Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1880-12-16
MARITAL.
Does Man Give Everything aud Wo-
man Nothing?

I'm marriage, man gives everything
and woman nothing,'I heard gen
tleInan say the other day. "Of course
1t is an object to woman To marry, and
none to man"
No, I'm not "stTOng-minded." nor
DESTROYS of proving that women suffer
wrongs which can only be righted by
their Possession of the ballot-box: but
When l hear u speech like that above
recorded, | admit that il makes my
blood boil Nan gives everything.
does he? Certainly he aiyes half Of
all his worldly possessions, If he choos
es, and provides by labor of some kind.
generally the raw material of house
hold comfort; but woman. 50 to speak.
cooks that raw material for him. ne
hircS the house. or btiff- --ss.:s s.: she makes
or the house home. When she mar
ries, If she have one particle of com
nonsense. she knows that there lies
before her, a path where duties are
scattered thickly-duties that may be
sweet, for loves sake, but which of
themselves are so hard that a man
would neceT take them up.
1t is not her purse, and ms much of
her time as she chooses, that the wife
gives; that is the husbands portion of
the marriage contract. she lays upon
the altar her person, her liberty, and all
the hours of all her days, to be used for
him and for his offspring thenceforth
while they shall live. Yes, and she
knows this. If you who hold your
brides hand at the altar, holding there
true, good YOman's hand, believe that
what you can give her to eat and to
drink and to wear, are her temptations
to wifehood, you are mistaken. The
fortune hunter feminine is of the same
brand as the fOrtune-hunter masculine,
and is as rare. To win her bread de-
Gently is now possible to any girl or wo-
man, and it is only one made of the stuff
that degenerates into a Formosa or An
onym who marries merely to have her
bills paid for her. This creature who
gives you nothing, TO whom y0u give
all, as you vainly imagine. takes the
great burden of wifehood upon her
shoulders, because she IoCeS you-be-
cause to minister to your comfort in
health, to be your nurse in illness, to
share your joy or sorrow, your prosper
ity or adversely, have become the cheer
ful pleasures of her lffe..
You do not know perhaps, that the
game of housekeeping is as intricate ms
the game of chess, and that it is one
that must never be lost; that this reg
lar provision of your meals, this beaIl-
tiful arrangement of your household
belongings, this making of the home, is
n work OF care and thought and time,
t,lat III orwell, the wife mryt sapcTy 5sc ;
that an hours neglect wOild be mani
fest for whole day; thai to make all
comfortable for you, your wife must
abandonl her relaxations. her friend
ships, the doice far niente of her life
almost altogether; that she, unless ex-
cepti0nally well off. may never take n
morning walk, or read favorite book,
touch her piano, her pen or her pencil,
until she is sure that all the household
tasks are accomplished. How often
that moment arrives let women decide.
1t is hard to come to the end of circle
lido not mean TO represent wife as be
ing i'm constant state OF Mretchedness
and toll. Of course, but that she accom-
plishes her task cheerfully. and feels
well repaid by loving word and low
ing kiss, for aching limbs. and weary
hands, and intellectual deprivations
does not make this gift OF her time less
valuable
DO you suppose also, my good man.
that woman sacrifices no personal priv
ileges on her wedding-day? You are
very much mistaken if YOU think So.
No matter how you may turn out
and that there is no guessing ut that
bef0rehand-yOu must be the only man
In the world to her thencoforth. She
must have no more of those charming.
halt-sentimental friendships, which are
50 dear TO feminine hearts Instead of
trying to please rs formerly, she must
bear about with her the dignity of mat
ronhood, and this is hard lesson for
some girls to learn.
Single, she may always feel entitled
to an escort, visit places of amuse-
ment, dance. walk, enjoy herself social.
~ with any respectable single gentle
man Married, according to my code
OF manners and morals. which. if Sc
we're. is safe. she has no such privilege
If her husband does not choose tC
take her to see or hear anything she
rhhHstAStay at home. And here tn,
AInerican fails in his duty as a genera
thing. The Frenchman would b,
ashamed to visit the theatre without
Madame. The German takes his bet
ter half under his arm. even when ht
goes to abeer garden. An Englishmar
considers 1t respectable to stake his wife
along wheneverhe enjoys himself: but
the american leaves his wife to enjo,
her ''distaff and her babe" while h,
visits the theater, opera and ball room
with some masculine friend. and suf
fers no compunctions of conscience il
consequence. All women know this
and put it To yourselves, gentlemen
whether, if it were in our power to sa,
to you, after marriage, "You shall be
hermit, IL choose; you shall see Meth
er pictures nor plays, nor hear goo,
music, unless 1 choose to take you.
you would fancy that you had run N,
risk and made no sacrifice.
Then, leaving all these other littl
things, there are those other littl
things. the children. The father often
est longs for sons and daughters. an.
each certainly costs him certain sun
of money; but it is.the mother who. a
the peril of her life, in such agony An,
terror that man can not comprehend
brings then into this world, who give
them, during their infancy. all he
days and nights. and makes them h