The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-11-09

never inquire. Iou rather hope not
For, Judging Of the things that are no
seen by those which do appear, you know
that she has to ask him for shoes loi
Johnnie, and dress for Susie, and ha
for Tommic, besides giving satisfactory
reasons why the old ones have not proved
immortal, while she reluctantly inform
him at the same time that the sugar i
out, and the flour is almost gone, ant
Biddic has asked for her wages, and the els
tern needs mending, and there is pan,
of glass broken, and that the knowledge
presscsupon her in secret not to be brough
out until the last minute, that they viii
soon have to buy new carpet, and tha
the back is ready to fall out Of the stove
while there arc, oh, so many things whicl
she needs for herself, only that she put
herself off to the last, and, knowing al
this without being told, you have not tn,
heart to persecute her about them twenty
fiyc cents. SO you let it 90 and in
wardly vow to-subscribe for The Ralcnp
ption.
This state Of things is, to the woman
subjected to it, a daily and hourly trial
Nothing so makes her feel her "subicc
condition" She hates, as have hcarC
her express it, "to have every dime dolce
out to her" She hates to have to ask foi
everything. She seems to hcrselfa sort
of professional bcggar. If high-spiritcd
she frets in secret and rebels openly. i
of a milder turn, she is resigned, with {
conscious feeling that the thing must be
endured as an inevitable but disagrecablc
necessity. If single, she looks to mar.
riagc for rclcif-if married, to the woman's
rights movements. In either case you hcal
her say chow she wishes she were man
and could msko her own money" And
if the ballot-box would raise her from the
condition of beggary, how quickly would
she 60 infor the Sixteenth Amendment
As it is, she is dcspairingly unable to per-
ceive how voting for the next president is
going to give her any pin-money.
1t would amaze you, my dear sr,to
know the secret annoyance, anxiety and
modification which come daily to your
wife from what seems to you the simple
and natural act of asking you for money.
Test it. Ask her. Insist on a candid
answer to the question. "Do you dislike
to ask ?" She will tell you that she
" breads it So" "Drcads it ~ YOU
repeat" Are you not kind? Arc you
not generous to the extent ofyour ability?''
" Oh ycs-but then she hates to have it
to do; she can ask for the family but as
for herself, she would almost as soon 90
without an article even Of necessity as to
ask for it."
Some husbands get into the habit Of
disregarding their wives request from the
idea that she asks more than is necessary
With her knowledge of family details, she
porceives that few dollars spent now
will save money by-and-by. lie goc. in
and out and looks at home as a whole and
finds it very comfortable, and so concludes
that there is no such need as the one she
has pointed out. "Wifc," said such q
husband, laughing good-naturcdly, "you
have got good 'caat and so | am going
to let you keep it awhile"
So the old stove waxcd older and Older
and threatened daily to give out, but still
by constant supervision from the wife
frequently burning her fingers as she ar.
ranged the fat-irons inside the oven tC
keep the top from falling in, daily suffer.
ing as she took the gas into lungs ant
eyes, and constant coaxing of the cook tho
dinner came to the table well served and
the husband rcjoiccd in his own superior
discrimination.
:" tell you John that stove will surely
fall in some day and ruin everything"
So one day John came home and an.
nounccd that several gentlemen were com
ing out to dine with him. (They lived
near the city and this is true story.
lie brought fine quarter of lamb anC
various other cdibles, and the dinner wa'
to be served precisely at a certain hour
and he wanted it very nicely done.
Now I do not say that what followcC
was justiiablc, but do say it was very
natural. The wife was one ofthosc high
spirated women of that particular typ,
who hoped all things and endured al
things up to the last moment, and thcl
the deluge. Her time had come. II
cook al that dinner, with that stove
But she kept her own counsel The cool
was duly exhortcd, the fat-irons arranged
the meat was duly prepared and the cook
ing went forward. Everything was ncarl,
ready and the hour was at hand til,
party had arrived and all that RENAME,
was to dish and serve. Watching he
opportunity when the cook was elsewhere
the wife deftly slipped aside one Of tn
hat-irons. Down came the inside Of tn
stove and with it came an eruption of 500
and smoke and ashes, covering the roas
as Pompeii. The husband was called t,
view the catastrophe. There John
didn't tell you the top ofthat stove woul
fall NJ" John took his guests to the he
tel to dine, wiser and saddcr man
and the next day there was new stov
in the house.
Now when it comes to systematic be
ncvolence this state Of beggary is not on
an injustice but it is a positive cruelty t
women. Who so anxious to edo" an
who so powerless as she Let the mi
sionary agent look to it and deliver
, preliminary lecture to men on the suhjeC
Of pin-money. She goes to his meetin
, and her heart swells within her as i
, makes his appeal. But what can she dc
Go home and represent the case to h,
husband? His thoughts are clsewher
and besides, she cannot produce any ciIec
for the sacred fire dies out when she sccl
to carry it away with her. And he sa,
f he is "always giving"
$ Ask her for tenth, only a tenth
what she spends on dress, and glance
+ her handsome silk as you do SO. But ,
you know how she obtains her clothes
y She will tell her husband that she nee
n a certain garment she names n sun oi