The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-05-08
The Better Side of the Story,
To the Editor of the Brooklyn Eagle:

One cannot take up paper noWaday
without being confronted, in glarin
letters, with "DivOrce," or "Matri
monial Quarrel" or "Wife Beaten" o
what would seem to be a universal com
plant, difficulties between married peO
pie. Then turn to the correspondence
and some husband complains of the ex
travagance of women, of the lenienc
OF the law in giving women so man.
privileges of property denied to men
or some poor, subdued wife ventilate
her opinion ON the tyranny of men il
general, or the fearful injustice of tn
law in regard to wives and their righ
in their own children. Perhaps som
bachelor or ancient maiden utters
grOwl at the fetters of matrimony, ant
declares how much better and wiser
is to remain single.
The newspaper columns are medium
of complaints, grumbles and abuses
but whoever represents to the public
that large class-in fact, the majority
of cOntented married people, wh'
trouble not themselves about the law
except in a general way, because thu
law of their households is love, whicl
"Mine," and "Thine," and "What
n"eO 0oHS hV! Jou dhu " HtV ~" l''''
done for me-"
lam proud to own that / belong tt
| this class, and I audaciously claim tC
represent at least two-thirds of the
households living in the pleasant, shady
streets con the Hill," or the elegant
brown stone rows "On the Heights ;
the houses from which the sunny, hap.
py little children come whom you meet
going to school in the morning, and
from which you get a delightful OdOl
Of good dinner, and glimpse of a
warm, shiny dining-rOOm as you pass
toward evening.
Our young men and maidens, with
thoughts of matrimony and each Other
naturally lurking in their brains, and
plenty of newspapers to read at home
conclude that it is all q farce, and the
only way to be happy and independent
is meyer to marry, and thus escape those
dreadful fetters.
Not long since I read a letter-in the
Graphic, I think-fr0m Bachelor y
who claimed to have solved this whole
problem. can just see him clustering
around while he tells how he and
another fellow hired nice house, fur
nished it comfortably, got a res
pectable house-keeper who did not see
too sharp, and who understood her
business; how they had their meals
faultlessly served, buttons all right, and
how, they took their night-keys, came
in any hour they chose, and no one said
a word. This he called comfort.
Brother, let me tell my experience.
We-my John and I-are close in the
neighbOrhood of our crystal wedding
day. We have three or four children,
all boys, which is pity. Now, honest
ly do not think John is perfect, and |
never heard of his saying that was.
In temperament we are not alike. John
is one of your punctual, accurate men,
intelligent Tor shouldn't have married
him. kind hearted and loving Cor he
wouldn't have married me,) not very
| sometimes think, knows how much he
does feel. Now, am enthusiastic; if
like thing, people in the house gene
rally know it, and, if [ want to do any
thing, there isn't much peace till I ac-
cOmplish it. have sometimes wished
that John would not be so non commit
tai, and would not look so horror-strick-
en- when | make q mistake or forget
something. And [ know he thinks (he's
told me so) that if [ would be more
moderate and not tear around so, things
would be pleasanter. But for all that,
wouldn't change Johns faults for any
other mans perfections, and I never
heard him beWail his lot; at any rate,
he does not do it in the papers. shall
have to confess that we did try to make
each other over at first, but we gave
that up before we reached our wooden
wedding.
We have tried so long to please each
other that somehow now we seem to
have the same tastes, enjoy the same
pleasures, and suffer at the same sor-
rows. do not say that we never differ,
and never part in the morning with
shade of something unreconciled be-
tween us. But you never saw two such
wretches in your life when
such is the case, or two such happy
beings when the thing is made up.
About that night-key, Bless your
heart, John don't want to go out
alone. cannot get him out.
Here is our bright coal-fire; here are
our boys, with their young life and
their school projects; here are books,
slippers, cigars Che is little particular
about smoke in the curtains himself,)
and no one to scOld him. Really, now,
he does not care to be out half the night.
Sometimes we take a fancy to hear
Nilsson, or something nice at the Acad-
emy; and how do we do? Why, we
put our night-key in our pocket (panta-
looms, Of cOurse), go where we like,
come home any hour OF the night we
choose, and who's afraid?
Oh! We have had many a rare treat,
John and I, all by ourselves. AS to ex-
if | ever want something
extra good, q silk dress or carpet, take
John with me, for men have a way of
spending money for a good thing with
IN abandon which takes a woman's
his wife to look as well as the next
mans wife, to be sure? know the
state of Johns affairs as well as he,
Ind, when we have to be economical, it
s as much my interest to go without
he silk dress as his, and can do it and
IT'LL be happy.
I could write book about John and
{ but this is enough, know, for thou
,ands of husbands and wives to say,
8 That's true"
Sad cases there are of unhappiness
ind uncongeniality, and they always
,ome TO the surface. But does any one
believe that all we married people are
5rOanlng uhdeR OUT DoHus anu loohlng
lbout for easy divorces To most of
is the thought Of the time that shall
surely come when one shall be taken
md the other left" makes the heart
stand still.
Does any one believe that all the
title children who go dancing to school
,yery morning come from unhappy
lomes? No, they go with their mothers |
owing kiss still warm on their lips, and
:he. hannv. nrnnd glance Of their father |