The Portland daily press., 1878-11-02
From Lippincotts Magazine for October. I
Husbands and Wives.


Mrs. Markham. Take my advice, Ethel
and never marry. While we were engaged
Philip never thought of seeing beauty in any
girl except myself; now he is in state of
enthusiasm bordering upon frenzy over every
new face he comes across.
Beverly. He knows, suppose, that you
do not mind it-that you are the more fiat
tered the more he admires the entire sex.
MIRA. M. OF course 1 do not mind it: the
only thing is
Philip Markham. Well, what is the only
thing, Jenny9
Beverly. You remember, Cousin Jenny, L
was talking the other day about the perver-
sty of your sex. You either cannot or will
not understand your husbands: they hide
nothing, extenuate nothing, yet you fail to
grasp the idea of that side of their minds
which is at once the best and the most dan
gerous. If Philip did not regard all women
with interest, and some with particular inter-
est, he could not have had it in his head to
De nall so much in love with you as he is.
Philip. That is true, Frank-so true that
We won't ask how you found it out.
Ethel Alden. You men always stand by
each other so faithfully! Now have OBJ
served these traits among my married friends:
the husbands invariably give half sigh at
the sight of beautiful girl, implying, "Oh,
wives, on meeting man who attracts ad-
miration, as uniformly believe that, let him
be ever SO handsome, clever or fascinating, he
cannot compare with their own particular
John.
Mrs. M. That is true, Ethel; and it shows
how much more faithful women are than
men.
Philip. Now, Jenny, that is nonsense.
Beverly. On, l dare say there is soupeon
of truth in it. But think / could give wives
recipe for keeping their husbands affec-
tions, which, unpopular although it might be,
would yet prove salutary.
Ethel. Give it by all means, Mr.. Beverly.
Anything so beneficial would naturally be
popular.
gest pilgrimage, fast, or scourgng even,
the fair sex would undertake the remedy at
once, for they like some ecat about their
smallest doings. All want them to do is to
correct their little spirit of selfwill and culti-
vate good taste.
Mrs. M. Women self.willed! Most women
have no will at all.
Beverly. I never saw woman yet who
had not will and l am the last person to
deny their right to it, What I suggest is
that they suit it to-the requirements Of their
lives, not let it torment them by going all
astray, by delighting in its errors and persist
ing in its chimeras.
Ethel. Igrant the first, that we have wills,
but do insist that we have good taste.
Beverly. Now, then, we will consider this
abstract question. l maintain that, consider
ing their interest in women and their natural
zest in pursuing them, men show more right
up-and down faithfulness and devotion to
their obligations than women do.
Philip. Hear! hear
Ethel. Oh, if you start upon the hypothe.
sis that man is being capable Of
Beverly. Not at all. You must, however,
grant at the outset that man is the free agent
in society-has always been since the begin
ming of civilization. He has made all the
laws, enjoying complete immunity to suit the
requirements of his wishes and needs, yet
everybody knows that, in spite of the clamor
of the woman-suffragists, all the laws favor
women. The basis Of every system of civil
lied society proves that men are inclined to
hold themselves strictly to their obligations
toward your sex. There is no culprit toward
whom jury of men are less leRient than one
who has manifested any light sense of his
domestic duties. Is not that true?
Mrs. M. suppose it is. But it ought to
be SO, of course. 1t is impossible for men to
be good enough to their wives.
Beverly. Just so. But what I clairn, sc .s'
that while every man holds. at lest theoreti-
caiiy, to the very highest ideal of mans
duties in the marriage relation, very few
wives render their husbands existence so
altogether happy that these obligations be-
come not only the habit but the joy of their
lives. Don't interrupt me Jenny.) Not but
that the lovely creatures are willing-nay,
anxious--to do so, but just at the point Of
accomplishment their little failings of blind
ness and perversity come in. They are de-
termined to retain their husbands complete
allegiance, but their devices and contrivances
are mostly dull blunders. Considering what
frail tie, based on illusion, binds the sexes,
my wonder as bachelor is that men are
as rule, as faithful to their wives as they
seem to be.
Philip. We have been friends, Frank. for
Is years, and married your first cousin, but
Notwithstanding all that, Jenny will insist
that give up your acquaintance.
Mrs. M. No Philip, am not angry with
Frank; only feel sorry for him.
Ethel. So do /. Yet am curious to know
Jenny, what he means by saying that wives
devices to keep their husbands love are most
ly dull blunders.
Beverly. am waiting for chance to de-
velop my views. | know plenty of men who
are absolutely loyal to their wives-faithful to
the smallest obligation of married life-yet
who regard their marriage as the great folly
of their youth. Now. woman's intutions
ought to be, it seems to me, so clear and un.
errlng that she should never. permit her face
and voice to become unpleasant to her hus-
band. And this effect generally comes from
the absurdity of her attempts to hold him to
her side; they have ended by repelling him.
Now, If your sex would only remember that
we are horribly fastidious, and that it is nee
essary to behave with good taste
Mrs. M. Oh! oh! Monster
Ethel. Barbarian!
Beverly. l will give you an instance, In
our trip up and down the Saguenay last sum.
mer you both remember the bridal couple on
board the boat?
Philip. remember the bride, a charming
creature. The young fellow could not COM
pare with Ter in any qualities of cleverness or
good looks.
Beverly. Perhaps not. At the same time,
he was her superior in some nice points.
Pretty as the bride was, and enviable as we
considered his good luck, one could not help
wincing for him when this delicate, refined
little creature "showed Off before crowd of
Indifferent passengers. At table she put her
face SO close to his, and when they stood or
sat together on deck she hung about him in
such a way that as I noticed over and over,it
brought the blood to his cheeks and made
him ashamed to raise his eyes. Depend upon
it, that young man, in spite of his infatua-
tion, said within himself a hundred times on
his wedding journey, "Poor, innocent little
darling! she has no idea of the attention she
attracts to usP'
Mrs. M. eagerly Yes, she did know all
ABOUT IL. one was so proud OF Deng newly
married, that If every one with whom she
came in contact would not allude to her po-
sition, she made point of confiding the fact
that she was bride OF week, and actually
wore me out with pouring her raptures into
my ears.
Ethel. Jenny, you should not have told
that 1t will confirm Mr.. Beverly in his Gym
icism regarding her want of taste.
Philip. l remember the morning the
young fellow and 1 walked into Chicoutimi
together that said to him, 'Lately married,