The times., 1899-11-26


Wives Of great men all remind rs that
no genius is ever satisfied with nate
whose talents are purely domestic. and 20
mold the affections OF gifted husband q
woman must be something else than merely
good housekeeper- 4 dozen points 10
this moral may be cited. and pona viii
serve to clInch the argument mere armIv
than the case OF Richard Wagner and his
hrst wife. In his youth the great ropsf-
clan chose a partner from the sssss-
plump pretty. and pleasing little persoo
Who was thoroughly devoted 10 her nus
bands physical well being. who Iid nor
hesitate TO stand at the washtub when the
author Of Tristan and Isolde could it
afford Iaundress. who kept his garrett
home In Paris the pink OF cIeanlines7 and
contriyed meals for him from rh, scan-
tiest provisions thar ever fell 10 a cooks
lot As a housekeeping wife, OF he type
St Paul so highly recommends, she was
near perfection, but she could not under
stand her husbands musical passions and
warnings. nor did she have much patience
with his ever hanging piano and after hav-
ing devoted her youth and strength uncom-
her no more love than a man mizht feel
for faithful but stupid servant
In very painful contrast 10 this taste OF
unrequited service and devotion IS the
matrimonial relations Of Mozart and his
wife Poor overworked genius He we'd
ded pretty, gay Constance Weber. who
loved to lie abed late. who kept her pink
palms smooth as satin. who Thought tt no
injustice for heT busy harassed husband 20
ool~ and h
might, and who spent all fhe money ne
earned on her frills and furbelows Well.
he welded her and loved her with q rever-
ent, unselfsh aTdOr and emotion that
brings tears 20 your eyes as you read his
story He thought her much too nne and
dainty 70 bother with dirjy cooking uten-
sis he wOrshiped her beauty arrayed in
fine frOcks and he left little tender missiyes
pinned 10 her pillow in the morning when
he sneaked out to pick up a meal as best
he might With all her sei6shness and
neglect ne foTgave and loved her because
she was pretty, her ways were earessinE
and endearing, and she satisfied bis artistic
temperament IN the way a conscientious,
hardwCrking. faithful Martha could never
have touched or held him.
The same sad story is true OF Andrea
del Sarto the perfect painter He dis
graced himself for a wife not even 30
worthy as poor MOzarts, while Dante
and Milton and Coleridge found the mat
rimonisl yoke TOO heavy ior enduTancs
with wives who were capable cooks and
admirable mothers, but whose souls wsrs
not attuued TO poetry. The grand exception
to this rule is a no less important in
diyidual than Goethe. After IOug years Of
bachelorhood the independent poet took
70 wife a plain little German girl a
typical haus frau. to whom nevertheless
he was uneommonly kind Balzac. on the
other hand waited until his career was
almost over before he screwed his courage
up TO the point of marrying and then
chose a Russian lady whose esprit and
good looks took his heart by storm
Where great men have married happily
hey have chosen wives whose brains and
hearts were equally balanced with dOmss-
tic shrewdness. Bismarck. Gladst one Lord
Salisbury. and Dom Paul are among the
sensible geniuses who married at once eOod
housekeepers and clever women Mrs
Kruger. though her husband may be a
millionaire. as his adversaries suggest,
knits his socks. makes his coffee. tucks
Up her skirt 10 aid little Kafiir girl her
sole maid servant about the hOusewOrk.
and cOntentedly wears a sunbonnet OF
'kappie as the Dutch call &C.: but for all
that, IKE the wife OF German William. she
knows the political situation ia the cOun-
try her husband governs as well as he
knows it himself Tante Kruger is Dom
Pauls second brain and conscience. and
in the privacy Of the presidential mansion
has been known to scold at his mistakes.
suggest his next maneuyres. and she de-
tests his enemies and the English with
wholesome vigor,
Madame Thiers like Mrs Kruger cared
nothing at all for the slOries Of her hus-
bands position. and was rather coutsmpJu-
frrT -4r
Of France but she thoroughly symps sJhiZed
in his love of power and ia his pass on for
saving She ecOnCmiZed. sCrimpad. and
screwed 10 help him add 10 his fortune.
letting his guests 60 hungry from his table
in order 10 save a few pennies. ana even
went so far as TO correct him for oIering
a visitor whole peach when cali enc
would serve.
Quite an ideal combination OF domestic
talents and true intellect IS eXempliied
in Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, who. as a
housekeeper. has very few rivals and who
at the same time is a thoroughly sympa-
thetiC companion 70 her able AID busy hus-
band. Mrs Roosevelt never finds herself
too busy to see that her husbands favOTits
rice pudding is done to a turn. Her house
maids are pinks of domestic precisO on and
her larder is always fortified against ths
colOHeI's impTOmptu dinner parties got up
Dy teteplOAt- lAutSN urA SidlAt VI tplA-
dent cordiaiity never Wayers when half a
dozen unexpected guests claim her hos
pitality at the shortest notice, but with
uniquely varied domestic cares she finds
time to keep pace with her husbands po-
litical as well as social and literary in
terests or packs up at a hint to so juuket-
ing about the country on speechmakins
tours. BY this ready respousiveEess she
has contributed not a little 70 his success
in life; all Of which goes to prove that
when a great man does marry wisely and
well he secures a simply invaluable as
sistant in mis- climb up the ladder OF
fame.
The siberian Dress.