Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-09-30
LANCASTER WISCONSIN, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 80, 1875.


After all, 1t takes but little to Sc,
cure this happiness Of which we
speak-little beyond the renewed as
surance now and then of the old affec-
ton, the kind attention to appearance,
the gentle expression of solicitude ;
by these three little things, given
without much exertion, a woman's
soul is saved from starving. Yet
there are many men who pursue the
philosophy of that individual whose
daily "grace" at dinner was, "Lord,
we have this, and thank Thee for the
next" They have their wife; they
set her aside on her shelf, and are
reaching forward for their future by
and-by, if she isn't dead first, they
will enjoy that future together. These
men, the defendants Of fighting bar
barians, who carried women captives
and kept them slaves, have something
of their ancestors still working in
their blood to them the only impor-
tant factors in the world are men,
and women are mere adiuncts; each
of them takes about rs much thought
of his wife's happiness as he does Of
that of the dog upon the hearth he
would be sorry to have his wife very
III, though he does not mind her usual
ailing; he would be in distress should
his wife die, though he would an
nounce the burial to take place not
from her late residence, but from her
husbands residence, and would find
the place she filled so unbearably de-
solate that he would make haste to fill
it again and in the mean time, by
ill~considerate economy, by stingi-
ness, by selfshress, by petty brutal
tiles and constant tyranny, the care
he has taken Of his wife's moral well
fare has been such as to drive her to
deceit, to hypocrisy, to lying, to
filching small sums of money, and to
general baseness Of behavior that has
been co ordinate with the power that
produced it, and revenged itself upon
the producer in the lowered character
Of his children, born of a mother
whose moral state has been subjected
to such degradations.
It would seem, then, as though it
were matter of self-protection for
husbands to avoid tie example Of
such as those of whom we have been
speaking to DO their whole duty as
we'll as their coniectual and selfcvi
dent duty, and make it their happi-
ness TO secure the happiness OF those
dependent on them, SO to give con-
tented homes, healthy and CHEEKY
children, and a universally improved
condition Of life The husband who
"snubs" his wife in public Injuries
himself as much as he does her, not
only in other peoples estimation, but
by positive rebound. A woman likes
to have the preference that once Sc,
lected her still quietly displayed, likes
the gentle attention of her husband
if not the admirng glance, at any
rate the regardful word. The man
who declares his white-haired wife is
as lovely to him as when her hair
wore the gloss and abundance of
youth has happier wife, and so
happier and better home, than the
one who says his wife 1OaS a beauty
when he married her, as if that fully
exonerated him in the matter Of taste
just now concerning an ogre. The
first woman feels she has saved the
one thing she valued /; the last has
nothing left. Yes, as it is love that
makes the world 90 round, according
to the old song, so it is happiness
that keeps the fire lighted on the
hearth and, in conclusion, we re-
peat, that the wives are so few as not
to be worth consideration in a general
statement who would not rather have
iIusory and sentimental delights as
such loving deeds and intentions, as
tender words in private and respectful
consideration in public, than all the
tangible and material comforts that
their husbands purses can buy.