Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-01-30
HAPPINESS IN MARRIAGE.
Connubial Bliss Is Said to Depend on the
Matrimonial Mixture-Some-
thing Like Salad.

| thing Like Salad
/ That marriage is like tea or whisky. in
/ that its success depends on the matrimo-
| NAL mixture, is the opinion put forth by
writer in The Queen The matrimo-
NAL blend" is something like salad the
salt, pepper, oil and vinegar being re-
placed by such qualities of disposition
as temper, sulks, amiability. etc. Even
as, IN the hands of Il skillful chef, ingredi-
ents which appear irreconcilable may be
blended into pleasing accord, so. il the
matrimonial elements are cleyerly blend
ed, marriage may be Il success, how
ever antagoniStic these elements may
seem.
Even two naturally bad tempers (shall
we call them black pepper and cayenne =
are far from irreconcilable. They ANAL
gamate aggreably when mingled with
| care and softened by the addition OF
sweet oil (suavity) and salt 1.-THE sense of
humor that is so indispensable to the mat
rimonial blendD.'
And then the reader learns that a West
indian is the pepperiest Of men, and that
the union OF two geniuses results in a
curdling process.
There were the Carlyles. for example.
Both were sharp tongued. Both said
bitter things Vinegar (sarcasmD predom-
mated in their salade de vie,f and vine
gar is Il thing that should be measured
out by the hand of miser in the mar
rlage mixture. Sulks (sweet oil turned
rancid did not mend matters. She sullSe1
for two days because he took no notice
of her headache, and then flew into a
rage and flung her teacup at him. When
girl next door ragged upon a piano all
day, when neighbours dog barked or u
contiguous cock crew, Thomas would not
speak to his Jane unless she somehow
abated the nuisance. Never was n less
geniuses marry"
What the peppery West Indian needs
is not sweet, mild girl for wife--she
becomes a drudge and he tyrant-but Il
lively girl with u neat little temper OF
her own. "The result, after plenty of
stirring, will be harmony and good will.
What the clever man wants in wife is
a grand reserve of common sense and Il
fine housekeeper.
Temper, and particularly sulien.
temper, is the greatest fee TO married
happiness" - only, unfortunately, the
gift OF sulkiness is inIpartally bestowed
upon every nation. Il have seen sulky
Scotchman,a sulky Irishman and sulky
ERglishman," says the author There
was not pin to choose among them.
There was just this difference between
them-the Scotchman looked S0ur, the
IFishman fierce, the Englishman wore Il
victims air.
''All these men had wives-one apiece,
l mean. 1t has been one of the thrilling
interests of my life to mark how wives
treat their husbands in their hours of
moody melancholy. (Why not 'melan-
cholyE We may as well call sulks by Il
poetic nameD The Scotchman's wife is
an Irish woman. This is almost always
a risky blend. The Irish are so incura-
ha oh mr. II
old-from 10 years on TO 40 years or so.
But in this case the result is fairly
happy. The wife, after many years eX-
perience. garbs herself, morally speaking,
in the draperies of peace and good Will,
and waits for her man to emerge from
the darkness of his mood. He is n heavy
cloud upon her brightness, but when ne
is himself she enjoys the sunshine all the
more.
"Less fortunate is the blend of sulky
Irish husband and pretty young Eagllsh
wife. So anxious is she to get him
back to his serenity aud ordinary bright
gaiety that she posters him with queS-
tons. What has gone wrong with you.
Desmondy He brushes her remarks
aside rs he might a too attentive gnat
on summer evening. Then she flies
into Il temper, makes very few pointed
observations. Replies are equally sharp,
and for some days--even weeks, in some
home. Not all the pepper of the wife
can overcome the disagreeabie flavor of
the oil in the marital salad.
1.-THE sullen EngliShman has q stol;d
English wife. who treats his disorder in
a manner that should cure it. When his
mood is on she takes no notice of him
whatever. When dinner Is served, and
he is brooding in his study, she sits down
to table, has her meal, and when she
has finished it the servants clear the
table. The master of the house is gradu-
ally improving under this drastic method.
among the best matrimonial blends
is that of a gay and bright American
girl. with a travelled EagliShman. who
has become almost cosmopolitan. There
are thousands of such Englishmen,
large of mind and appreciative of that
cultured receptiveneSs that distinguishes
the we'll born American woman. An
other very excellent blend is that of I
half French. half English woman, with
3 half-Scotch. half-EngliSh man. Here
we have exactly that mingling of lively
temper, slight capacity for sarcasm. high
snirits, sense of humOr. gentle suavity.
ana solid qualities that make a happy
nnjon. Life partners i'll the COM
merciaI concern of marriage have
il largely in their own power To
correct bad blend or perfect
rood one. A happy silver wedding
often follows after years OF storm and
stress The most diverse natures can
be harmonized by the power Of circum-
stance aud the influence OF love.