Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-12-10
(By Dorothy Dix

In the course of year l get thous-
ands of letters from unhappy wives
complaining that their husands neglect
them, or that their husands will never
take them to any place of amusement,
that their husands are niggardly and
stingy to them.
These women are all miserable, and
they all want to know what they can
do to ameliorate their hard lots in
life
Of course, what they really desire is
some magical formula that will change
a negIectful husband into an attentive
one, an Indifferent husband into low
er and a tightwad into a generous hus-
band Unfortunately the day of mir
acles is past, and a woman can no
more alter man over to her taste
than she could the Rock of GIBRALTAR.
In novels a husband is led sometimes
by his wifes gentleness and angelic
patience to turn over a new leaf, and
from having been . concentration Of
.oussedness become a paragon of do
nestle virtues; but if any such metam-
orphosis ever took place in real life,
can only say that l have never been
privileged to behold it.
AS a general working proposition a
wife may take it that what her hus-
band is he is going to be to the end of
the chapter, only more so as the years
go by If he is kind and tender, and
Considerate he will be tender and
kinder and more considerate as they
so down the hill together, because big
souls grow with age If man is
mean, and selfish and stingy, and
tyranical, he will grow meaner, and
more stingier, and more tyrannical as
he grows old because little souls mar
row. and warp, and grow bitter with
age.
If a mans neglects his wife he does
so because he is tired of her and she
bores him. If he doesn't want TO take
her out with him to any place of am
usement it is because he has a getter
time without her. If he is penurious
with her it is because he wants to
save his money for himself. These are
blunt and brutal facts, but they are
facts. Furthermore, there is not one
blessed thing that a woman can do to
alter them
The only remey for the situation IS
to face it fairly and squarely, and for
women to go to work to make over
their own lives which can be done in
stead of trying to make over their hus-
bands, which cannot be done.
| For instance, why should a woman
rend the air with her walls because
her husband never wants to take her
out to any place of amusement with
him? Why doesn't she just accept the
truth that he doesn't enjoy her society,
and get up and hunt up some amuse-
ment on her own account?
The time has gone by when wo-
man has to approach any place of pop
ular amusement hooked on to a mas
culine arm Nor do women in this day
/ of grace lack for diversions. With ey-
cry theatre having two matinees a
week; with moving picture shows on
every corner, with the innumerable
women's clubs that abound with good
bridge players in every neighborhood,
with restaurants and tea rooms on ev-
I cry side, with hen luncheons and par
ties crowding on the heels of each 9TH
er, surely there is more diversion
ready at every womans hand than is
good for her
All of these amusements are equally
open to her, married or single and if a
woman's husband won't take her to the
theatre at night, all she's got to do is
to pin on her hat and go to the mat
inee; if he won't take her to a res
taurant to dinner and she yearns for
the shaded lights, the gorgeously
/ dressed women. the artificial palms
and the music of cafe life, she can
find perfect substitute by going to
tea at any of the smart hotels.
/ And if she's a sensible woman she
does go, instead of fretting herself in
to fiddle string because her husband
won't take her out with him. 1t ISM
/ question now of a woman being
taken it's a question of her go
ing"
/ Exactly the same thing may be said
to the woman whose husband is stingy
to her. The woman who is married to