St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-07-03
TWO SORTS OF WIVES
SOME ARE HELPMEETs AND SOME
STUMBLING BLOCKS.
Lives Of Successful Men Remind Us
Of Credit Due to WIfe-LIttIe Said
Of the Wife Who 10 q
Hlndrance.


In these piping times Of prosperity
we see many articles published tell
ing how the writer achieved success
in this Oregon country, and principal
ly on small pieces Of land. Such
stories are highly inspiring, particu-
larly to the young men and young
women who are just starting out for
themselves.
II one will take the trouble to tab
ulate and analyze these stories it will
be discovered that in nine cases out
OF ten a good woman was the actual
cornerstone upon which the success
was founded and worked out. The
same has been true since the world
began, we suppose. 1t certainly has
been the rule that the good helpmeet
has done more for man than any 9TH
er one cause-than any other score Of
causesz-since our forefathers landed
on the bleak New England shore.
There are, perhaps, fewer exceptions
to the rule now than ever, particular
ly among those who have risen from
poverty to affluence on the land.
We must give the wives of nearly
all successful men great credit. In
many cases they have suffered more
hardship than their husbands, IA
theirs, or brothers have labored hard
er, have worked for longer hours. No
credit is too great for them.
But how often is the other side of
the story alluded to? Where can
we find the stories Of the wives who
were not helpmeets, but rather him
ORANGES and stumbling blocks to their
husbands? How about the wives who
almost from the day of marriage
were begging for fineries, luxuries
and unnecessary articles beyond their
means? Do we read of them?
This is not a pleasant subject to
touch upon; but many of us can point
to cases where the extravaganza of
the wife has kept the husband in pow
erty, is still keeping him in poverty,
or at least keeping his nose to the
wheel, grinding, grinding his life
out inch by inch. Would 1t not be
well to take up this phase of life and
now and then speak of the failures?
Why not call attention to the woman
who has begged the money from her
young husband for the purchase OF
a new dress which she does not need,
or a new hat, which all know to be
above her means, when the same
money put into a COW or two would
mean success.
In telling about the CHEEKY and
encouraging words of the true help
meet why not give a little thought to
the poor husband who has had the
very soul and spirit nagged out of
him by a woman who did not know
what she wanted, but was bound to
have, If nagging could get them, many
of the flneries Of her richer neighbors
had?
Few such stories are published, for
the reason that the husbands are fail
ures, or SO considered, and no man
likes to exploit himself as a failure.
But would it not be well for some of
the unfortunate ones to tell their stor-
les for the benefit OF the young wives
who, with their husbands, are just
starting out on the road Of married
life? All praise to the good wom-
en-, the good wives, the selfsacrificing
and noble mothers; but let us now
and then have a word for the unfor-
tunate husbands of the other sort of
women.-Portland Oregonian.