The Morgantown monitor. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1863-1864, 1863-06-03
The Art Of Wift-Preserving.

n WOtudu uluSI IIdhO ucIseti OUfl-
Gus to her husband, or he will drift
out beyond her horizon. She will be
to him very nearly what she Wills
and works to be. If she adapts her
self to her children and does not adapt
herself to her husband, he will fall
into the arrangement, and the two
will fall apart. do not mean that
they will quarrel, but they will lead
separate lives. They will be no long
er man and wife. There will be
domestic alliance, but no marriage.
A predominant interest in the same
objects binds them together after a
fashion; but marriage is something
beyond that. If woman wishes and
purposes to be the friend Of her hus-
baud, if she would be valuable to
him, not simply as the nurse OF his
children and the directress of his
household, but as woman fair and
fresh and fascinating, to him ihtrln-
sically lovely and attractive, she
should make an effort for it. 1t is
not by any means thing that comes
Of itself, or that can be left to itself.
She must read, and observe, and
think, and rest up to it. Men, as q
general thing, will not tell you SO.
They talk about having the slippers
ready, and enjoin women to be do
mestic. But mem are blockheads,-
dear, and atfectionate, and generous
bleckheads - benevolent, largc-hear-
ted, and chivalrous, kind, and pa
tent and hard working, but stupid
where women are concerned. Indis-
pensable and delightful as they are
in real life, pleasant and comfortable
as women actually find them, not
one in ten thousand but makes
Ounce of himself the moment he
opens his mouth to theorize about
women. Besides, they have no axe
to grind. The pretty things they
inculcate-slippers, and coffee, and
care, and courtesy-ought indeed to
be done, but the others ought not to
be left undone. And to the former,
women need seldom be exhorted.
they take to them naturally. A
great many moro women bore boor-
ish husbands with fond little atten-
tions than wound appreciative ones
by neglect. Women domestlcate
themselves to death already. What
they want is cultivation. They need
to be stimulated to develop a large,
comprehensive, catholic life, in which
their domestic duties shall have an
appropriate niche, and not dwindle
down to narrow and servile one,
over which those duties shall spread
and occupy the whole space.
There arc women less foolish.
They see their husbands attracted in
other directions more often and more
easy than in theirs. They have too
much sterling worth and profound
faith to be vulgarly jealous. They
fear nothing like shame or crime; but
they feel the fact of their own pre-
occupation with homely household
duties precludes real companIonship,
the interchange of emotions, tho.ts,
and sentiments, a living and palpable
aud vivid contact Of mind with mind,
of heart with heart They see others
whose leisure ministers to grace, &C
complishments, piquancy, and at
tractiveness, and the moth flies to-
wards the light by its own nature.
Because he is q wise and vlrtuous
and honorable moth, he does not dart
into the fame. He does not even
scorch his wings. He never thinks
of such thing. He merely circles
around the pleasant light, summing
himself in it without much thought
one way or another, only feeling that
it is pleasant; but meanwhile Mrs.
Moth sits at home in utter darkness,
mending the childrens' clothes, which
is not celebrating Many woman
who feels that she possesses her hus-
bands affection misses something.
She does not secure his favor, his ad-
miration. His love is honest and
solid, but little dormant, and there
fore dull. 1t does not brace, and
tone, and stimulate. She wants not
the love only, but the keenness and
edge and flavor Of the love; and she
suffers untold pangs. | know it, for
| have seen it. 1t is not a thing to
be uttered. Most women do not ad-
NIT it even themselves; but it is re-
vealed by lift Of the eyelash, by a
culver of the eye, by tone OF the
voice, by a trick of the fnger.-Go@
Hamilton.
Ind