Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-15

To the Editor of The Evening STAR
In The Star Of last Saturday was sur
prsed 10 find, In an article by Mr.. H. NJ.
S. Jordan, written in glorification of the
onion, a paragraph of some length, pur-
porting to be verbatim quotation from
one of my ancient lectures. 1 utterly dis
claim the authorship of said paragraph.
In letter it il untrue, and in spirit unjust.
1t opens with an extract from Artemus
Wards famous letter to the Prince of
Wales on the occasion of his marriage TO
the Princess Alexandra, the great show
mans CONGRATULATIONS ending with the sig
rihcant words, of course, now you're mar
ried, you can eat onions" Then Mr. Jor-
dan goes on to say:
Mrs Lippncott tGrace Greenwood) pro-
fessed to take the humorist quite seriously
in one of her lectures, and berated him
soundly type of the vast ma iority
of men who are selfish enough to prefer
their own enjoyment to the happiness of
their wives. "Abstemious and polite
enough before marriage" she says, land
careful not to give offense no sooner is
the moose slipped over the poor woman's
head than tley proceed to do things to
her infinite disgust. They smoke up her
parlor curtains, not only with cigars, but
pipes they insist on cusDidors in the L.
orary and dining room, and above all.
they come home frequently from their
clubs al night reeking with a beefsteak
anG fried onion supper. 1t is shameful"
cried Mrs. Lippncott. how many men
treat their wives in this way"
Now, for the slight foundation for the
above statements and the quotations $50
called). In lecture on American In
teriors." after depicting the happiness of
home life in the first home of loving.
newly welded pair l said:
ALIAS, why cannot this continue? Why
must the pride the joy, the tender ar
lection so often fade with the new carpets
and hangings, suffer DETACHMENT with new
furniture, be hopeiessly broken up with
the china? Often the sad change comes
through the mere sense of absolute and
secure possession. The young wife be-
comes little careless of pleasing. She
does not dress so daintly or smile so
sweetly or strive so hard to keep her tenn
per sunny and her complexion pure. Her
market is made she says-poor thing.
THE young husband. who as sutton
had touched the very ideal of gracious and
magnanimouS MISUNDERSTANDING, deliS
cate, tender and unselfsh-assumes an air
of superiority and indifference-often for
eiGn to his feeling-honestly thinking it
the proper manly and matrimonial style.
he says: Courtship. with its romance
and poetry and all that spoony sort Of
thing, as gone by. Marriage is a prosaic
affair, with no nonsense about it.. Who
snail man be free with, to act out him.
self, II not with his,0wn wife"
THAT profound philosopher. Artemus
Ward, understood this sentiment, and in
the celebrated letter he addressed to the
Prince of Waes-to' congratulate his
royal highness on hfs marriage, and to
give him some advice as to the manage
ment of Princess Alexandra, founded on his
own experience With Betsy-Jane-he says,
IL: burst OF SYMPATHETIC exultation: OF
course. now you are married, you can eat
onions" 81
Now this is the only quotation re-
member ever to have made from Artemus
Ward. 1 certainly never 'berated' that
most delightful OF ihumorists for anything.
I never scored husbands in general. for
smoking good cigars, or even pipes, in
parlor. kitchen or hail. though after
smoke, 1 am careful 10 air the premises.
AS for the excellent anti-scorbutic vegeta-
BILE in question, Z have all proper respect
for it, especially for that great Hidalgo.
cdorless. AS for the more common sort
I allow it to- be cooked and eaten in my
house, ad libitum. l occasionally eat 1t
myself, on rainy days. when no affectionate
callers are expected. 1 even favor it. when
sliced up and served raw. pardoning it for
all the tears It's acrimonious essence causes
me. l have been cut I'D myself.
That l should be so cruelty misrepre-
scented both In my attitude toward the
vast majority of men," and the estimable
onion family here in my own city, makes
me realize fact which have often sus-
pected, that ''On Jordan's stormy banks
l stand. GRACE GREENWOOD.
21S New Jersey avenue southeast.
January Is, 1898