Morning journal and courier., 1892-09-09
aMY HUSBAND SAYS.o

A Peculiar Weakness of women
Whom Talking With Their Neigh-
bOrs.
[From Harper's Bazar.l
Leigh Hunt says: ga wise man quotes
bravely." However that may be, women
wise and otherwise have always in
trenohed themselves behind certain con-
versstional defines. ''Sairy Camp" is not
the only possessor of friend, Mrs. Har-
ris, who carries in her pocket stones of
argument, repartee and history, and goes
security for all statements.
Like the sleeping partner of the money
lender, this same mysterious conversa-
tional hacker is responsible for all the
things one wants to say but had rather
not. Even Charles Dudley Warner ad-
mits that excessive accuracy kills express
sion. One bright writer declares that he
quotes his best original remarks, thus
making them more effective. Behind that
innocent little phrase, ''my husband
says" turks vast amount of feminine
picturesqueness. What establishment, not
unmixed with dismay, would fill the soul
of the good man if he could hear the ex-
traordinary statements his wife puts in
his lips! For instance, she tells her
friends very earnestly that her husband
says he prefers sleeves that are shirred
diagonally and theu embroidered, rather
than those that are embroidered and then
gathered into plain cuff. That is the
reason that the pretty little speaker gives
for the fashion of her own garment.
The truth is that her husband does not
| know what shirring is. Men with an al
most morbid horror of personalities are re.
| ported as warning their wives against GER
tain people When a drive Is proposed
distasteful to the young wife, she almost
automatically declares that her husband
says he Is afraid to have her get into 6
| carriage. You cannot carry on q CONVEX
sation of five minutes length with some
people without the introduction of thii
| phrase, either as an excuse or an argu
ment.
There is no voluntary falsehood sbou
the matter whatever. 1t is simply hab
it, praiseworthy from some points Of
view. Who does not admire the wiveI
who, since the days of Elizabeth and hel
Zschariah, have interpreted dumb hus
bands? They may be welded unto clowns
but into the lips of these same clownI
they put their own nobility of though
and speech. There are many like Mrs
Wilkins, who quoted her meek little Iii
sha. and SO hedged him in with wifely 10y
atty that all listeners felt like apologi
zing for dispsraging thought
Perhaps there is no surer revelation O.
character than the manner in which wifi,
uses her husbands name in conversation
We have some respect for Mr.. Fawcetti
heroine. who closed her eyes when hel
husband staggered into sight, and declared
that Manhattan had one of his headaches
for he never drank" 1t is hard, however
to pardon the woman who conides to eve
ry one she meets the shortcomings of tn,
man whose honor is in her keeping. Ret
icence requires more culture and braiI
power than criticism.
There are wives who argue, with sharp
tongued Mrs. Poyser, that "God made tn,
women silly to match the men," and, will
her, are ready to slay sister making tn
same statement.
We question if women are quite fitted
to occupy positions of public trust unit
they have learned to guard more zealousl,
the secrets of the home