Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-02-06
The Women at Home.

N"t sSe.zA ------>--<--
In reading and talking over the cir
cumstances Of the countless embezzle.
ments and def1cation6 Shat OF late
years have dragged into the dust names
once and for long time honorable, few
people & i've much thought to tho part
that WON en- have to bear in the matter.
Much denunciation on the one hand,
much excuse and sympathy on the 9th.
er, are lavished on the criminal, but
little OF either do the women of his
family recsive. In the eye Of the gen.
eral public they are as much like ciphers
as if they did not exist.
It is often quite possible, to take one
view OF the case, that these women, sit
ting happily IN their homes when the
shock comes, have contributed causes
to the catastrophe, and 80 deserve CEN
sure, and it is quite as possible that
they have not done so. In either case
they merit as much pity and commiser-
alton as the positively shining party re-
ceives. Even il they have been guilty
Of extravaganza that has goaded the
criminal operation to its end, their con-
scious punishment is in excess of their
conscious error. The number of women
is small that continue in extravaganza
after circumstances forbidding any such
conduct on their part have been ex-
planned to them, or have merely been
stated to them without any effort to
convince their reason. If q man keeps
his business affairs to himself, never
condescends to tell his wife how things
stand with him in the counting-ro
lets her go on with the superstition that
everything else is going on as usual,
and with sufficient prosperity, of course
she sees no motive for retrenchment,
and while her husband has every lux.
ury and pleasure, is not going to save
and scrimp and make herself and the
household uncomfortable. If, on the
contrary, having been told of the vital
necessity Of economy, she still persists
in:the qualification Of every wish, never
pausing to picture to herself the inev-
liable consequences, she has no more
than she deserves when the final crash
comes, and perhaps disgrace with it as
we'll as poverty.
But in the far greater number of in.
stances the women of the family are
ignorant of the true state of the case
concerning the business of the bread
winner, and utterly innocent of assist
ing improperly in bringing about the
disastrous end. What horror and
shame, then, are theirs, and what unut-
terable grief, when suddenly the fatal
bolt falls out of clear sky, and til Q
Being on whom they have been won't to
look as almost faultless, stands clearly
revealed in his cowardice and cupidity,
and they are obliged to know that, in
whatever degree their own affection
still remains, the rest of mankind re-
gard him as a thief Surely their tor
ture and agon y over the ruin of the OBJ
ject of their idolatry, over the discov-
cry of his real character, over its reve-
lation to the world, over his sins and
his suffering, over the degradation of
children and family and good name,
over the approaching restitution, whose
shadow already falls-au this is some
thing beyond expression, and too great
woe for one to do anything but veil the
face in its presence. .I...
In the mean time one dwells and ex-
patiates on the career Of the criminal,
and recounts the incidents of his down
| ward course, one speculates on his SEN
sations, and one thinks hardly at all of
those agonized women at home from
whom the light of the world is shut
out, and whom, if the falling blow has
not crushed, it is only because they
must live for others. The peace of
their home IS destroyed the home it.
self has probably to be surrendered
and abandoned the husband and ia.
ther is within prison walls in misery
and in all the freshness of grief, morti;
| tication, and bitterness, while everys
nerve is throbbing bare to the cruel
touch, must come the exposure that
! work, and contact with the world in
/ order to procure work, bring about.
What, then, is end ured by these wretch
ed women, on whom the thoughtless
ness and folly, to say no word of the
criminal wickedness, of others, have
precipitated all this misery, is seldom
even carelessly considered by the gen.
eral mind. Perhaps if it had been
more dwelt on, the desolation of the
wife, the aching sorrow of the mother,
tie shame of the child, the WEAKNESS
Of the two white hands unused to labor
on which the support of the family
must fall, then the man who brings
about the desolation, the sorrow, and
the WEAKNESS would think twice before
taking the irrevocable step that brings
it all to pass.
| Without doubt that first step toward
crime is taken very frequently with the
desire to give that wife and mother and
those children luxuries beyond what
they at that moment enjoy, to increase
comfort and wealth and pleasure for
them during the rest Of their lives !;
! but one thought of the dark possibili-
ties. with all their horrors, that may
ensue, the result that may come instead
Of the pleasures and Injuries hoped
FLOR, independently of any remembrance
of the sin and crime of the act, might
restrain many plotting defaulter from
plunging into that Styx of false &C.
| counts which flows only around the
place of shadows.-Harper's Bazar.
TEACHER AND. PUPILs.-Bo0ks are
great aids to the wise teacher. Every
mind should be made acquainted as
early as possible with few Of our sim
plest and choicest writer's of English.
A goodly number of charming poets
kolIo,s ,ho,,ll 1,o al nm