Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1905-07-13
THE POOR HUSBAND
AMERICAN MAN TOLLS THAT
THE WIFE MAY PLAY.
Instances of Husbands Devoted to
Invalid wives-Most Loving Hus-
bands Not Those Who Talk Most
About Love-Uncomplaining Hus-
bands Endure Lonely Summer
Weeks, while Families Have an
Outing.

By MARGARET = SA&GSTER
Copyright is.1. hy Joseph y BcwicsD
As everybody knows. a great deal Of
space Is devoted in literature and in
the daily press. 20 celebrating the vir-
tues OF wives The wife Is the good
angel Of her home. and her tenderness.
tact and self-deniaI can never be over
praised But far too little is said in
oommendation of the continual self
sacrifice and unobtrusive goodness Of
husbands. and, particularly. OF hus-
bands in America. Here. II anywhere.
is the married woman's paradise. She
has more leisure, more freedom to go
and come. and in many ways has more
luxury in life than her husband dreams
Of having American husbands toll
steadily in the market place and make
light of their labor. II only they can
crafty the tastes and ambitions Of
their wives. and build for their chill
dren homes better than they them
selves had in their childhood
The husband Of an invalid wife il
often eminent for patience and kind
ness. his strong. brave cheerfHlness
tiding her over periods OF distress. and
his ceaseless vigilance for her comfort
never failing. We have had in this
country the example Of rare heroism
and unstinted devotion shown by the
martyred President Mckinley. TO his
delicate and suffering wife. That as
siduous care never varied The utmost
pressure OF state affairs did not inter-
fere with II. and in the last hour OF
mortal pain. his final thought was for
her.
In a city. not far from New York a
woman has been a prisoner upon her
couch OF pain for many weary years
She has been unable to turn herself
in bed. or TO use her poor. twisted
hands in holding so much as the light
est book. Never once has the patience
of her husband failed nor hts indomi-
table courage. which has matched her
fortitude, once lowered its crest. She
has been surrounded BY the most deli
cate attentions. musicians have been
brought to her home. concerts have
been planned there. flowers have
bloomed for her. and all that wealth
and love can do have been lavished to
make her invalid condition endurable
In the same city. in a very humble
home. a cobbler has stitched at his
bench year ~ year. mending shoes and
earning bread for himself and his wife.
who has lain most of the time a help
less cripple in a little room just over
his shop The CHEEKY German is a man
Of few words. but he has had the in
vincible patience of love just as Nc
kinley had. and as his richer neighbor
has
Robert Louis Stevenson gives an in
stance Of devotion on the part OF a hus-
band which should put the man o..
whom it is told. high in the roll Of
saints. A young wife was taken sud
denly and alarmingly i'll. on q chilly
September night. Her husband ran
two miles to bring the doctor. and
drenched with sweat. returned with
him at once in an open gig on their
arrival at the house the wife half IN
consciously took and kept hold of her
husbands hand. BY the doctors or
ders windows and doors were set open
to create a thorough drsught. and the
patient was on no account to be dis
turbed. Thus. then. did the husband
pass the whole of that night crouch
ing on the floor in the draught and not
daring to move lest he should wake the
sleeper. He had never been very
strong, energy had stood him instead
of vigor. and the result of that nights
exposure was flying rheumatism, va
ried by settled sciatica-
The wisdom of thus inviting disease
may be doubted, but the -forgetful-
ness that prompted II. was never out
done by the most unselish woman and
wife in the world.