Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-09-03

Illustration.
Being a bachelor, and the kind of a
bachelor cm, see moro wives than do
most married men. If this were not SO,
I might not have an objection to them as
q class. / might think, as some of nv
married male friends do, that even If my
own wife (supposing I had one, mean,
now We're Disappointing to me as n COM
panion and distressing to me because of
| her unwarrantcd exactions my married
ncighbors may be more lucky. Their wives
may be their chums and companions, their
| wives may rot demand u slaves attention,
fathers indulgence, lovers unques-
tioning devotion and rich and doting
| unclc'S unStintCd allowance and expect
nothing in return.
Do l make myself clear? Do I suggest
that because | visit many homes where
| know the husbands business affairs and
see the wifc's attitude feel myself equip
| ped to discuss the question of American
wives better, being "a bachelor of n some
| what extended and varied acquaintance,
| than l could il l were married and (poSsi-
| bly,, thcTcforc) possessed of n greatly con-
| tracted sphere of observation?
| Well, then, Mr.. Editor, | want to ask
| you if you do not think there is something
| essentially faulty in the social relationship
| of American husbands and wives, which
| relationship is brought about wholly by
the assumption on the part of the wives
of rights, privileges and exemptions? The
| husband is bound by every Obligation le
! gal and moral, to give his wifoa home and
such material comforts as he is able to
supply to himself also. Please sir OBJ
| serve that "also." Is it not fact, ask
| you, that the American wife of any man
| above the grade of common, unskillod la
| borer dcmandS-cvcn expects without de-
neutrality-suspicious. and luxuries in which
the husband could not also indulge with
out mourning debts he could not pay if he
| is less than q merchant or capitalist, and
perhaps inviting bankruptcy through ex
| travagance and neglect of business?
| Perhaps you never thought of that be-
fore. Well, let us see. Besides sharing in
such comforts as the husbands home and
board afford, the American wife at once
assumes the right to the luxury of idle
ness. That is a very great deal. 1t means
an additional cost for one or more serv-
ants, which cost is imposed upon the hus-
bands earnings be they large or small.
| If they are large ! have no complaint. II
those earnings are small, then surely the
husband has u complaint-but he seldom
| makes it.
But this is only the beginning. In mat
| tiers of luxury the American wife not only
INDUCES at his expense in many more than
does the husband but frequently she in
dulges in many when and again therefore,
he can indulge in none. What right has
she to this? Take the luxury Of fine dress
| ing, for example. / know a mani shall
/ ms l-p n hnf
marriage was a noticcably well dressed
man. He cared for we'll made, fresh, nice
| clothes in q perfectly rational way and
artistically. Now he wears trousers which
bag at tho knee pitifully, and his coat
shines at the elbows and shoulders. Ho
| holds responsible place, and has for years,
| in a big commercial firm, and know his
salary is not less than 81, 600 year, and /
| should not be surprised to hear that it was
| more. / dined with him at his home the
other night and in inviting me he said, us
| he alway does: Don't take the trouble to
| dress, old man. Well Just dine informal
| ly."
| Now, he knows perfectly well that it is
no trouble for me to dress for the evening
and that do so nearly every day, and, to
! tell you the truth, this letter was first sug-
| gcstcd to me by my conviction that his
| evening dress is i'll pretty bad way, and
| he doesn't feel that he can afford tho ex-
| pcnsc of another
! That is one side of the picture; hero is
the other: Madam appeared in pretty,
| dainty dinner gown, which she told mo
was new before Id been in tho house five
minutes. I've known her ever since she
| was child
I'm talking now about the typical Amer
| lean wife of man who can be said to be
in comfortable" circumstances by the
| standards of the best class of salared mon
| She Is no moro cxtravagant thoughtlcss
exacting or unreasonable than the average
| Of her class, was well brought up, helped
her mother keep her fathers nose to
| che grindstone always, is bright, good
enough naturcd, if you please. do not
| know, thank God, just what that dress |
referred to cost, bus know its price would
| cover my friends expenditures for clothes
for u year The dinner was good as she
! judged it, no doubt, but she did not know
what a single dish was to be until it was
served.
Well, after dinner my friend and I had
! just lit cigars and stretched our legs for a
| comfortable talk, when madam exclaimed:
'It will DO deadly stupid staying at
home. Let's go and see an act or two Of
| some theater."
She was dressed in "a street gown (hand-
some and new before we had half finished
our cigars, and she dragged us out to some
| fool show where she saw hat she an
nounced she should have copied for herself
the next day. Having this letter in mind,
was mean enough to ask my friend tho
next day how madam was that morning,
and he answered. as / supposed he would,
| that he had not seen her She does not
breakfast until some time after leave for
| the office, " he added
| Now, there is that man, earning 81, 900
or 50, 900 year, working from 0 in tho
morning until in the afternoon 80 weeks
year, dressing like $40 a month clerk,
not saving penny, supporting his wife in
idle luxury at the cost of probably two
thirds if not three-fourths of his earnings,
and she would look at any one in big eyed
amazement who should suggest that she
was unwarrantably, heartlessly, unreason-
ably, exacting and enjoying privileges to
which she had no manner of right whatev-
er. Furthermore, she would call the man
brute who told her SO. Is she unique as
Il