The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1888-02-24
a WIPES LETTERS.

y
The idea of woman being treated il
her own home, and by her own husband
as though she were romantic school girl
to be watched by yigilant master, and tc
have her letters intercepted by him, who
may not give them to her al all If it should
best please him not to do so! 1t is an in
snlt to wife TO be so treated, and any
woman OF spirit would resent it.
Yet there are no doubt men in our owr
city even who consider it their prerogatiye
TO open and read their wives letters. but
would raise the roof il their wives should
return the compliment. | have never met
one of this kind and / hope never will.
but am sure such exist.
Such superior lights of husbands lead
us to sennonize little.
What an unequal partnership is matri.
nony after all; both parties make the same
promises at the altar, yet only one is ex-
pected to keep them, and that the weaker
member. Most men seem to think that
their wives should have no opinions.
friends, or interests other than theirs.
Now it is all folly to suppose that because
woman marries she must give up her in
dividuality, her opinions, and her cores
pondence. She still has a mind and a
heart-no, not heart-tbat she gives to
her husband, or is supposed to; and, by
The way, she does not promise him any
thing, while be bestows all his worldly
goods upon her, which, of course, must in
clude his letters. while in reality be takes
hers and keeps his own.
Charles Dudley Warner, in replying to
the question, ftCan man open his wife's
letters ?" said that it would depend upon
what k ind of husband be is / think it
would be nearer right to say It would de-
pend upon what kind OF wife she is
Discretion is the better part of valor, as
many husband would learn if he made so
bold as to open his wife's letters.
There is scarcely a wife who does not
take her husband sufficiently into her CON
fideuce to tell him who her letters are from
and to read them to him, or, perhaps, let
him read them himself; but this is a very
different matter from having them first
opened, read, and passed upon by one
for whom they were not intended OF
course I1any women receive letters that
never reach the eyes OF their life partners,
not because they contain aught that would
not bear the light of day, not because the
wife is afraid or ashamed to show them,
but simply because they contain things
that are none of his affair. How often the
home letters are written only for dangh-
ters' or sisters eyesl How much Of the
family cares can be told her that would be
proudly withheld from son-in-law or
brother-in-law, Then, there are the letters
from dear, intimate girl friends, who pour
out the secrets of their heart npoE paper
for the sympathy and entertainment of
sweet Mrs. Jones, but not for the eyes of
sarcastic Mr.. Jones. A very laugbable
but sensible reason for W lie withholding
her letters from her husband was given by
a contemporary not long since.
She said: These letters contain the con-
fessions Of another soul, the condolences of
another mind, that would be rudely treat
ed if given any sort of publicity. And
while husband and wife are one to each
other. they are two in the eyes of other
people, and it may well happen that a
friend will desire 10 impart something to a
discreet woman which she would not in
trust to the babbIing husband of that
woman"
That's the whole thing in nutshell, So
we see that woman of honor may keep
her correspondence from her ''better half
without in aDy way rejecting diseredit on
herself. As some one has truly said,
'.The charm Of letter is gone IL read
second hand, the aroma escapes when
opened by another Half of the pleasure
is the eager expectancy felt while break
ing the seal Imagine how one must feel
While waiting for her letter to be read
slowly and deliberately and then careless
" or angrily tossed to her. ! should think
she would rather put them in the fire than
read them then. Some women would. -
Baltimore Assricaa.