The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-31
How to Treat n shrewish wife.

Many misfortuncs may bcfal u man dur
ing this earthly pilgrimage. Disease may
afllict him; disaster may attend his pro-
jccts; ingratitudc may hc the only reward
he gets for his bcneiiconcc; and death may
snatch away the objects of his affection.
But there is nothing 50 hard To bear as the
tongue Of shrcwish wife. If the writer Of
the following letter correctly states his case,
he is one of the men who are called on to en-
durc this last great trial:
"sfa I am man 20 years old. have q wife and two
children, havca qmrk. passionate temper confined
TO small in door business that every unhealthy. and
that barely supports Us I have hv.d very unhappy
most o tie time For the last seven or cieht years II
want to go out day part 81 day Tor alton
Tor the good nj my health my wife will not cons nt and
n 70 without her kno wing IT, she Will hc very angry
and will not sp'ak pleasant To somotncs for weeks
she don't need any rocr.atun--am only lazy She
hates all my relations and will not visit them and don't
care to have them come To Try hard To please
her but cannot She all the time pointing cut that
she says are somuc better than aud that are 80 good
TO their wives She call. dcccitu. and 1t spend any
money Tor mysslf, she thinks Is wasted
SUPPOSE this does not come under the head Of love
affair hut If YOU could give me NTH advice " counsel
through the columns cv,rapprcciatrd uur.r It
would be thankfully r,csNtdby d" = Il. ~
We compassionate our hen pccled friend
deeply. but icur that wccan dolittlc toallcvi-
ate the SORROWS of his lot. Il is hard indeed
lbl u nun WIN ndS III lllilliulNN Ol Iilltl.
and has TO work closely at an unhealthy
business. to hc obliged To stand the nngging
Of sharp-tongucd wife, who bcgrudgos
him all recreation when lac needs diversion
50 much.
The first thing for him to do Is TO learn to
curb his quick temper. II woman who
scolds at you finds that you get angry on
account Of it, she feels encouraged to 20
ON. for she sees that her darts have
hit the mark IT, on the contrary, you pre-
serve the utmost tranquility under the
anliction and occupy your thoughts with
subjects far removed from those about
which she is scoldiug. you may exa-pcrate
her, hut you really give her no encourage
mCnt To continue.
Also examine yourself and your conduct
to see II you dc not give her some ju-tiica-
tion for her severe treatment of you. You
may fail 10 show her those delicate attcn-
tiOns so much desired and SO highly priced
by women. You may be obtuse, forectful,
awkward slow Of perception. and inscnsiblc
to her good points, for OF course, she has
them Perhaps she discovers that when
you go ont you make straight line for the
tavern, 10 drown your sorrows in drink,
when she well knows that the family has
hardly money enough to make both ends
meet. Perhaps She thinks that her lot il as
hard as yours; that she needs recreation
just IA much a you. and that you are
selfish 10 go out alone hunting for pleasure,
II il true the very best sort OF wife derives
enjoyment from the mere fact that her
husband is happy, but if You have not such
wife. you must put up with what you
The Germans. who manage to get u good
deal more of pleasure out of small incomes
than others of our citizens, take their wives
and children with them when they go out To
drink lager beer Of an evening; and the
plan seems To work well. The men return
To their homes sobcrer. and the women are
in better frame Of mind than IL they had
been left TO NOPE the hours away in dingy
apartments.
Another thing you must bear in mind
What Is called circumstances. for which in
the old days in England they used 10 duck
women. is oftcntimcs nothing more than
the manifesto tion Of an hystcrlcal tompera-
mcnt- really the symptom Of a nervous dis
order. II that il the case. a physicians scr-
! vices may wisely be- called in; though the
subjects OF the unhappy malady usually
refuse to believe themselves in need of
medical advice. But men can at least give
them their compassion. for they make them
selves just about as miserable as they do
other pcorlc. Perhaps the best way to pro-
! coed Is To- pay no attention 70 what they say /;
and ii the Noise gets too great. To put ON
your hat and take stroll TO calm your
nerves and prepare yourself tn stand with
cquaniuity the blast that will greet your
return 1t Is utterly useless Ia try argu-
mout, and both unnanly and futile to re-
turn reNiling Tor rcyiliug. That is only to
add fuel 10 the flame.
We advise you to keep patient; 10 study In
all things to please your VIE; to get this
article before her by some clever strategy;
and if your household does not grow more
peaceful, to devote yourself To the attentive
reading of the book of jon. There IS moth
ing in literature, sacred or proiane, finer
than the history of the trials II the man Of
u. 1t can be- read and read again a great
many times with both interest and profit.