Nebraska advertiser., 1859-05-19
Miscellaneous.
Model Wives.
Editor Dayton Journal !;

You publish good many pieces, de-
scribing very minutely, sometimes, the
duties of wives, and think it would not
be at all Objectionable tointimate in plain
way that the defects which the newspapers
are constantly at,ribuling to the female
branch of the matrimonial partnerships,
might be removed very easilyif the head
of the firm were himself a little nearer
! perfection than he proves to be. l shall
be obliged to you, if you will publish the
following which / cut from newspaper.
AMELIA,
1t is enough to make US married women
sick to see the nonsense that men put into
the papers. On one particular head
requirements for wives-there is enough
absurdity uttered in one month to DO for
the whole twelve months of the year.
Now, if men were angels, or demigods,
there might be some reasons in their re-
quiring angels and goddesses for mates !;
but when it is remarked what poor, i'm
perfect, unreliable, unreasonable, un-
meritorious set they are, their "face" in
setting up such claims would be perfectly
amazing and unaccountable, were it not
for the well known self-estem of the
species.
Suppose, Just for moment, that any
woman could be found sufficiently refined
beautiful, good, attractive, and rich, for all
the preposterous demands that are made.
where would she find mate meet for her?
Does any one suppose that such paragon
of perfection would stoop TO wed with a
mere mortal man, who would most certain
ly shock her to death by mortal vulgari-
ties and faults?
AS women are, they have plenty to do
to "swallow" all that is mingled with their
cup of life when their fate has actually
given them over into the power of men.
1t is ba barity to wish them to be any
more refined aud delicate; it is prodigali-
ty to desire them to be any more beautiful
or desirable than they are. considering
they are made for men.
Women are faulty creatures-that Is
not denied. They have abundant reasons
10 be ashamed Of themselves-that is
freely owned. They are foolish, weak
and in too many respects wicked-thal
they are always falling in love with men
is proof enough of that. But we return
to our proposition, and we do most emphat-
ically, distinctly and unquali6edly declare
they are good enough for men.
We wish-oh earnestly, sincerely
.. yearningly-it were not so; we wish they
were not "good enough" Not that they
: were less perfect than they are, but thai
men were all so just, so noble, so true, SC
, large-hearted, so afectionate, SO alto.
gether admirable that they would deserve
perfection in their wives. Then there
would be some sense aud encouragement
in trying to improve. But what induce
has woman to endeavor 10 come up tc
the mark of "the high Calling of Wife
AS soon as she is wife, or al most, a;
. soon as her husband has recovered from
g the first overpowering sensation and con
! viction of matrimony, and arrived at the
: sensible conclusion that he is not, after all
the first and only case of the kind tha
; ever occurred-that other men besides
himself really have been married-ht
begins to criticiSe his wife's daily life anC
p conversation. Familiarity has robbed
j; her manners of the charm they once haC
e for him and he begins to admire tht
;e charms Of other women, not because they
u are really better, but because they art
new TO him.
= l. matters not at all how beautiful MAJ
}. be the face that every morning he see
Id beside him on-the pillow-he soon forget
10 speak, or even to think of its famiIia
), beauty, and saves all his starts and excla
fIee nations of admiration for that OF othe
IN mems wives and daughters.
His wife's taste may be of the YER
= finest order, yet, in nine cases out of ter
he will praise the dress and appearance
of other women more than he will hers
S. If her style of dress be snowy. he wi
call her extravagant-if 1t be plain h
will call her dowdy. If her dispositio
be of lively, playful turn, he will chez
her for her ''wid and childish ways" an
ly and if she be given TO retirance, he wi
iy call her dull or sullen.
What is queenly dignity in anothe
woman will be stiffness and haughtineS
in his own wife. What is grace and swee
II ness in another will be affectation an
shallwoness in her. When he has exclain
ed in rapture over the elegance. of som
womln'S attire, and his wife attempts
give him similar pleasure by arravin
] herself in a similar style, he will rail
E her for wearing her clothes so tight as
stop circulation, (she may not be lace
one-third as much as her model, so lor
oh as to sweep the streets. and so full th'
sC sc' she looks like balloon blown up Fl
lie. will declare that she has enc too mar
gs petticoats, that her shoes are too smai
that her dress is too high or too low
a. the neck, and he never conld bear TO 81
short sleeves, that he is "reallv almo
ashamed to be seen with such figure
&C. his arm.'
ao; aeG Now we would ask, in all humanrt
the arhat encouragement there can possibly
T f'o for woman 10 try to improve tbemselv
= for the sake of those beings who are sur
the moment they feel secure in their pc
session, TO see in other woman two charr
to where they see one in their own wive
&c. Let men learn to be model husband
and there is not one shadow of doubt b
- what there viii soon be enough and