The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-17
SHE USES DIPLOMACY
If SHE WOULD RUN HER HOUSE,
HOLD SMOOTHLY
Men, Too, Need Tact in Dealing With
Women - Story of the Man Who
Wanted to Put His Shirt in the Rag
bag.

A woman needs to use much strategy
to run a household and to keep a man
in good humor, and at the same time
do as she pleases. Some minister not
long ago said that it was just as well
to leave the word obey out of the mar
riage service because it was a mere
farce, as no woman really obeyed her
husband. That is true and it is not
true. The tactful woman by various
ways at her disposal brings a man to
her way of thinking, and then does her
own way, which is his way also. The
main thing is not to obey, says a clever
woman, but to make the man think he
is managing, and it amounts to the
same thing in the end.
There is one particular thing about
which woman must use much diplo-
macy, and that is in giving away any
thing that belongs to her liege lord. If
she presents to a tramp a pair of shoes
or coat which he has discarded, ten to
one he will say the next day: Where
is that old coat / gave up a month ago;
l think could wear it shooting" She
begins to ShiVer when he starts and
when she says she gave it to a tramp
the day before, then hubby begins
1OliS QlSS6ItdllOu upon now little ne
counts in his own household, that his
wife even gives his clothes away with
out his permission, and one would
think that in his own home he might be
permitted to say, ETC., etc., all persons
of the feminine persuasion know the
rest. He goes about with q hurt air for
a week and his poor wife keeps her
closets full Of his discarded clothes for
months to come, afraid even to throw
away a soiled neektie for fear he will
ask for it. Such is man when domesti-
Gated. Then some day when the clean
Ing is being done and he sees his old
shoes, hats and coats being hauled out
of closets, he inquiries why in the world
she has kept all these old things! Such
is the consistency of masculine per-
sons.
Now here is an account taken from
recent magazine which shows that hus-
bands need diplomacy as well as wives.
A young husband was one day COM
planning to an older man that he found
1t difficult to get his wife to sew on
button. The older man being wise,
said that the other did not go the right
way about it, this was his way; he said
that when he wanted a shirt mended
he would take it in his hand and say
to his wife, Where's the ragbag?"
She would inquire why he wanted it,
and he would reply that he wanted to
put his shirt in it, Whereupon she
would say, sternly, John Smith, hand
me that shirt" he would meel1ly give it
to her and she would look it over and
then pin him with her eye "The idea,
John Smith, of a man throwing away
as good a shirt as that; why, all it
needs is a little mending," Whereupon
she would fall to and do just what he
wanted her to. Oh, wives. listen to
that! 1t is plainly to be seen that all
the tact and diplomacy are not on one
side. Most of it is, however, more than
many masculine mind dreams of.
Lack Of this quality is often the rock
upon Which the domestic ship is wreck
ed, and when one sees the man who has
been the husband of the blunt and hon
est woman for forty years, one thinks
thoughts. Martyrs have a high place, it
Is said, so that to one Of these long
suffering men the remark, cheer up,
the worst is yet to come" would have
no point.
When the school OF matrimony to be
started as soon as that ultra scientific
magazine, the Twentieth Century
Home, gets firm foothold, graduates a
woman and gives her a diploma, it will
be sure evidence that she is an accom-
plished diplomat. Blessed word, diplo-
mat, it's really wonder that we can
say that except in French.