Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-22
THE MAN OF THE HOUSE
THE BROTHERS AND FATHERS OF
HOUSEHOLD.

There Is a rather good story told Of a
little girl who, profiting by her mothers
example, one day went out shopping on
her own account. ordering her purchases
to be sent home &C. o. D., after o'clock. ="
When her parents demanded an explana-
ton she amused them by announcing that
she had always supposed that &C. o. D"
stood for Call on Dad" who always came
home at o'clock to pay the bills.
The prevailing impression in a good many
| modern households seems to be that the
! man Of the house is sort of animated
| cash register, who, in return for supplying
! the funds needed for housekeeping, should
be well content to receive a roof and bed.
with a meal whenever he can spare time
| from the office to eat it.
On the whole, the man of the housewife
! is at least nominally its head-perhaps de-
serves little more consideration than he
usually gets. OF course, general thing,
| he has only himself to blame for his efface-
| ment.
The average American husband starts
| his matrimonial career by yielding every
thing to his wife: and il, when he would
! fain assert himself, he finds that he no
| longer has the power, 1t Is clearly nobody s
| fault but his own.
But that Is neither here nor there Every
| body in this land Of liberty is entitled to
! consideration, and 1t isn't exactly that when
| the man who pays the bills hasn't nook
in the whole establishment that ne can
| absolutely call his own.
Some day in the-Iet US hope-not far dis
! tant future, when architects have been
| properly enlightened as to family's needs.
| we shall have flats in which there shall be
| a smoking room for the man of the house.
| Then he will no longer have to choose be-
| tween smoking up the dining room or ad-
| journing to the roof to enjoy his post
| prandial cigar. Also, he VIII have place
| Of his very own wherein he may keep his
| desk and hang up his pipes and trophies,
| and put his feet on the table-if he be so
minded-and generally comport himself af-
ter the dictates Of his own inner conscious
| ness.
It is torture to the soul of a good house
wife to see things Uttered all over the place:
| and the average man. on the other hand.
| article he wants If everything is straight
| ened up'-not even when said article Is
| placed directly on top.
| Perhaps that Is why SO many weii-kept
| households are painfully familiar with
| family jars" A man never quite gets
| over being a boy; and the same impulse
which then prompted him to fill his pockets
| and bureau drawers with every conceiv-
| able sort Of rubbish remains with him, in a
modified form, to the end of his life. A
| woman, on the other hand, never entirely
! forgets the lessons of neatness that were
ground into her system when she was a
| girl; and unless she is an exceptional sort
| of woman, she never does and never can
| understand why man so hates to have his
personal belongings put in apple-ple oroer.
Then, too, the average man abominates
| the little fnicky "fxings" that are as the
very breath of life to woman. He likes
| a good sensible armchair, upholstered with
| a view to solid comfort: but he despises
| tides. and little dinky headrests and cush-
| ions that are too elaborate for use. More
over his idea of cosness is not expressed
| in an alleged ''cozy corner" with stuffy
! oriental draperies. and wrought-iron
| Moorish lamp against which he infallibly
| bangs his head every time he ventures
| within the sacred enclosure. In fact. he
! mentally looks upon all such contrivances
| with unqualified disapproval, counting them
| delusion and snare OF course, he
| doesn't usually voice his opinions-partly
| because he has the good sense to realize
| that he isn't at home enough for such mat
| tiers to be of Importance, and partly be-
| cause he is willing to concede to his women
| folk the right to arrange the house to suit
| their own tastes. :.
| Altogether taking him 'by and large,
| as the sailor men say, the man OF the mousse
| is a pretty good sort, and it appears only
| fair that he should at least be privileged
| to follow his personal inclinations in his
| own home. 1t may be an old-fashioned
| theory of course, and 1t might not work
| out satisfactorily in every case, but 1t is
| worth taking under Amusement by those
| young women who would fain learn how to
be happy though married"