The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-11-14
The Rest OF the DeacOn's Greed.


triHe sharply, but furtively, and said
nothing.
"For the men," continued the deacon,
care all the time lecturipg the women
about their spheres, and the husbands are
all the time talking about the duty of
wives and if / were a woman 1 would |
turn the tables on them, and give lee
ture on the sphere of men and the duties |
of husbands"
"Bless me u said Mr.. Geer, soto voce, |
lis it possible that the deacon has been |
married twenty-five years and hasn't |
heard any lectures on the duties of hus.
bands ?"
"H'sh, Thomas" said Mrs. Geer.
"What would your text be ?" said the
parson.
The deacon has side pocket made in
ton of Bagsters Bible. He dove into
this pocket, produced his Bible, opened
1.-THE Bible seemed to open of itself to
the place be wanted think the Bible and
the deacon understand one snother-and
read as follows: Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it.
"Don't you think that husbands gen.
orally lONo lutlI WIVES bdlu tut pdTbOus
81 don't think they give themselves to
their wives to any great extent" replied
the deacon.
"What do you mean p said the parson.
/" / mean," said the deacon, "that Christ
laid down his life for his church. He
counted his own happiness as nothing.
He endured poverty, dishonor, strife, So
cial ostracism, everything that could be
heaped upon him, for the sake of the love
he bore to his church. He became its
burden bearer. He suffered willingly and
cheerfully for its errors, faults, and sins.
He lived for it and he died for it and he
made no boast of his sacrifices. He re-
joiced in this service and self-sacrifice of
love; and this is the reason why the
church reverences him, and loves him,
and easily and joyfully submits to him.
1t knows that it is submitting to no self
ish will. 1t is love submitting to love !;
and that is always easy. I should like to
see the husband that does that-that even
attempts to do it,
Here the deacon's wife, who was sit
ting just beside, but little behind him,
pointed silently to the deacon. But he
was quite unconscious of the pantomine.
"In courtship that is just what we do.
We live for the girl we are counting
Her happiness is our happiness. To do
more for her than the other fellow is the
supremest achievement of our life. We
give her no chance to make demands, for
her wish is our law and scarcely chance
to express a a wish, for we anticipate it.
I should like to see the husband that
keeps up counting his wife after he is
married.
Here the deacon's wife repeated her
pantomime. But the unconscious deacon
continued without pause:
"After the wedding day change be-
gins. We expect our wives to live for us.
We expect our wish to be her law. We
expect her to anticipate our desires. We
expect to find her happiness in our enjoy
ment. She is our wife, and if, finally,
not having her interests looked after by
her husband, nor her rights defended by
her protector, she, at last, grows self-asser-
tive, and ressts the tyranny of our sell
fishness, we grow eloquent about the
sphere of women and the duties of wives.
declare am ashamed of myself some.
times, when l re fl ct that am a man."
The deacon's wife shook her head at
him gently, behind his back, in kind of
silent protest.
g saw sight the other day." con.
tinued the deacon, who was evidently full
of his subject, "that filled me with wrath
and have been nursing it ever since.
was on my way to the station in the city
just before me was a German woman
carrying large box on her back, and
bending under the load, while the streams
OF prepspriation were running down hel
face. just before her was big hulk of q
fellow, who was, to be sure, carrying the
baby in his arms. AS / passed them he
turned round to her and said something
in German / could not understand it, Of
course but l interpreted it Hurry up |
could have knocked the fellow down
and I've been growing madden about il
ever since. For l 'hink it is what we are
all doing-binding heavy burdens on oul
wives shoulders, leaving them to stagge
under responsibilities that we ought tx
carry and to kill themselves in sacrifices
which we ought never to permit and re
fusing to give up our least indulgence
for their sake. tell you, gentlemen,
and the deacon's eye kindled with un
wonted fire, and he was really eloquent
81 believe in wives submitting to thei
husbands but the husband who does be
lieve that, and then makes her submission
means of gratifying himself is a-a-s
three-tailed Bashaw."
"What is three-tailed Bashaw ?" sale
Mr.. Hardcap.
A three-tailed Bashaw, Mr. Hardcap,
replied the deacon, turning his benignan
face toward the questioner, and speaking
with unwonted deliberation, sis a mar
who piles all the household work on to hi
accomplishing wife, and, while he's album
dainty able to hire a servant for her
doesn't do it, and let's her drudge hersel
to death without helper"
"Humph !" grunted Mr.. Hardcap.
is impossible for me to express this grun
by any printers device. 1t was the ex
clamation of pachydermatous ANNA
that had been touched, but net really
wounded. by welldirected riAe-ball.
But" said the parson, "there ar
surely exceptional cases. Men of cultur
do not act in this way"
"Don't they ?" said the deacon. ether
was poor Jane Welsh Carlyle"
"Order order - said Mr.. Geer, rap
ping on the table. "No one is permitte,
to mention Jane Welsh Carlyle for on
year after the appearance of Mrs. Oil
plants last paper, on penalty of expu