoney which they take care to have. But without it they could not.fill their places to their own or any one else's satisfaction. The happiness that they are able to give keeps them young, and planning surprise gifts fills up many a lonely hour. What glorious visits to the pantomime and the circus, the Crystal Palace or the seaside, the youngsters extract from their magic purses! What Christmas-trees and rocking-horses, kites and canary birds! It is they who supply crisp bank-notes instead of ormulu candlesticks for wedding-presents, it is they who help in outfits and buy long-desired watches. They have no children to tempt them to live in a style which they cannot afford. They keep themselves unencumbered with useless and unsatisfactory expenses. Many a young couple beginning life have it in their power to halve their anxieties and double their chances of being comfortable by so preparing their budget that mere everyday so-called necessaries shall not swallow up the whole of their means. But they will

have the additional servant, or the diamond necklace, or the pair of horses, or the house in a fashionable street, which leaves them without the much more valuable item of pocket-money.

From The Academy. NORWEGIAN DEEP-SEA EXPLORATIONS.

66

authorities of the Admiralty for co-operation, in the matter of simultaneous observations, with the Arctic expedition. Later in the season Captain Wille returned to Bergen to find a suitable ship for the voyage, and on his recommendation the government hired the steamer "Voringen," of four hundred tons' burthen. During the past winter and spring the preparations for the voyage have been carried out so that the ship might sail on June 1. A NORWEGIAN deep-sea exploring ex- The scientific staff of the expedition is as pedition, equipped after the manner of the follows, and sufficiently indicates the obChallenger," for a cruise of three sum- jects of the voyage: Prof. Sars, Dr. Danmers, is about to set out from Bergen, the ielson, and M. Fride (biology); Captain object being to examine the region of the Wille (soundings, deep-sea temperatures, sea-bed bounded by Norway, the Shetlands, magnetic observations); M. Svendsen Faroes, Iceland, the ice of east Green- (chemistry); and Prof. Mohn (physics, land, Jan Mayen, and Spitzbergen. When sea-temperature, meteorology, and magProf. Mohn, director of the Meteorologi- netism). Capt. Wille is in command of cal Institute of Norway, was studying the the ship; Lieut. M. Peterson is first-lieutemperature of these seas he became very tenant, and Capt. Greig (the master) is conscious of the deficiency of knowledge second-lieutenant. The expedition will of this great area, though its borders had first call at Utvoer, a group of small isl to some extent been investigated by Brit- ands at the mouth of the Sogne Fiord, ish, Swedish, German, and French expedi- where the locality is free from local attions. His colleague at the University of traction, in order to make the necessary Christiania, Prof. Sars, had an equally magnetical base-observations; then, after strong conviction of the importance of testing the deep-sea gear in the calm biological research in this region, not only water of the fiord, will put to sea and in the interests of science, but for the wel-run along the deep coast channel extendfare of the country, so many of whose inhabitants earn their livelihood in these seas. Accordingly, both together presented a memoir to the minister of the interior in 1874, requesting the organization of an exploring expedition of the seas west of Norway. The proposal was warmly received by the minister, M. Vogt, and resulted in the voting of a sufficient sum for the outfit of the expedition by the Storthing of 1875, and a second vote by that of 1876 for its maintenance during the succeeding year. Captain C. Wille, of the Norwegian navy, was sent to England to consult with Captain Nares (whom he had the good fortune to see the day before the Arctic expedition sailed), to procure instruments, and to arrange with the

ing from the Skagerrack, in order to find the mode in which this channel goes northward, and to explore the banks off the coast of Romsdal. She will then call at. Christiansund to fill up with coal, and thence will steam westward to the "Lightning" channel between Shetland and the Faroes where the work of the "Porcupine expedition will be extended in a northwesterly direction. After calling at Thorshavn she will proceed to examine the bank between Faroe and Iceland. At Reykiavik magnetic base-observations will again be made, and thence it is proposed to go west and northward of Iceland, and to run a line of soundings to the Norwegian coast north of Drontheim.

LAST year there were published in Japan | two new daily, four weekly, and one monthly periodicals; one novel; one dictionary; one geography, grammar, and history combined; and a number of official statements, the latter actually bound in blue. The land of blue dragons takes now to blue books! Athenæum.

NEWSPAPERS Continue to multiply even in the most outlandish localities. We hear that "Corea has started a newspaper." It is styled "pious and official, and which all ought to read."

Athenæum.

PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY BY
LITTELL & GAY, BOSTON.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.

For EIGHT DOLLARS, remitted directly to the Publishers, the LIVING AGE will be punctually forwarded for a year, free of postage.

An extra copy of THE LIVING AGE is sent gratis to any one getting up a club of Five New Subscribers. Remittances should be made by bank draft or check, or by post-office money-order, if possible. If neither of these can be procured, the money should be sent in a registered letter. All postmasters are obliged to register letters when requested to do so. Drafts, checks and money-orders should be made payable to the order of LITTELL & GAY.

Single Numbers of THE LIVING AGE, 18 cents.