Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-05-01
Politeness Between Husband and Wife

FREE. .
PoIiteness Between Husband and Wife
The transformation worked in a lover,
after marriage has long been pet sub.
ject with satirists. Before the nuptial
knot is tied the suitor is all devotion. No
business engagement is permitted to in
fringe on the evenings consecrated TO his
fancee. II she drops her fan. misplaces
her glove, or needs help in putting on
her shawl, he is instantly at her side, the
most eager, the most patient, the most
delicate of servants. She has only to ex-
press wish to go 10 church, or to visit
some place Of amusemest, and 10 lie
waits on her. even il it is before
breakfast and though it rains as if'a de-
luge had come. But when the irrevoka~
BILE VOWS are said and the honeymoon
comfortably over. a change too often
comes over the obsequious cavalier. The
latent sel6shness Of the male animal"
begins to develop itself. The wife has to
pick up her own fan, search for her own
gloves, shawl herself unassisted, go to
church alone, get to concert W en- she
can. Sometimes the poor creature is
her rude dogmatical lord. Men who
would be civil even to strange SER
want. il a woman. think it quite natural
to be unpolte to their wives.
YET. there is nothing by which even a
selfish man can more benefit himself than
by being respectful. we'll bred and con.
siderate to her he has sworn 10 Glove and
cherish" Sooner or later an imperious
or exacting husband makes an Indifferent
or careless wife. Talk Of love as you
please. eulogize the forbearance of wo.
man till the language ofpraise is exhaus-
ted. and still the fact remains that as our
sex has not monopoly OF human nature,
feminine flesh and blood feels injustice
finally quite as scutely as ourselves. It
may require years to make Z" long
fering" woman as indignant as a man
would become in one month. but she will
get indignant at last, her affection will as
inevitably decline, and the sweet boon Of
life will be lost to the husband forever.
For money, which is said 10 be able TO
purchase everything, cannot purchase
love and love. whether by the sick bed
or by the household hearth, does what no
paid service will. AS the truest happi-
ness which we'll regulated mind enjoys
is the family relation, so there can be no
true domestic felicity where there is in.
justice ON the one side and alienation on
other. n
1t may be said that IL husband loves
his wife sincerely ihere is no necessity
for these little acts OF politeness. They
are trifies. We are told. But life is made
up Of tribes. Did the lover despise them
once, because they were tribes? Was
not something Of his early success attrib-
table to the sssiduity and deheacy with
which he piled his grati6ed mistress with
these little tribes? Has his wife ceased
TO like such attentions? Will she think
the less Of her husband because he shows
how thoughtful he is Of her comfort, ever
in these trifes ? Believe us, II O. wo-
mans affection is retained undiminishedi
in spite Of the rudeness of her husband
towards her, it would be vastly increased
il he exhibited little Of the lovers cow
tesy-if he was considerate of her in til
fes. Il seems the strangest and most In
comprehensive thing in the world II We
look at i. dispassionasely that selfish per-
sons think the only persons they can, neg
lect with impunity are those ON whom
their happiness depends. They are to'
seIfshly blind, to use one Of their OWL
pet phrases. tosee that poiiteness TO wiyel
.spaJs. - For sit is only of selfish hus
bands we speak. Those who respect
love and reverence. woman, as true NO
manhood ought to be respected, loyes
and reyerenced, need no incentives TO b
courteous and considerate to their wives