Middletown transcript., 1870-09-10
WHAT A WIFE GIVES HER HUSBAND

WHAT A WIFE GIVES HER HUSBAND.
SIN marriage, man gives everything
and woman nothing" l heard gentle-
man say the other day. "Of course it is
an object to woman to marry, and none to
man."
Now, I'm not strong minded" nor
desirous of proving that women suffer
wrongs which can only be righted by their
possession of the ballot box; but when
hear speech like that above recorded,
admit that it makes my blood boil, Man
gives everything, does he? Certainly he
gives half of all his worldly possessions,
if he chooses, and provides, by labor of
some kind, generally the raw material of
household comfort but woman, so to
speak, cooks that raw material for him.
lie hires the house, Or buys it /; she makes
of the house home. When she marrics,
if she have one particle of common sense,
she knows that there lies before her Il
path where duties are scattered thickly
duties that may be sweet, for loves
sake, but which of themselves are so hard
that man would never take them up.
1t is not her purse, and as much of her
time as she chooses, that the wife gives
that is the husbands portion of the mar
rage contract. She lays upon the altar
her person, her liberty and all the hours
of all her days, to be used for him and
for his offspring thenceforth while they
shall live. Yes, and she knows this
If you who hold your brides hand at the
altar, holding there true, good woman's
hand, believe that what you can give her
to eat and to drink and to wear are her
temptations to wifehood, you are mista-
ken. The fortune-hunter feminine is of
the same band as the fortune-hunter mas
culinc, and is as rare. To win her bread
decently is now possible to any girl or
woman, and it is only one made of the
stuff that degenerates into a Formosa or
Anonym who marries merely to have her
bills paid for her. This creature who
givesy you nothing, to whom you give all,
as you yainly imagine, takes the great
burden of witehood upon her shoulders
because she loves you-bocause, to min
lister to your comfort in health, to be your
nurse in illness, to share your joy or sor-
row, your prosperity or adversely, have
become the cheerful pleasures of her life.
You do not know, perhaps, that the
game of housekeeping is as intricate as
the game of chess, and that it is one that
must never be lost; that this regular pro-
vision of your meals, this beautiful ar
rangement of your household belongings,
this making of the home, is work of care
and thought and time that, i'll or we'll, the
wife must supervise; that an hours ne
glect would be manifest for whole day
that to make all comfortable for you, your
wife must abandon her relaxatons, her
friendships, the dolce far niente of her
life almost together; that she, unless ex-
ceptionally well off, may never take .
morning walk or read favoritc book
touch her piano, her pen Or pencil, until
she is sure that all the household tasks
are accomplished. How often that mo-
ment arrives let women decide. 1t is
hard to come to the end of a circle. | do
not mean to represent wife as being in
a constant state of wretchedness and toll.
of course, but that she accomplished her
task chcerfully, and feels we'll repaid by
a loving word and loving kiss, for ach-
III iAhioo anu hCuiJ anu iubCllcC-
tual deprivation does not make this gift
of her time less valuable.
Do you suppose also, my good man,
that woman sacrifices no personal priv
ileges on her wedding day? You are very
much mistaken, if you think so. No
matter how you may turn out--and there
is no guessing at that beforehand-you
must be the only man in the world to her
thenceforth. She must have no more of
those charming half-sentimental friend
ships which are so dear to feminine hearts.
Instead of trying to please as formerly,
she must bear about with her the dignity
of matronhood, and this is a hard lesson
foI some girls to learn.
Single, she may always feel entitled to
an escort, visit places of amusement,
dance, walk, enjoy herself socially with
any respectable single gentleman Mar
ried, according to my code of manners and
morals, which, if severe, is safe, she has
no such privilege. If her husband does
not choose to take her to see or hear any,
thing, she must stay at home. And here
the American fails in his duty, as a gem
eral thing. The Frenehman would be