Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1841-12-30

your farming paper the signs Of a good
husband. man, but let them remember that
these "signs" are 10 be hung up in the
" Ladies Department." as a Rowland for
your Oliver in a late number. Between
a good husband and a good hus5and-man
there is an obvious distinction. A man
may be a good husbandman, or conceii
himself such, who is a very cross-grain-
ed, a%varicious, ignorant and ill.tempered
husband-one whose greatest delight is to
" bully his children and hoard his cash."
But no man can be at once a bad father
and a good husband, for ignorant or cruel
treatment of children implies a base dis
regard Of the feelings Of the wife. My
promise to indie ate the signs Of a good
husband extends only to the relationship
established by marriage between the
groom and his bride and the unreasona.
bleness Of expecting her to make a good
housewife, as described in your paper Of
a late date, if her aim and efforts to keep
all things in order are not encouraged and
sustained by him.
Let IS take him up then " from the ris.
ing ofthe sun to the going down thereof"
In the first place, then, | hold it to be
out of the question that a good husband
should be a late sleeper! Can any one
imagine any habit more unmanly, not TO
soy unclcan, than to see a full grown man
lying snoring in his bed "to dumb forget
i%ulness a prey" long after the GLORIOUS
king Of day. has risen in the east Such
an example OF improvidence and sloth is
u~nseem!y in itself, and yet more pernici.
Gus in its effects upon all aronnd him.
AS when the seats away the mice dc
play" so servants are quick in learning
to take advantage of the slothful ways o.
their master, and with late rising and lag.
gard servants, how can the best house.
wife, even Mrs. Glass herself, have her
house made clean and all things kept de.
cent and in good order? No, sir, he who
rises late has to run after his business al
day, and can ~scacely overtake it at night
as Poor Richa I'd says, and even we're the
habit oflate rising in the husband, recon.
cileable with any just notion Of health OF
Of economy in other countries, in ours
where property is 80 often divided, ant
where every man, therefore, must be
the architect Of his own fortune, there are
few, if any, in whom it is not absolutely
culpable to lie abed after sunrise. No
only is early rising the sign of good hus
band, in a degree to render it an absolute
and indispensable virtue, but if he woul'
have for his own qualification a nice break
fast, in good season, he will take care Il
have his house -servants up and dong a
early dawn. He will so systematise mat
tiers, that the cook and washer woman
shall always have at hand an ample sup
ply Of good wood and water, for kitchen
and laundry, not leaving them, as too
many husbands do, to the last momen
without these indispensable materials.
While, however, early rising and per
sonal cleanliness are insisted on as among
the signs Of a good husband, ! do not re.
fer to his outward habiliments. The
fashion and texture Of these may, in my
judgment, be set down as matters Of The
least importance. Only let him keep hi:
head combed, his beard close and his per
son and garments in immediate contac
Herewith always clean, and all the res
may be of =" leather or prunella" for me.
To extend the sketch Of his homely an6
practical duties, on the observance 81
which he must depend for that great bles.
sing, a good housewife, they may all be
more easily comprehended by asking our.
selves what is expected Of her. Is it a
clean house from garrett to cellar then
let him provide her with good servants,
Industrious and docile, with good brooms
and brushes, water convenient and abun-
dant, and what is too often rot to be
found, a good strong scraper at every
out door, for the feet of all who enter
thereat, that the snow, and mud, and
dirt, which are brought in, may be left
outside the house.
If il be his pleasure to see himself re-
1ected by shining brasses, let him not
grudge a fps worth of rotten stone TO
polish them /; though for my part would
Danish brasses and oil other costly and
superfiuous furniture, which, besides first
cost, requires daily labor TO keep it in or.
der, without contributing any thing to our
real comfort, and the money saved in this
item should be expended in additions TO
The family library. But this is a digres.
sion, SO we return to our signs. Ii the
husband have a taste for good bread, let
him remember that for that he must have
the best white wheat family -four, and af-