St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1910-04-01
WHY MAH1IAo1 n YATAI.
Cessss Familiarity which Disrupts
the Domestic Hearth.

CeaSss Familiarity which Dfsrupts
the Domestic Hearth.
Glancins Idly over the home page
Of an esteemed but yellow contempo'
rary we come upon an interesting
treatise upon connubial etiquette, in
which the doctrine is laid down that
no truly refined woman ever In the
presence Of menials, invited guests
and the general public, says the learn
ed writer. the cultured wife should al
ways say my husband" and when dis.
coursing to her relatives and intimatee
friends she should say John"
To her children, of course, she may
speak Of their father as paw" pop
or "pah-p-a-a-a-a.h;" and in her con.
ferences with her attorney during d.
vorce proceedings she may use some
short euphemism, such as him. .
'that" or that man" but in general
she should coufine herself to my hus-
band" and John "Mr. Blank" we
are told, 10 a relic OF the preposterous
70s. when people covered haircloth fur.
aiture with Tides and made their
homes gay with knitted notices and
wax fruit under glass bells.
1t 10 our constant policy TO accept
without question the dicta Of all con-
stituted and self-constituted authori.
ties, the Baltimore Sun says, but In
the present case we feel within us the
fernsnt Of rebellion. That IL to say.
We refuse to believe that II 10 vulgar
for q woman TO speak Of her husband
~ "Mr. Blank" or even for her 10 I'D.
drsss him thus directly. On the con.
trary. We hold that the ancient Gus
tom. IN both Its branches. II one that
deserves to b revived and cultivated; (;
that 10 an admirable symbol Of the
awe and respect with which every wife
should regard her lawful governor and
bishop; that II elevstes and mellows
the husband by improving his sslf-rs
spect.
One Of the great objection to matri.
mony. among thoughtful men, u the IA.
miliarity which II involves. A man.
let us say. Of earnest purposes and
high attainments, who has won an en-.
viabie place among his fellow men and
has grown accustomed 10 being ap-
preached with deferencs and respect.
is married suddenly TO some worthy
but undistinguished young woman. and
at once ho finds himself treated like
rah.rah boy or favorite baseball
player. His wife. seeking 10 please
him and set him at his ease. calls him
"dearis" or Kid" and tries to kiss him
while he u shaving or thinking. Her
parents. prcsuming upon their vacuous
seniority. speak Of him NJ Johnny"
or "Magsie's John" Her sisters. in.
vnding the privacy Of his home. bawl.
"Johni joint Johnl" down tho stair.
ways; her uaspeakable brothers call
him Jack" and strike him on the
back. No wonder marriage 10 90 often
fatal to the higher sort Of men.
A. . matter Of fact. all such men
shiver with fastidious horror when.
ever they are addressed BY their Chris.
tian or given names. The custom pre-.
dicatss . degree Of familiarity. q
coarse irrsvsvncs. which they cannot
brook. The use Of the given name. In.
deed. 10 . privilege belonging only "a
blood relatives. and then only 10 those
Immediately related. O., parents
brothers and sistsrs. For the relatives
Of his wife. to third and fourth degree
80 TO call him u gratuitous outrage
upon his dignity. an indsfsnsibls Of
fense against good manners.