The San Francisco call., 1906-04-07
WOMAN'S LATEST TRIAL
Wife Of the Auto Maniac Is to Be Pitied but
There Is a Certain Remedy.
RY ANGEL A MORGAN
BY ANGELA MORGAN

ND now it's the machine. III
~ used to be the club or business
4 n that lured a man from his fire.
side and caused a wife to sit up nights
concocting schemes to win back nus
bands straying affections.
Time was when the smoking habit,
the drink habit, poker. the races and
similar diversions were regarded as the
chief enemies of domestic felicity But
! that time is past. None of the old hob
bies has the terror for the wife 1t once
did. The old excuses regarding a nus
bands late homecoming have lost their
significance
The young bride who once upon
time would have wept to see her BRIDE
groom's absorption in the morning pa
per has quite a different plant to make
as TO the occasion of her first disillu-
sionment.
And it is all due to the machine.
Auto-mania-or motor-mania, which
ever one chooses to call it's the FEVER
that has seized upon modern man, and
the wife of today finds herself con-
fronted with the question: How shall
1 make myself a more fascinating OBJ
ject than the machine?
Nowadays if a man forgets to praise
his wife's pies. or to compliment her ON
the new way she is doing her hair, IL
isn't because he is harassed with ousl-
ness cares. He has automobile on the
brain.
Whether he is able to afford it or not
makes little difference. In his own
mind the poorest man can be the owner
of an automobile and can discuss the
merits of the various machines at the
auto shows with all the confidence. de-
light and authority of millionaire
purchaser.
Sometimes-alasI- when a man is
tempted too strongly, this assumption
takes form in action, and poor wife, in
consequence, is obliged to wear last
years tailor-made for several seasons
to come, not to mention cutting out the
expense of matinee tickets and Easter
hats.
Talk about woman's extravaganza in
dress! It isn't to be mentioned in the
same breath with mans extravaganza
in automobiles. 1t requires a supreme
struggle for a man who can afford only
a limited indulgence in such luxury to
resist the temptation to greater ex-
penditure. The woman with a cheviot
income and a longing for velvet does
not struggle any harder with the
tempter than does he.
No more the cry goes up that hubby
spends his shekels in cigars and
treats for his business associates. The
old question OF the wife. What did you
do with your last weeks salary?'' is
answered shamefacedly by a repentant
spouse: Il put it on an automobile"
But the financial phase of the question
is not the only important one. The So
cial side is to be considered, too.
my dear" the wife of an auto en-
thusiast exclaimed to me the other day.
you haven't any idea what it is unless
you're married to one. Why, all he can
talk about is the machine No one in
terests him who can't talk machine No
one exists for him who can't listen TO
machine We have the subject dished
up to us for breakfast and dinner. and
between meals, the first thing in the
morning, the last thing at night.
Il wouldn't care so much If our friends
didn't have to suffer equally with the
family. Who ever has the sad luck to
happen in for a chat while my husband
is around must listen patiently with us
all to a steady stream of talk about the
automobile.
In vain I've tried to switch his atten-
tion TO other things. Why, just imag-
incl 1 had lovely dinner party for him.
invited some pretty girls and charmine
women and clever men, We had II all
planned-we women, I mean We were
to talk theater books. news, genkral
topics incessantly. and not give the mo-
tor car a chance. Well If you would
believe 1t. all those presumably delight
full men turned out to be auto maniacs,
My husband got in one word. ana at the