The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-01-06
Tho Management OF Husbands.

This important and intricate question was
discussed by twelve Of the gentle sisters Of
Sorosls at luncheon Of the club on Mon
day afternoon. As all OF these domestic
philosophers. save one only. are married
perts at the business Of breaking In hus-
bands. their views and directions as to the
subject may be regarded as authoritative.
II not final.
The husband they described as q creature
In whom there are many possibilities Of
good: but before these can be developed he
must be tanned by his wife. though with
such artfulness that he shall not suspect
that he is undergoing the process. Other
wise his savage instincts will assert them
selves. and he will become wilder and more
unmanageable than ever. He must be
cajoled and not beaten into submission. and
his tanner must be both patient and re-
sourceful.
MARIAN HARIAND opened the debate by
warning her maiden sisters that court
ship is one thing and marriage another"
"MARY's primal mistake" she said. "is in
assuming. upon JOINS authority. that the
two states are one and the same" Before
marriage he seems gentle and submissive.
almost as good as a woman; but really he
needs to be cleverly managed in double
harness" to keep him from baking and
kicking out Of the traces. He must be
coaxed and petted up to what otherwise he
might shy at"
Mrs. RAvENHnL contended that the
breaking in OF husbands should begin much
earlier than marriage. for the whole task Of
tanning men is too heavy burden to be i'm
posed on wives alone. Husbands" she
said. " need to be trained from the time
they are born" but. according to MARIAN
HAELAND. " every loving wife Is convinced
that she could havo brought up her
husband better than did his mother" II
that Is so. the mnternal training increases
rather than lessons the wife's difficulties.
for she must begin by undoing what has
been done before. and that Is always hard
task. The necessity for acquiring expert
ness in the management OF q husband is
proved to Mrs. DENNIsoN by the proverbial
facility with which widows capture new
husbands, and tile superior cleverness with
which they manage them.
The whole secret OF the successful pursuit
of the art. as explained very frankly by
MARIAN HARLAND. Ia to delude the
man and make him believe that he is
having his own way. while in reality the
woman is leading him by the nose. He is a
poor, gullible creature. she says. I" the most
transparent Of BEINGS" and with her
superior insight and greater practical
sagacity and shrewdness. the woman
can do as she pleases with him II
she goes about the task with adroit-
ness and persistency. Finally. this is the
axiom she lays down: "The more hem
pecked man is. tho less he knows about it;
that is. II the woman has sense enough to
plough around the stumps." That seems
to be the great secret OF tho art. for Mrs.
RosENFELD protested against giving it
away to men. I'VE nre all strong minded
women here" she said. and have our own
peculiar views about the management Of
husbands. but we had better keep them to
ourselves" in order that "our husbands
may be more easily managed"
All this is very interesting and instruc-
tive. and 1t may be true. also. sad as 1t is.
But the debate affords great reason for
rejoicing among men. for the gentle and
lovely sisters OF Sorosis show no DISPOSE
ton to abandon their arduous task of
tanning and subjugating husbands. Bad
as men are. they will not desert them
and they will not refuse to marry them.
That Is the main thing. after all. Marry
ing and giving in marriage will go on the
same as of old. and Joy will continue to reign
in the hearts OF men. aud women too.