The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-03-14
Thoughts for Husbands.

very blame. worthy IDdlherence TO the
cares and labors Of their wives. By men,
perhaps generally, woman's work is
thought to be Of but small consequence,
because it requires less muscular strength,
and subjects them to less exposure than
their own. They do not consider that
they have lesa physical strength, with
which to perform it, or that worriment to
the mind is more exhausting than hard
work to the body. Indeed, the severity
of house duties is not the worst part of
her service, thought not unfrequently the
husband would find that the days work
which his wife performs would tax his
own energies, and be quite as exhausting,
even to him, as his own.
How many wife drags through the
weary days, doing all her work herself,
besides taking care of several children,
cooking, mending, nursing-all the null.
tiplied and ever worrying duties of the
family upon her hands, until she can
hardly stand or move from one room to
anotherl Herself, perhaps, half.sick, her
children fretful and ill, or her work ever
accumulating and "never done." Should
she not have both sympathy and help
from her husbands
When his days work is over he desires
to enjoy quiet home, warm supper,
aud-a pleasant wife. That supper she
prepares with little strength, with an in.
FAINT in her arms, and a wearied, fretful
child clinging to her dress, because she
has no time to rock them to sleep, and
there is no one to care for them in her
place. Perhaps she is blamed, rather
than helped, because the supper is tardy
or defective and the children are scolded
for crying, when they are more tired than
himself. When the supper is over, he
sits down to rest, or goes out for recrea-
tion, leaving his wife to continue her
weary ..and unending task, though she
has already done harder days work
than he. How grateful would it be to
her worn spirits, and how just for him to
assist in the care ofthe children, or other.
wise for an hour; let the weary wife go
out, attend the evening meeting, if there
be one, or call on q neighbor, or simply
take walk, change the scene, and
breathe the fresh air for few minutes.
Even if she went nowhere, how much
lighter would her duties seem should he
cheerfully offer her assistance in them.
If he has worked hard all day, so she
has. If he needs rest and relaxation, she
needs 1t still more. If he cannot bear
the noise of the children and the con6ne.
ment of the house a little while, how can
she bear it all the time? And then it is
his own family, these are his own children.
and all these cares are for his sake quite
as much as much as for hers. Should he
not care for his own?
Perhaps his meaus will not allow him
to have help in his family, to relieve the
overtaxed energies of his wife; perhaps
she does not wish it. And yet there are
husbands who have means, and yet are
too penurious and too uugenerous to fur.
nish the help needed, and prefer to work
their wives to death rather than pay for
other service. Many such men expend
more on useless or hurtful indulgences
than the wages Of q girl would amount to
but "can not afford to have hired help in
the family. How unwise as we'll as un.
just
There are men, of course, on whom it
would be vain to urge such considerations.
They are strangers to generous sentiment
and consider their wives but drudges for
their comfort, or to satisfy their merce-
nary greed for saving expenses. But they
command the thoughtful consideration OF
such husbands as have manly and gen.
erous care for their families, and especial.
ly an affsctionate sense of responsibility
in the discharge of those sacred pledges
uttered at the marriage service. Let them
help their wives and they will help them
selves.