The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-05-25
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MINISTER'S WIVES.

minister. In no other profession
or vocation does mans domestic
relations so seriously affect his
success. The physician may be
a thrice welded widower in quest
of a fourth twin soul, or an exem-
plary benedict, and not lose a
patient as a result of these con
ditions. The lawyers life lies
wholly within the walls OF his
office and the court room. The
merchants command custom &C
cording to the excellence of their
wares and theic clever way Of
putting them on the market. A
tailor who gives perfect BIT may
be ever so ignorant and disagree
able but he is sure of patronage.
Even poor, unlettered Rachel
Jackson could not keep her hus-
band out Of the White House, nor
could the fascinating Francis
Cleveland keep hers in it, yet a
minister's wife can mar his use.
fulness. even to his utter deStruc
tion thereof. The people have
the whip-haud when the pastor
is a married man, for let him be
ever so high-Strung be will bear
much criticism, even to fault.
finding. before he will upset the
wagon that carries his wife aud
babies. Many times the wife
feels confident that it is to her
own inability to please that leads
to the troub BILE, and she feels COM
PEELED to either neglect her family
or fail in meeting the various de-
mands whose fultillment alone
can bring her popularity. Do
what she may, let her be saint,
| seraph, or diplomat; she cannot
sustain him i'll his position when
the wind of churchly favor veers.
A minister has little trouble in
securing wife, for as a rule miu-
listers are we'll educated, we'll
hammered and well dressed, and
their success III winning the fair
sex is too patent to be argued,
and how little the unSuspecting
victim realizes the grave respon-
Sibilities which comes with this
alliance. The young minister
may be ever so popular with his
parish before marriage, but SO
soon as he installs his new wife
as mistress of the manse the com.
plexiOn of affairs is changed.
His gentle partner may be moth
ing more than a timid shadow
stealing at bis heels, yet this
shadow changes the perspective.
If she asserts her rights aud per
SiSts in looking well to her house
hold she is dubbed useless in the
church, and it on the other hand
she devoteS her time and talents
to the work Of the church she is
blamed for neglecting her family.
Her home affairs are discussed
and handled by unclean hands
and the sacred precincts of the
ministers tireside are invaded by
the cruel busy bodies, which in
fest all grades and conditions of
life. 10 fit woman of mortal
mould to the needs and fancies of
a church is beyond the ability of
an archangel.
The idea seems to be that a
model minister must have a model
wife, and in too many cases the
wife is included in the engage
ment which hires him, and such a
contract is surely Ubiquitous.
What a private church member
can do consistently with her duty
to her husband and children she
Is bound to undertake and moth
ing more.
That she is or is not accom-
plished, should affect her hus-
bands influence no more than if
he were a lay communicate in
the church to which she belongs.
The rule which makes the popular.
lty won by her virtues Intellectual
to succor him in the hour of need.
should work both ways or not [
all. The mournful conviction
that he for whom she would sac
rlfice ease and life itself, would
after all have done better for
himself and the Master had he
never married her, has broken
many a loving heart and brave
spirit.
Right here let us enter a plea
for minister's children which
some claim are the worst children
In existence Many seem to for
get that the birth right of these
children is no freezer from the
talnt of sin than is that of other
children, aud if those who are
ever ready to point out imper
fections i'll the character of min.
listers children would read the
history of the human family
they will find that the perfect
children die before they are old
enough to become contaminated
oy contact with the common prog