Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-31
HOW TO HOLD HIM
Olive Thorne Miller Writes of
Your Husband
TELLING HOW TO KEEP HIM
Your Life Together Should Not be Marrow
ing--Ysu Must Not Effzce Your
self--Be His Equal.

Having won your husband, during the
FIRST few months Of married hfe you nat
urAlly wish to keep him. 10 have him
yours not only ia Law but in spirit, to DO
% united that the years and the trials
before you. Is before every child of
Adam. shall only bind you more closely.
Aud also, what is of even greater i'm
portance. that your life together shall
not be narrowing: that You shall make
and not mar each others mental and
moral growth.
The first and the most important duty
of the wife-the indispensable factor
in their united well being-is to pre-
serve her own individuality. A man
may enjoy having human ego. bat he
will never respect her. and mutual re-
spect Is the keystone in the arch Of a
perfect marriage. His enslavement of
the one who should stand by his side to
help and to share in his moral growth.
reacts upon himself: he cannot rise far
while his wife is under his feet. In
spite of himself he is narrowed; his sell
fishness and lore OF rule are cultivated;
he degcnerates day by day. II the wife
had no duty whatever to herself or her
children: if she were created for the
sole purpose of minisserins to her hus-
band las, indeed. some men think she
was). il would still be her sacred duty
81, har c>lf l.v lxro ~ IN,
her individuality. to retain her self re-
spect and to insure being respected by
him. What she does is not half SO i'm
portant as what she is.
Self abnegation then is so far from
being wife's duty that it is an actual
crime against her husbands and chill
drens best interests. To utterly efface
herself, to yield to her natural unself-
ishness and live only to serve those
about her Is in fact sowing in them the
seeds of some Of the most pernicious
and irradicable moral evils. am aware
that this is not the popular view, but a
close study of the families Of truly self
efTacing women would surprise most
people.
Such woman reaps her sure reward
in the scorn and neglect of her husband,
and the exactions and contempt Of her
children. If she does everything for
them, they soon come to regard her as
their natural slave and to expect her
service; if she gives up all her own
tastes and wishes for them. they soon
grow to despise her. Such are the ter
rible penalties attached to the self abae-
CATION of wife aad mother, and few
who suffer the result suspect the cause.
The remedy for all this, which is in
your own hands. my sister, is by no
means in cultivating your own selfish
ness, but in realizing your true position,
and taking it, or, IN word, preserving
your own individuality. Take deeply
to heart the golden saying, Familiarity
breeds contempt" and while partaking
heartily of the pleasures and even TIE
nonsense of your household. always stop
short of entire giving; always have your
own room, from which you are at liberty
to exclude everybody: your own pur-
suits, which You do not give up at every
beck and call. This Is not small mat
ter. as it may seem: it is deeply signiii-
cant; it is of vital importance.
Again, my sister, do not grow dull
and stupid. bound down to a set of mar
row duties; this mistake has wrecked
the lives of thousands. Can you wonder
that man, even n husband (for might
say, especially a husband, sInarting
under the feeling Of being bound) turns
from dali. faded, tired specimen of
woana ,,d. VINO talks to him only of
servants or children. or of what he
ought to do. to brighter, perhaps a
younger one, who is lively and chatty,
and entertains him without constituting
herself Judge of his duty?
It's all wrong Of course, but we'll not
discuss his wrong doing; what say is
that you are greatly to blame for it. 1t
is your duty to keep yourself interested
in things beyond your four walls. to
know what is going on in the world and
be able to break the dull monotony OF
the domestic circle by conversation out
side of home affairs. 1t is better that
you have yourself some external inter
ests, that you should join woman's
club, or q charity organization, or a
Browning class, and go ont part of every
day to let the breezes Of heaven blow
new life into you Then, when You
come together in the evening you will
be enlivened from contact with others,
able on your side to entertain and amuse.
and to do your share toward brighten
ing the spot you call home in other ways
than by polishing the brassee or maxim
the furniture shine.
To this end it is your bounden duty -
keep yourself young. and rs well dressed
as you can afford. and when you begin
to fade to avoid above all things falling
into careless ways. Throw away the
hideoas old wrapper and slippers, al,ol-
ish the long aprons and steel your heart
against the seductions of careless knot
Of hair. On the contrary. select your
gowns with care, make your aprons
pretty. put mp your hair in the most be
coming manner. and never leave your
room in dress you would not receive a
caller ia. La o word, preserve any ex-
ternai attractions you hare and conceal
the ravNgss Of time ia the most pleasing
way possible.
Above all. never forget that youth and
age are from within. Keep young in
heart. never sabside into armchair and
slippers, never get too old to enjoy good
music and art. A woman young IN
heart u a. bright aud enjoys life with IS
fnach zest 81 seventy ~ many do 81
tairty Yen have Il IN your power "a
keep yourself yoang IN thought and
feeling and therefore young ia looks.
To accomplish al this ron must keep
~eli. Health and Illness ar- mach No