West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1883-07-04
Sunshiny Husbands.
BY MRS. MARGARET E. sANGsTER.

Il. X,
We read so much about the obi
cation laid upon the wife to be a
perpetual sunbeam in the house,
that a word to husbands on the
same topic may not be amiss.
A cheerful atmosphere is i'm
portant to happy home life. 1t is
very hard for children to be good,
when they are exposed to an in
cessant hailstorm of fault-fnding
from their parents. 1t is very
difficult for a wife to maintain a
calm and charm:ngly sweet de-
lneanor when her husband is crit
ical, cynical or sullen, and takes all
her tender efforts with Indifferent
appreciation.
| know full we'll the air of polite
amazement, or amiable incredulity
with which men receive the state
meat of woman's opinion that, in
the home partnership, wife and not
husband pulls the laboring oar.
Still it is true that, let mans
business be ever so engrossing, ever
SO wearisome, ever so laborious, the
mere fact that he goes to it in the
morning, and returns from it at
night, sets him above his wife in
ease and comfort. For him, the
slavery of routine has its intervals
and its breaks. He gets breath
OF the world outside; he has change
OF scene daily; he sees people and
hears them talk, and his home is
distinctly his refuge and shelter
Let a wife and mother love her
home and her children with the
most absolute, answering devo-
ton, and serve them with the most
unselfsh fidelity, there are, newer
theless, times when she is very
weary.
She knows, better than anyone
else, the steps and the stitches, the
same things done over and over, and
the pettiness of the trials that come
to nursery and kitchen. They are
SO insignificant that she is ashamed
to talk about them, and | fear she
sometimes forgets to tell her Savior
| how hard they press her, and so
bearing the cross alone, its weight
becomes crushing.
A sunshiny husband makes q
| merry, beaut iful home, worth hav-
ing, worth wopk ing in and FOR. II
the man is breezy, CHEEKY, con
! Gderate and sympathetic, his wife
| san gs IN her heart over her puddings
| and her menaing basket, counts
the hours till be returns at night
| and renews her youth in the Sc
| curity she feels,of his appreciation
| and admiration.
| You may think it weak or chDld-
| ish if you please, but it is the
| admired wife, the wife who hears
words of praise and receives smales
of Communications, who is capabl e
discreet, and executive. / have seen
| a timid, meek ,sefc -distrusting little
| body fairly bloom into strong, self
reliant womanheod, under the
tonic and the cordial of companion
shipEith husbaa1 who really weG
out of his way to find occasions for
showing her how fnlly he trusted
her judgment, andhow tenderly he
deferred to her opimson.
In home life there should be ne
lar, no striving for place, no insist
ing on perogatives, .or division OF
interests. The husband and wife
are each che complement of the
other. And it is just as much his
duty to be cheerful, as it is hers to
be patient his right.a bring Joy
| into the door, as it is hefs to sweep
and garnish the pleasant interior.
A family where the daily walk OF
the father makes life FESTIVAL Is
filled with son ething Ii keas heaven
ly benediction Coogregaa0anaIast.
Christ comes with blessing IN
each hand, forgi ia ONE and
L. and