The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-06-24
AN EIGHT-HOUR WIFE.

I
and listens to her with Difference under
said to him recently that she proposed
to adopt the eight-hour doctrine in the
management of her domestic affairs, he
merely smiled in a slow and vague way
and waited for her to speak further. q
have been thinking about the matter, y
she continued, "and I see no reason why
the advantages of such a reform should
| be limited to the shops and factories. IL
may be only woman's whim, but it
seems to me that the plan will work
| quite as well in household industry. AT
any rate, 1 am going to try it. lam an
| eiGht-hour woman, Richard dear, and
after to-day this will be an eight-hour
house"
Il had not considered the subject in
that light" MIR. Wellington observed,
with an air of surprise and confusion.
Il dare say you haven't" his wife re-
turned, "but you must be able to see at
a glance that no one kind of labor has
any right to ask special privileges in such
a case. 1t is absurd, Richard dear, don't
you know, to say that there should be
days of different lengths for different
classes of people. If the butcher, the
baker and the candlestick-maker can do
sufficient work in eight hours, so can the
housekeeper and the assistants-and of
course, with more leisure, they can give
more attention to books, music, painting
and other forms of culture, and thus
make themselves better and happier
without neglecting their practical duties. !"
"But are you sure" Mr.. Wellington
ventured to ask, "that household work is
of a nature which can be adapted to ar
bitrary conditions of time and season? 1t
occurs to me that have often heard you
say a woman's work is never done; and
l must say l don't see how you are going
to shorten it by trying to dispose of it in
eight hours instead of ten or twelve"
"That is sophistry," Mrs. Wellington
promptly answered, "as you would know
if you had studied this eight-hOur prob
lem in a careful and unprejudiced man.
ner. The statistics show, Richard dear,
that in all the industries where the
hours of labor have been reduced the
production has been increased, which
proves that it is a mistake to suppose
that the longer a person labors the more
he accomplishes.
ChaOdDIO0AJg 4hAos bOAA OOiA-
tinued, in earnest tones, "the time will
come when the triumphs of inventive
genius viii practically absolve us from
the necessity of labor of any sort; but we
must approach that halcyon state by de-
grees, and logically. Patience and logic,
Richard dear, are the two great secrets
of progress in this world"
This may or may not have seemed con-
elusive to Mr.. Wellington, but at least it
silenced him; and the discussion was not
renewed until the next morning, when
he discovered that he must wait an hour
later than usual for his breakfast. 1t
would not do, Mrs. Wellington explained,
to have the days labor begun too early
under the eight-hour system or it would
end too soon-a proposition which Mr..
Wellington had to confess was too simple
for argument, ana yet it embarrassed and
provoked him. OF course he could see
that to have breakfast at o'clock, as
had been his habit, and luncheon at 10,
would cause his dinner to be served
before 8, instead of being delayed until
6. Indeed, as it was, he would be re-
quired to dine between 4 and 3, and that
did not suit him at all. I'm sorry," Mrs.
Wellington remarked, "but I'm sure you
will soon get used to it. These things
are matters of habit only, and we can
afford to change our habits i'll as import
ant respect as that of times of eating
when we knew that more leisure is to be
gained thereby, and greater opportuni-
ties of culture and enjoyment"
He did not get used to it, however.
The theory, as presented by his capable
and excellent wife, was reasonable and |
beautiful enough, but somehow it did |
not operate satisfactorily. He was always |
sure of his breakfast-a4d that was |
about all. Luncheon was ready for him |
at the appointed time, but if he hap |
pened to be fifteen minutes late, he found /
the table cleared, and Mrs. We'll !
lington ready with a statement to |
the effect that in an eight-hour |
house promptness was impera- |
tive, and no allowance could be made
for accidents. 1t was still worse at din
ner. He tried his best to reach the house |
in time, but his business was so apt to
hold him in spite of his endeayors that
he failed very much oftener than he sue
ceeded. Time and again be arrived just
on the stroke of the eighth hour, only to
without his dinner than for the servants
to be asked to forego any part of their
liberty and their chance of mental inn
provement. Even if they were willing
to remain and wait upon him, for extra
pay, Mrs. Wellington would not permit
them to do so. "They are superficial
creatures, she would say, "and do not
realize that consistency is the soul of |
logic and one of the first of virtues.
They must not for any reason be de-
Srived of so much as a minute of the
leisure which the eight-hour system in
sures them for the purpose of study and
reflection in this regard. And besides, if
this is to be an eight-hour house, the in
siduous notion Of compromise must not
be allowed to come into it. You can get
dinner at the restaurant, Richard dear.
1t is inconvenient, know, but you can't
expect me to be weak and silly where
question of principle is at stake"
And so it came to pass that Mr.. Wei
ington ate most of his meals away from
home. There appeared to be 10 way to
avoid this alternative unless he should
quit business and give himself up entirely
TO the task of adjusting his life to the
|
his wife-Sfrs. wellington was not a
woman to be blamed for anything; but
he did wonder at times if she was not
simply mistaken, and if she would not
have cause 70 regret her singular expert
nent.
1t seemed as if the whole internal
of the house had been upset and
-eversed. A spirit of irony permeated
he establishment, The shortening
IF the hours of labor appeared to have
the opportunities for things
o get mixed and to go crooked. That is
% say, it so struck Mr.. Wellington. He
could not possibly accustom himself to
.he situation. He thought about it,
lreamed about it, and in a mild, but
iefnite form, swore about it. shy wife
S treasure, lac would soliloquize; %but
she is a woman, alsoi and say what you
will about 'em, the best Of women have
heir drawbacks. If it isn't too much OF
,,,a 4Iiorr itsS too LITTLE of another Mrs