The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-06-15
Neglected. Wives.

Man discovers he must sacrifice too
much of his liberty if he makes his wife
a real companion, and he speedily sinks
back into the habits of single blessed
ness, and leaves her neglected at home.
His companions soon forget to regard
him as married man at all his old
corner at the club is again filled, and he
is as assiduous as ever at whist and bill
lizards. You hear in the morning that
he reached home at daylight, or perhaps
he tells of adventures which smack of
the old rowdy life which he once prom
ised to abjure. Young men, with lofty
idea of what married life should be,
either despise him, or learn to think that
marriage is, after all, very much like
lottery, in which the blanks vastly out
number the prizes. Those who are hard
upon women insist that his life cannot
be a comfortable one, or he would not
spend his leisure in tavern while 9TH
ers, gifted with keen insight, merely
pity the poor creature who is pining in
solitude, and perhaps breaking her heart
Curiously enough, the man who shirks
home duties, and whose wife is q mere
drudge or housekeeper, has always won
derful things to say in praise of her.
She is a paragon of wife, and he is the
best of husbands; she adores him, and
will not permit him to NOPE at home,
but insists that he shall continue to seek
the society of friends. Every story he
tells of himself proves that he has no
idea of being faithful to his marriage
vows; but he asserts roundly, and with
much apparent sincerity, that his faith
in her integrity is unbounded. What
| h. 4 oh on1 OF
whatever hour of the night or morning
he may return home, he is sure to see
the " faithful light" burning in his win
dow. He has apparently no idea that
he is inficting the keenest suffering up
on her, or If the thought crosses his
mind he dismisses it without pang,
Perhaps he is kind, as mere words go,
and does not forget the outward show of
respect which he owes her. A man must
be sunk low, indeed, who can use hard
words and be systematically cruel to his
wife. There are rufhans, no doubt, who
silence the complainings and repinings
of their wives with drunken oaths and
brutal language, but we will not sully
our pages by further allusion to such a
man. We are trying to sketch man
who does no more than tax the patience
and endurance of his companion, but
perhaps we shall see that even he, with
the veneer and polish of a gentleman
upon him, may sometimes forget the
poor homage which is due to the weak
ness of a woman.
Men who are themselves sufficiently
: mindful of their duties are often curious
to know what sort of home such men
can have, and how far they are mindful
, Of the first duty of providing for the
household expenses Is there, for exam
pie, struggling and poverty in the home
: while the head of it is enjoying himself
abroad He dresses well, and even fash
= ionably; has the poor neglected wife
anything to wear becoming her station,
or is she obliged to be contented with
such scanty garments as she can wiring
: from her meagre housekeeping Per-
haps he keeps his address profound Sc
cret, and you know no one who is on
visiting terms with them, or vague ru-
mors reach you of squalid children, of
the once trim and neat woman reduced
to careworn slattern, and all trace OF
style and station banished from the den
in which she now lives. You have seen
, him occasionally called from the office
during business hours to speak to some
sad-looking and sombre-clad woman,
and the suspicion that she is the para
gon of wife of whom he boasts does
5 does not cross your mind until some in
quisitive busy-body hints the probabili-
ty of the fact. You surmise q score oI
= reasons for the vista child lying sick
at home, and no cash in the house fol
: necessaries; or he has been out all night
= h. hop
tured to town to assure herself of hi.
J safety.
, A man of this stamp often passes fol
= ! good fellow among his friends; ht
! may be kindly and even humane in dis
i position, his chief failing being that the
/, best side of his nature is always reserved
1 for the world. His charity never begins
at home. For tale of distress he has
e ready sympathy at command, and per
!, haps renders substantial help, while the
little ones at home are dining on breac
: and cheese. He can be so jolly over {
y. glass Of wine, and among his boon com
. panions, no one would think him a mo
u raj failure-a man who had begun hi
q career with fair promise, and had mad,
y shipwreck of substantial happiness il
the pursuit OF mere igniS tatuuS. He ha!
& either become what he is from foe list
t sense of the importance of freedom, anc
!, sincere but absurd dislike of the re
u u straints of social life, or from an actua
q love of low and sensual pleasures. HI
Il has fits of repentance, but puts off seri
. Gus reforms until the habits of early llf
: have become confirmed. He IS not
/; rake in the strict sense of the term, bu
y lounger about town; he is happy any
u where but at home and can SIT out tn
Is dull speeches Of the Codgers, or lister
with apparent interest to the fooleries o
the comic singers at a music hall. IL
can endure anything but the dullness O
y, the home he has neglected, and perhap
% % the reflections which the presence of hi
. wife and children call up are sufficient
: ly unpleasant to render escape for him
. self desirable. His children grow u
4 with few advantages beyond the cultur
= they have acquired from their mother
- If they are unable to take their prope
= places in life, but are prematurely sen
- into the world ill-educated and untitte
% : for the struggle and competition of tn
D intellectual labor market, he alone is t,
= blame. can Epic of Woman" with tn
- real trials and difficulties of life as tn