The Saint Paul globe., 1904-11-02
HUSBAND TOO GOOD
AND HIS WIFE COULD. NOT LIVE
UP TO HIM
The Contemplation of His Virtues Was
Too Much for Her, and She Had to
Take the Rest Cure, So She Deserted
Her Better Half

A woman somewhere declares that
she left her husband because he .yas
too good. Well, well, there are all sorts
OF reasons for leaving a man, but a1u
perfectly safe in saying that this one
has an air of novelty. We all know
the: are many men good CROUCH. but
a man too good is something new in
an age that is accustomed to novelties
OF course a woman would not know
exactly how to live up to a man who
was too good and she should not be
blamed if this condition of affairs got
upon her nerves ard she resolved to
spare herself the humiliation of the
painful contrast between his extreme
virtue and her mediocrity. A man
should not be too good without giving
some kind of warning. No woman can
be blamed for saying, this is so sud
den," under the circumstances.
Now there is certainly not married
woman anywhere who does not want
her husband TO be good, but the ques-
ti1n is whether there is not limit to
the goodness of husbands. The shock
of knowing that ones husband is too
good might be fatal He should. of
course, be AS good as he could, but be-
irg better than he was expected to be
is something that q woman does not
count upon. AS cause for separation
this seems legitimate.
The strain of living in Such rarefied
atmosphere is certainly wearing, to say
the least not to mention the fingers OF
scorn pointed at n too-good huSband.
by lot of other husbands who would
feel a certain contempt for a man bet
ter than themselves. Is il manly TO be
too good? Is it gentIemanly and COM
patible with that strange honor of a
gentleman which will pay gambling
debt and leave the butcher to whistle
for his money!
Is it being good husband to be
better than anybody else? But all
these abstruse questions will have to
be left for psychologists and other per-
sons who make the science of life a
study. The woman's page does not
pretend to say what should be done to
4 man who is too good, but it would
like to have his picture and place it
here for other husbands to gaze upon.
For it is no eXaggeration to say that /
for one, am painfully anxious to see
what too-good man looks like. His
expression must be heavenly. The
words which drop from his lips are
precious pearls and diamonds; he must
indeed be almost too good to be true.
But at the same time, having read it
in newspaper that there was such a
man l am perfectly certain it is true.
Perhaps he is in the campaign. If he
is heaven help hiMi If he is too good
when he comes out of it, then. Indeed,
viii L believe that he is not long for
this mundane sphere. The question
again comes, could a too good man be
elected? Not if the voters knew he
was too good. Everybody would think
1t just an election story, for the air is
full of them and the worse they are
the less are they believed.
When one considers the possibilities
corrected with husband who is too
good, ii gives one pause. That kind
Of Il husband would never even hint at
Wanting the change back from the $40
bill he had given his wife last month
with which TO purchase her entire win
ter wardrobe The too-good husband
wouldn't say q word about it. Neither
would he ask for the old clothes which
his wife had presented to the relief
society the day before. Heavens, what
a mar! He will come in the millennium.
Neither will he say that his mother
used TO make better corn bread than he
ever sees on his table. The too-good
husband will tell his wife every day
how much better wife she is than he
thought il possible for mortal woman
10 be; he Will stay at home evenings
pleasantly. go TO church on Sunday. re-
member his wedding anniversary. and
IA divers ways be a husband who is
worth mentioning.
No wonder his wife felt that a sep
aration for time, SO she could think
him over. might be Well. For there is
limit to the credulity of the human
mind. anu she had reached it. The
consciousness of her own unworthiness
made her long for the rest cure When
she feels again that she can bear the
sight of his superhuman virtue day by
dar she will probably beg him to take
& back and like too-g good mar. he
Will do So This department extends
its sympathy and fluctuations to the
woman who was "alI unworthy of a
strong mans love-" as Bertha CLAY
says, and hopes that things may vet
come right.