Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-09-16
THE Mnhel Husband

A clever French woman, writing to the
husband of a friend, piquantly puts the
question thus:
"You, sir, have supposed yourself a
model husband, and in many respects you
were one. Nevertheless, you have one
point in common with the great mass of
your brethren, namely, to form very pre-
else idea of the duties which marriage i'm
poses on your wife and very vague idea
of those which it imposes on Yourself
Marriage is not monologue, but dia-
logue. You have studied only one part, and
that not your own part. You are too sincere,
sir, not to admit that your conception of
marriage was simply this: To add TO the
customary satisfactions of your life an
agreeable accessory in the person of a
worthy and graceful women who would
adorn your house, would perpetuate your
name, and would bring you, in short, with
out much trouble an increase of comfort
and re5pectability. You, like all your sex,
would like to find in Paris or in the prov
inces or abroad that marvellous woman
who would make all the sacrifices and re-
quire none of you. You have not found
her, and no one will find her, for this rare
bird that you all dream of-the family
woman-implies bird rarer yet-the
family man. What do | mean by family
MANI II is not man who works tapes
try sitting at the feet of his wife, who ar
ranged the bill of fare, writes the invita-
tons, places the lamps and winds up the
clocks We call family man him with
whom we read the same book see the
same painting or landscape; him who
makes for US an intellectual life besides
his own, or rather within his own: him
who associates us, if not with all his occu-
pations, at least with all his leisure and
who consequently cherishes no taste, no
pleasure no interest of heart or mind
which he is not willing or able to share
with us; the man. in short, who, when he
marries, frankly devotes all he has to the
interests of the family with out any selfish
reserve. Be such man, and you will at
tach your wife to the home by attaching
yourself to it. Your home will be not
only in your house; you will carry it with
you like domestic altar. 1t will be
wherever you shall be with her; it will be
in your heart and in yours wherever you
mingle in affectionate intimacy your
thoughts, your impressions, your enthusi-
asms, your beliefs, your charities
1tIldluly. sir marriage Is an tHttL-
prise which promises inestim BILE benefits;
but there is bill of expenses. Have You
read it? | fear not, since if you would
have seen then that large part of the
education of the wife should come from
her husbands; that it is for him to model
to his wish, to shape according to his pref
erence, to raise TO the dignity of his
sentiment and thoughts, this young heart
and mind which seek only to please him;
you would have seen there that it is both
prudent and agreeable to add to the bonds
which unite a wife to her husband those
which unite pspil TO his teacher his
guide, his friend.
81 hear the objection you make. This
young heart, this youthful mind, will not
consent to your arrangements. They
will oppose to you their futile education,
their love of dissipation, of coquetry; in
short, the incurable frivolity of women.
| do not believe in the incurable frivolity
of women, neither do you, for you often
see as | do, their friyolity transforming
itself under the influence of affection. of
pity, of faith, of misfortune into austere
devotedness and firm self-abnegation.
Why may itnot yield to the sweet authori-
ty of first love, so powerful over the heart
of women that it reappears through every
thing as she lives through outrage,
resentment, vengeance, remorse.
mo! avow it, you have hoped that this
child whom you married would become at
once an accomplished woman merely
though the influence of the sacrament of
marriage. Well, sir, this miracle was one
which you yourself should have undertak-
en- to perform. Consider whether you can
not yet accomplish it."