The weekly ledger., 1857-05-02
A Word ON the Other Side.
BY ALICE CARY.


there may be found, day after day, week af
ter week, and year after year, articles with
such captions as the following "Advice to
Wives'-"The Way to Make Home Happy"
-"How to Keep a Husbands Affection" +"
and other similar titles, scores of which men,
ory will at once suggest to the reader. In
all these appeals, eternal forbearance is urged
as the great duty Of the wife in reference to
the foibles, faults and positive sins of the
husband. She is entreated with all the forms
Of eloquence, between the thunders of de-
nunciation and the tenderest pathos, always
to meet him with a smile--to keep the fire
cheerful and the lamps trimmed, against his
coming-to have the table spread elegantly
and profusely, and all the children, be they
two or twenty, rosy with health, and dressed
as tdily and tastefully as possible, ready to do
reverence to their father, by flying, like doves,
to the window, when his step is heard on the
walk, or the grating of the latch-key at the
door. "If YOU want to keep your husbands
at home." say these wise advisers, make
home the happest place in the world, Just
as if the best, and most devoted, and most
self-sacrifcng, and sef-abnegating woman
that ever was born, COULD make home happy
independently of her husbands assistance and
cooperation.
tell you nayl l have seen it tried great
many times; and l tell you, too, there is
other tyranny than the blood and chains"
and the wives and mothers of our land, and
of every land under heaven, | suppose, are
staggering under it, and are being buried
away from it, every day and hour; and |
4 thank God there is rest and silence down
to which no irritable growl-no tyranous ex-
action, can find its way.
have seen in my life good many places
called homes-I have Seen women in them do
ing all that mortality could do to make them
agreeable to the bears who came thither to
feed-preferrang, as they said, dry bread 10
beef steak, when the steak was small and the
husband hungry -skimming all the cream from
the pint of milk for his coffee-"serving him
first, him last, him midst, and without end"
to all that abstinence and pains-taking on
their part could provide, and have seldom
been regaled with "thank you" or chow kind
you are" from the pampered and petted head
of the house. Generally have seen snarling
or sullen silence bestowed in payment
Many a time have | seen women turn their
old dresses bottom side up, and inside out, and
make them do till decency could stretch itself
no further-change the flowers from the right
to the left side of the summer bonnet and
make it serve the winter-take the baby
blanket for a shawl, and contrye a new coat
for the boy out of the fathers old one, and,
moreover, persuade the child, by those inge-
nious arguments which only Strengthened mo-
theirs know how to make available. that the
garment was altogether brighter and better
than a new one; and all this for the sake of
seeing said husband and father go to church,
or to tue club, or the election, in new coat
and hat | cannot call to my mind, however,
any similar sacrifices and contriyances elected
by such behavior.
We all know how women violate the COM
mandment "Thou shalt not lie," by creating
ficticious atmosphere through which their
children behold their father, not as he is but
as he should be- For instance, when the hus-
band spends money for cigars, which should
have bought shoes for bare-footed child the
wronged and disappointed little one is told,
most likely, that the father forgot the shoes,
and will buy them tomorrow.
When the husband "tarries long" ut the
beer shop, or oyster-saloon, and the children
grow clamorous for supper, their gnawing
stomachs are queted by the deusion, that
their dear parent is in some comfortless situa-
ton, coming his life-blood to their service
and so on, according to the enormity of the
offence, is the magnitude Of the fabrication
in defence
But Notwithstanding all this make-believe,
have very often seen cloud of discomfort
brought into the house by the coming home
of tha hucho nd md fathar II bac ;,lo.1
usually been my misfortune to see that much
begded event, the signal for bushes to take
the place of fun and frolic, for the little girl
to be set down on a stool, shamed out of kiss
ilg her doll, and for the boys rockng-horse
to be turned out to pasture on the porch,
and himself shut in some dark closet, if he
sought the poor comfort of whimper.
wish could hope that my experience was
extraordinary; | wish | could see cause to
believe there are not thousands of women in
this very city dying daily, because no smile
meets their smiling, and no appreciation their
efforts to please.
Women have faults and failings enough of
their own to answer for, and that they should
be made scapegoats to bear the sins of their
husbands, and that with smiling, is an i'm
position against which |, for one, protest.
Their ambition is humble enough, surely
praying only for the privilege of loving and
serving, and asking no other compensation
than recognition OF that love and service;
but when even that is denied them, as it fre-
quently is, | wonder, for my part, they are as
good as they are
Men, and brethren, think of these things,
and if you would come to pleasant homes,
L.. ..tn al