The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-05-16
A WORD TO HUSBANDS ONLY.
LOVE a WIFE AND CARE FOR A WIFE

I wish every husband would copy into his
emorandumy book this sentence, from re
Gently published work : "a word said, line
written, and we are happy; omitted, our hearts
ache, as if for great misfortune. Men can
not feel it or guess at it, if they did, the most
careless of them would be slow to wound us.
| The grave hides many a heart which has
been stung to death, because one who after all,
loved it after a certain ,ess fashion, was
deaf, dumb and blind to the truth in the se..-
tence re have just. quoted; or, If not was at
| least restive and inpatient with regard to it.
Many men, marrying late in life, being accus-
toned only to- take care of themselves, and
isthat in the most erratic, rambling, exciting
fashion eating, drinking. sleeping AID wa
! kin whenever their fancy or good cheer or
| amusement, questionable or unquestionable,
! prompted--come at last, when they get tired
tofr this, with their selfish habits fixed as fate
to 1natrimony - 's.
For while it is novelty Shortly, it is
strange and irksome, this always being obliged
to consider the comfort and happiness of an
which used to swing free, or at most, but
twist cane Then they think their duty done
Eif they provide food and clothing, and refrain
(rossiblyO from harsh words All, is it ~
Listen to that sigh as you close the door
Watch the gradual fading of the eye, and pal
Il ing of the cheek, not from age-she should
be yet youngAbut that gnawing pain at the
heart, born of the settled conviction, that the
great hunger craving Of her soul, so far as you
are concerned, must. go forever unsatisfed.-
God help such wives, and keep them from at
tempting to slake their souls thirst at poison
ed fountains. :" or - >
Think you, husband, how little kind
word, smile, caress, to you, how much to
her. IF YOU call these things childish, and
beneath your notice. then you should never
have married. There are men who Should re-
main forev er single; you are one- You have
no right to require Of woman her health,
strength, time and devotion, to mock her with
the shadowy, unsatisfying return. "A new bon-
net, dress, a shawl, "a watch, anything, every
thing but what a true woman's heart must
crave sympathy, appreciation, love. She
may be rich in everything else, but II she be
poor. in these, and is a good woman, she had
better die. 5-.;w 4tR "a, 4.,4 3, f. 81.
{ There are hard, ,unloving, cold monstroeities
of woman (rare. exceptions9 who neither re-
quire love or know how to give it. We are not
speaking of those. That big hearted, loving,
noble men have occasionally been thrown away
upon such, does not disprove what we have
been saying. But even a man thus situated
has greatly the advantage of a woman in a
similar position, because, over the needle, a
woman may think herself into an insane asy
lum, while the active outdoor turmoil of busi-
ness life is at least sometime repreye to him.
do you ask me, Are there no happy wives r
God be praised, yes, and glorious, loveable
husbands, toe, who know how to treat a wo-
man, and would have her neither fool nor
drudge. Almost every wife would be good
and happy wife were she Only loved enough.
Let husbands, present and prospective, think