The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-12-27
HENPEcKED CLUB.
For Reform of Husbands Fallen Under
Petticoat Domination.

Petticoat Domination.
OF all the queer clubs that exist in
the world you will find some of the
queerest in Lancashire. One of these
is called the '.henpecked" club. AS
the title indicates, the members are
all males, and you can come across
club in almost every Lancashire town
of any size.
The meetings are held as a rule in
some bar parlor, and the discussions
are about members, and very often
non-members, who have the reputation
of being henpeeked. When evidence
has been brought to show that a par
tieular man has allowed himself to
come under his wife's thumb they tax
him with it in the place of meeting.
The president delivers a lecture on the
danger of a husband permitting his
wife to usurp his position as master,
and when the others have Endorsed his
remarks the person to whom the
speeches are addressed is warned that
if he continues to stand the henpeck-
ing he win be made the subject of
a demonstration.
The announcement that "henpeek
ed - club demonstration is to take place
is received in the district with mixed
feelings. The men applaud it and the
women condemn it, and the local police,
l.. ii -.
trouble. become a little anxious. On
the evening appointed members of the
club meet at a public house, where
they arm themselves with all kinds of
household utensils; then, led by cons
eertina players or a tin whistle band,
they start out and march along the
crowded streets of the district.
One man carries a broom, another a
swab, a third a shovel, or a coal seut-
tie, or a fender, or poker. Fire tongs,
blaek-lead brushes, washtubs, buckets
everything used in the home, in fact, is
carried shoulder high. AS they march
along to the music in front and the
diseOrdant changing of their baggage
they sing snatches of songs; in which
the name Of the victim occurs often.
The mission of the verses, which have
been specially composed for the oeca-
sion by a local poet, is to hold up the
henpeeked one to ridieule. the reason
for the demonstrators bearing the
household goods being, of course, to re-
mind him, that having fallen under
pettieoat government quickly he VIII
become the slavey.
When they reach the cottage where
their victim resides they form a circle
in front of the door and sing and clang
their Tenders and coal scuttles more
loudly than ever.
The man inside is invoked by the
president during a halt in the pro-
gram to "'be a man. and Join his
brethren. Sometimes if he looks upon
the affair as more of joke than any
thing else he does their bidding, and
they reform and march to headsuarters
with him at the head. Usually. how
ever, his wife appears instead with
bucket of sOapy water, which she
promptly throws over the demonstra-
tors, or she quickly causes a clearance
with a hose pipe.
To the onlooker it is Just an exhibi-
ton for laughter and nothing more,
but behind the scenes there is gener-
ally a lot of trouble and heartaching.
good number of these henpecked'
demonstrations have sequels in police
courts. Sometimes it is an enraged
victim being charged with assaulting
a demonstration, but more often than
not the sequel shows a wife appealing
to the magistrates for a separation
order.