The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-03-08
The Wife's Work.
Sound Words for Good Many Husbands

How dependent upon his wife man
grows as the years roll on How entire
ly he relies upon her for everything save,
possibly, the mere cost of living-for
companionship, for comfort in af1ic-
ton, for advice in perplexities, for all
of the details of his life-until in time
he becomes as dependent as an infant
He grows selfish, too, in his Deepen
dence, demanding her constant atten-
ton, restlessly wandering about the
house if she is absent, morose and pet
,..la.,+ --.l.- ~~r..rAd of her
| presence.
She it is who sees that his clothes are
in repair and always ready for use, or
ders his meals and has them prepared
in attractive forms, keeps his children
neat and clean, makes or oversees the
making of their apparel. Watch over
him and them lovingly, tenderly and
unwearingly through all their ailments
or sickness, entertains him with pleas
ant converse, reads to him, adorns and
beauties his home, and what is her re-
turn? Food and raiment, too often
sparingly or grudgingly furnished, yet
she is happy if she but receives casual
caress or an occasional smile and kind
word.
Few men seem to realize the constant
drudgery and the incessant vexations un-
der which wife untiringly ard uncom-
plainingly performs her daily household
duties, not perhaps from lack of kind
feeling, but from objectionable want of
sympathy and consideration. Some
men never dream of the hourly irrita-
tons and annoyances to which their
wives are subjected; they are so en-
crossed in the mad struggle for wealth,
so absorbed in their own pleasure, they
lose sight of such minor matters as home
affairs that claim all of woman's at
tention, seeming to think that wife
should be happy and contented if her
purse be kept moderately well supplied.
How little such men know of true wo-
manhood or of their duties and obliga-
tons to their wives! Yet they would
feel outraged if classed with selfish, un-
kind or inconsiderate husbands.
A man who cannot appreciate, and in
some measure reciprocate his wife's low
ing sacrifices and unselfsh devotion, is,
in my opinion, no man. He should be
more loving, more scrupulously polite
to his wife, more tenderly considerate
of her, as such, than when she was only
his sweetheart, for sweetheart is still
her own mistress and holds the right to
refuse his attentions, whilst wife is, in
this regard, wholly in his power, and
If a wife makes request or ner nus
band and he cheerfully replies: "Cer-
tianly, my dear, with pleasure )" the
kind words and gentle manner pene-
trate her heart and are treasured there,
but if he harshly answered: 81 sup
pose must, but you re forever wanting
Something" her heart grieves and hu
inflated, shrinks within itself, hearing
an ugly wound that time will scarcely
heal.
True politeness, ever thoughtful of
others, never willingly wounds, and no
one has SO high claim upon mans
politenesS and consideration as his wife
She may have, doubtless has faults, but
they are ofthe head, not ofthe heart, and
when her love, devotion and self-sacri-
flee are placed in the scales how large
ly they outweigh these little faults!
Kind words and loving attentions
may seem small things, but they sink
into woman's heart and rivet her af-
fections. Love is woman's life; she
uuI ueprreru vi II Tvrr1itiill= .unpn il.
Herlove once given is for always, unlesslt
be crushed by coarseness and brutality
and there are brutes who call themselves
men