The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-11-12
The Modern Husband.

what harsh and rough. Contact with
the world rubs the poetic bloom from
his mind, and dries his sentiments, and
units his tongue forthc utterancc Of the
sweet and dainty nothings which occupy
so large Il place in the vocabulary of
woman's expectations. He is decidedly
matter-Of-fact. He takes n great deal
for granted, and wants his wife to as
sumo something, and not look for vain
repetitionS when words are worth so
much. The wear and tear Oflifc tell on
his nerves and >cn>ibilitieS, and takethe
sentiment, the poetry, the gallantry, out
of him, insenSibly but cffectually, and
he appears Indifferent without knowing
it. He is absorbed in his business plans
and ambitions, and cannot pretend to
the least enthusiasm in his wife'S ruflles
and laces and lawns, and his enjoyment
Of her new set OF Jewels is materially
abated by the prospective raid upon his
bank account. In modern life the diff
fcrcntiation> are vastly greater than in
the old days, when husband and wife
worked together behind the counter and
on the farm, each understanding the Ia
Dor of the other, and joining us Il true
yokc-fcllow in drawing the mutual load.
The Modern Husband earns for his wife
to spend: and he earns in methods and
under conditions she does not under
stand, 81 that her advice is worthless,
and even her sympathy cNhales often
times without his notice. The new con-
ditiomS under which we live and labor
affect domestic habits and inScn>ibly rc-
act on disposition and character. Once
husband and wife spent more of their
time together; now they spend most of
it apart, and cannot follow each other
through the transactions of Il day Y e
in imagination; they are less mutually
dependent than when each was all the
world to the other, and their lives were
one.
The Modern Husband is not 50 Iowa
bic nor attractive in some respects -
he might be, and a. his wife would like
to have him. He has not kept his first
estate. He Is It harder, drirr, more
worldly creature than she took him to
be. He thinks o of soup than of
sentiment. and digestion occupies q
larger place than music or society in
the economy of his life. But, in spite of
all attachments. he is essentially true
and prcvailin%ly kind. He thinks more
than hr>ayS, and feels deeply oftcntimes
when he says nothing. He puts his
love into labor. and expresses his conf
dencc and tenderness in wise provisions
and unScntimental bank notes. He
prays less than his grandfather, but
pays better and is less of atyrant. The
word "obey' has dropped out of his
spoken dialect. If he gives less attcn-
ton, he cXact> less service in return.
The wife in the old days had a hard lot.
She was the silent member of the mat
rimUnial firm. Most of her nature was
suppressed. She was under bonds.
Her lord commanded. and She obrycd
in fear and trembling oftcntimcs. In
most eases she wrought more like Il
slave than 4 wife, and Is no slave
would. In 4 cemetery not Il thousand
from here stand six black stones
4 row, marking the graves of Il hus-
band and his tivc wives. eyes," said
oar Guide, nca Smith had five wives.
,JU ;t.rc~. y children, the f~0rchaml-
.tic>t man in town. and had 4 famous
funeral" An Intelligent ~coroucr'S jury
discover Il visible connection be
tween the aches of the women and the
acres of the farm. and attribute their
mortality To something other than the
mysterious diSpcm>ation of Providence.
The Modern Husband does q wear his
wife Out II bUtter-making or child-bcar-
nc. She neither wcayC> nor spins, and
he tailor makes his coat if he does not
sew ON his shirt-buttonS. He treats his
wife more a. 4 companion than Il
drudge. He takes pride in her wit, en-
Joys her singing, admircS her taste, and
: pleased with the society she draws
around their firc>ide. The old ardor *
not utterly gone, though it no longer
into EXPLANATIONS of cndcarment,
md it only needs the breath of real
occasion to blow what seemed the dead
of affection into Il brilliant
lame. Scarcely 4 day passes that we
If devotion and Self-sacriiice on the part