The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1907-04-25
IN THE HomE NEST
Cheerful Evening Rsvcries for Tired
Mothers
MINISTER'S WIVES.

In no profession does persona
address and individual popularit
avail for more than in that of tn
minister. In no other professio
| or vocation does mans domesti
; relations so seriously affect hi
success. The physician may be
thrice welded widower in quest O
a fourth twin soul, or an exemplar,
benedict, and not lose a patient a,
a result of these conditions. Th,
lawyers life lies wholly within tn,
walls OF his office land the court
room. The merchants commanc
custom according to the excellence
OF their wares and their clever wa,
OF putting them on the market. A
tailor who gives perfect fit ma,
be ever so ignorant or disagree.
able he is sure of patronage. Even
poor unlettered Rachel Jackson
could not keep her husband out of
the white house, nor could fas.
clnating Francis Cleveland keep
hers in it, yet a minister's wife can
mar his usefulness, even to the
utter destruction thereof The
people have the whip.hand when
the pastor is married man, for
let him be ever SO high strung he
vii! bear much criticism, even to
fault finding, before he will upset
the wagon that carries his wife and
babies. Many times the wife feels
confident that it is her own in.
ability to please that leads to the
trouble, and she feels compelled to
either neglect her family or fail in
meeting the various demands
whose fultillment alone can bring
to her popularity. Do what she
may, let her be saint, seraph or
diplomat, she cannot sustain him
in his position when the wind OF
churchly favor veers.
A minister has little trouble in Sc.
curing a wife, for as a rule minis.
ters are we'll educated, well man.
nered and well dressed, and their
success in winning the fair sex is
too patent to be argued; and how
little the unsuspecting victims
realize the grave responsibilities
which come 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 complexion of affairs is
changed. His gentle partner may
be nothing more than a timid
shadow stealing at his heels, vet
this shadow changes the perspec-
tive. If she asserts her rights and
persists in looking we'll to her
household she is dubbed useless
in the church, and if 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 dis
cussed and handled by unclean
hands and the sacred precincts of
OF the minister's hreside are in
waited by the cruel busybodies,
which infest all grades and con-
ditions of life. To fit women of
moral mould to the needs and
fancies of church is beyond the
ability of an archangel.
The idea seems to be that a
model minister must have model
wife, and in foo many cases the
wife is included in the engagement
which hires him; and such con-
tractis surely iniquitous. What
a private church mem Der can do
consistently with her duty to her
husband and children she is bound
to undertake and nothing more.
That sheis or is not accomplished,
should affect her husbands in
fluence no more than if he were
lay communicate in the church to
which she belongs. The rule which
m a kpc tho ppruta r,t,, ,,o. H., l. ~.