The Washington herald., 1910-09-11
By CHARLOTTE NJ. cONGER.

these days. They come from the North,
South. East. West, from Europe. Asia.
Africa. and far-away Australia. Some
are a surprise. some announce the ap-
preaching termination OF long-standing
engagements. and all give TO think" as
the French say. The American marriage
is a topic OF international discussion
the American marriage and the American
divorce-which subjects are rarely I'M
derstood by those who discuss them so
eloquenty and learnedly in European
salons or on the decks Of transatlantic
steamers The American marriage as
practiced By our grandparents and great
grandparents was a simple affair from
the beginning OF the courtship until the
interested couple plighted their troth be-
fore the altar Civilization had not then
reached the relnements OF our day. and
once the young people OF the early part
OF the nineteenth century were married;
they found enough TO occupy them to
keep them busy and out Of mischief. The
women OF the eighteenth century brewed
and baked: spun, wove. darned, and
mended: and the work OF the men was
not so strenuous they could not Law It
aside I'm the evening and join In rubber
OF whist, play backgammon or chess. or
even dance There was no Wall street,
as we know It: the cable did not bring
dlsquietlng reports OF the ups and downs
Of the foreign financial markets, and
wheat was not sold and resold before It
was even sown. Pleasant, placid days
were these.
To ,,rderstond American MARRIAGES and
the position woman holds among us II is
necessary 10 study the early conditions
OF the country. In colonial days women
played the part Of men; were forced 70
play the part OF men when their hus-
bands were on the warpath. clearing the
acres that had been granted them. hunt
ing game or away on other adventures
that took them far from home. The
wives left behind. besides spinning and
weaving and keeping their homes In or
der. sewed and reaped. and when sur
prised by savages barricaded their homes
and protected themselves and their chill
dren by shooting at their besiegers with
muskets, firmly held and accurately
aimed. The American women OF the
eighteenth and the early part Of the
nineteenth century. in a word. were so
noble so valiant. so brave and uncom-
planning, so loving and loyal through all
the viclssitudes of pioneer life. that they
earned and deserved admiration and
alteration OF the men they loved.
The Pioneers Home.
The husband who came home from
weeks spent in the wilderness TO a we'll
ordered home. comfort. and love. the
tender ministrations OF HIS wife, the ca
resses Of his children, was so content. so
happy that he came TO defy almost the
woman who had provided that happi-
ness The man-child. seeing his mother
In his fathers absence playing the part
Of both mother and father. noting her
fearlessness in danger. resOurcefulness
under all circumstances. yet tender
wlthal, came 70 worship his mother, 70
look upon her as possessed Of superhu-
man qualities. for his father could only
do mans work, while HIS mother did
everything his father could do, her own
work besides.
The descendants OF those pioneer women
have inherited the position they so finely
won and so greatly deserved, but they
do not always use It worthlly and nobly.
as often happens with things inherited
and not earned. The women Of our day
are ranked as queens. and they accept
the rank. the homage. and the spells
camplacently and contentedly. They
haughtily assume the position the devo-
tons. industry. and unselhshness their
ancestors made for them. and recklessly
waste and spend what their great-grand-
mothers built up. They do all this SUI
perbly magnifcently. without a glance
back or a thought even. because they are
Americans, foisoOth, and that IS the way
Americans are treated in America.
The American man contemplates her
with surprise. He is surprised that this
beautiful creature, this fair person that
he has spoiled and humored, should pre-
fer men Of other nations 10 himself, and
here we come around to the wedding
cards with which we started out, for rs
often as not these days the wedding
cards that come to one announce the
marriage OF an American young woman
90 foreigner Why any American-born
young woman should prefer a foreigner
TO himself the mere American can not
understand. II he had time. or would
take time from his business. from his
counting house and Wall street TO study
the subject a little he would understand.
Typical Foreign Match.
In his account in "A Modern Chronicle
OF Honoras marriage to Howard Spence
Winston Churchill has drawn with a
mastery hand a typical American mar
rage. Who does not know. has not
met. can not claim IN his own family
the husband who spends ali OF his strength
and energy in his business. and whose
only idea OF pleasure. Of a good time
Is the occasional dinner at a fashion
able restaurant where his wife. dressed
in expensive forgery. Is the observed of
all observers. His attitude is this He
gives his wife a gilded cage and fine
plumage and takes her out for an occa-
sional good time" hence she should be
happy. for what more can she want?
The wife. II she is frivolous. does not
want much else. She is perfectly con-
tent 10 give long hours that might be
made glorious to thinking about her
clothes and 10 pass other long hours
dawdling at the dressmakers or shop
ping. There rarely is company 1t Is so
much easier to take guests 20 a cafe.
so much less trouble. so much more
amusing. That word "easler" is the
motto Of certain class OF housewives
But why call them housewives when they
are so far removed from what the word
housewife really means? 1t is not what
IS best, what is most comfortable. simple
and elegant. but what IS easiest that
dominates them. For amusement she
plays bridge. haunts the matinees, and