The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-06-30
The Household Pest
BY DOROTHY DIX.


does not permit YOU TO consiGn 70
n lCthal chamber, or use iusecti-
eide. OF rough. u-Tats on thus d.
stroycr Of YOUR peace and comfort.
vet. compared with the Objector,
The bowling Of stray eats IS grand
oprra aud cockrC3ches and mice
welcome visitors IN your home.
There arc few fsmilies so fortu-
nate rs not TO have an Obiector IN
their midst. and tho great social
problem is not now TO stop divorce.
but how m get rid Of this ever
present afflictiou, for We are bound
10 il. as general thing. by ties
that we lack the hardihood 10
break.
The Objector is the dsmpcr on
enthusiasm. the throttle on energy.
the cxtiuGuisher on ambition. the
wet blanket on pleasure. the thing
that takes ali the susp and ginger
out Of Us. and makes US sit down in
wenriuess and despair and say,
'Oh. what the usel' II is the
Objcctors who are at the bottom
of most OF tle failures in tho world.
because by the time a talented and
gifted man and woman have fought
down tho Directors on their hearth
stones. they are so battered aud
worn that they haven't enough
strength left 10 do anything else
We are always marveling at
some youth or maiden who stopped
short at the beginning of a prom
ising career II we could know
the truth We would generally find
that he or she had an Objector in
D l.
he or she had thrown so much cold
water on whatever the yonth OF
maiden was trying TO do that the
poor. discouraged. disheartened vic
tim gave up in despair
For Directors are always de-
structiye force. They are never
obstacles in the way Of the thing
never suggest anything better TO
do.
It is n truism that hope is. of it.
self. an Inspiration, and that the
limit Of our achievement is our
belief in our own ability. Nobody
ever did anything worth while
cdly and doubtfully To doubt
cipitate failure. The obiectors
forego the pleasure OF their raven
croakings.
The queer thing about the OBJ
iector is that he or she never has
anv real principle behind his or her
objections. and if YOU happened
10 do the other wav he or she
would have been Just ms much oP-
posed to that line of conduct
Probably Objectors don Z even
know why they object themselves.
They are only animated by some
obscure and malevoleut impulse
that makes them enjoy taking the
edge off your enjoyment or dull
ing your enthusiasm.
To my mind the sublime heroism
of which human nature is capable
is never more marvelously illus.
trated than in the fortitude with
which we endure the Oblector, for
few indeed are they who escape
having 10 put up with one.
Sometimes the Objector is a hus-
band and father who visualizes to
mis- family an eternal No.
Does the wife cook good din
ner! Husband finds fault with the
seasoning. and wants TO know why
she had beef instead OF mutton, and
2 pie instead of cake! Does the
wife want n new dress3 Husband
berates her for her extravaganza.
Has the wife accepted an invita-
ton for them for the evenlngf
Husband quarrels about going out.
Does wife want 20 stay at home'
Husband insists on going 10 the
theater. Does wife want 10 go aud
see one play? Nothing will please
husband but going TO see some
thing else, Does wife want to 20
on a little visit or trip some
where' Husband brings forward
ten thousand arguments against
her leaving home and prophesies
hat she will be killed in rail
road accident, or the ship she goes
on viii sink
No matter what the wife wants
10 do. the husband disapproves Of
II and objects 10 II until IL takes
all of the SAVIOR out Of every pleas
ure.
And ii + the same way with the
children. III Tom wants TO 90 10
work. father insists on his going
10 college, If Tom wants 10 study
medicine. father objects 10 his be-
ing anything but grocer n
Mary wants 10 90 TO party, IA
ther thinks she = too gay, and If
she stays Mt home he bemoans that
she doesn { care for society, and
when she goes to get married he
objects To every single thing about
the man from the way he parts his
hair TO the way he makes n living.
Just rs often-perhaps oftener-
the Obiector is wife and mother.
She objects 10 the kind of neck
tie her husband wears and the way
he ties it. She objects TO his read.
ing the paper at breakfast and his
eating hot rolls instesd Of break
fast food. She objects to his ste
nographer. and his clerks and his
friends. She objects 70 hi- having
clnss OF beer and every single
thing he does.
And She frets ut her children
all day about everything they do.
and leave undone. If Mary puts
on pink dress, mother objects.
II Mary combs her hair a certain
way, another objection from moth
or. II Mary goes walking with one
of tho girls. mother raises ob1ec"
tion, n she doesn Z 90 walking.
mother objects to her not taking
enough exercise. Tf one of the
hovs comes to see her, mother oh.
iects 10 her having besux. II the
hcys don I come. mother nags her
because she doesn have any at.
tcution. And so it goes on until
poor Mary qualities as irst-class
martyr.
RI Il