El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-03-03
The Petty Tyrant Husband
He Is the Meanest Man on Earth,
Meaner Than the Drunkard
or the FIirf.
n Wn-.-,Ru,-- Tnf- -
By Dorothy Dix

~ DO-N-A-a
rrAvING discussed the meanest man
n in the world and the meanest
4 Il girl, and the meanest wife, let US
now turn our attention to the meanest
husband.
The law, which IS made by man and
voices the masculine viewpoint Of high
crime and misdemeanOrs, declares that
the meanest husband is the man who
is unfaithful to MS wife. or who beats
her, or who drinks too much, or wh0
fails to support her.
In almost all Of the states, except New
York, woman can get divorce from
her husband for any one Of these faults
Now, undoubtedly it is narrowing to
a W1te's feelings for her husband to
have an affinity. and it skaters loves
young dream for him to give her a
black eye 1t is hard enough, heaven
knows. on the woman who has a drunk
en- or a shiftless husband. but none Of
these men, faulty though they be, hold
the championship medal for the mean
est husband.
FOrgivIng Wives
The man who occasionally strays off
the straight and narrow path is often
the most devoted and attentive and
generous husband at home. When a
wife refuses TO forgive infideIity it is
generally not because Of that particular
Offense, but because the man has other
wise qualified in the mean husband
Also. the man who drinks too much
almost invariably has the redeeming
virtue OF being sympathetic and tender
and cOmpaniOnable; the ne'er-dO-Weu is
generally eninently lOVable and even
the fists Of a brute 90 not leave such
wounds and sears on a WOmans body
as the hurts that the man who is a
spiritual bully can leave on her soul.
The meanest husband on earth is the
petty tyrant OF the hearthstOne, the
man who takes advantage Of his pO-
SitiOn to brOWbeat and humiIiaIe and in
guIf his wife and torture her nW
every refinement Of cruelty through the
long years Of their married life.
Pretty Tyrant's Way
You think there are no such menu
Believe me they are plentiful, and the
only reason there are not lynch1ng
bees in which many prominent citizen
would figure as the guest of honor, IS
because the thing g woman never tells
until she is on the way to the divorce
court is how her husband treats her
when the company is gone and the
doors are shut and they two are alone
together.
Do you never go to a dinner in which
the hosts funniest story is to tell.
with embellishments, OF some mistake
his wife has made2 Did you never
watch the look OF a bated rabbit come
into such WOman's face. and observe
how she looks suddenly down at the
plate to hide the tears IN her eyes,
That was a glimpse of the meanest nus
band in the world
Do you not know households where
LOE Gays at q time LlE 4-u5DdAl4 1-l5 W
in frozen silence, refusing to speak and
tell what is the matter, or how his
augustness has been offended, while
his door humble wife prOstrates her
self before him and apologies for
things she never did, and wears herself
to frazzle trying 70 prOpluare her
lord and MASTER
Do You know men whose insane
temDers keep their wives in covering
fear-men VINO, if the slightest thing
goes wrong in the household. pour out
upon their wives such Tltuperation and
curses as none Of their friends would
believe them capable Of using IN a
WOman's presence, to say nothing OF
visiting upon their wives? How's that
Their Flemish Delight
I know women who live in such
deadly fear of their husbands temper
and insults that they never speak with
out first canvassing a subjct IN their
own minds to see If there is anything
in it that could possibly annoy their
husbands
And strange to say these men are
nearly always men who stand high
among their fellows. who are leaders
in the church. and probably celebrated
for their geniality and gallautry out
side Of the home. and esteemed model
husbands because they provide their
wives with a decent place to live and
good clothes.
The 1Ieanest Man
But many a smug-faced hypOcrite
would get the medal for the meanest
husband II his wife could step forth
and tell the truth and say. this man
knows am dependent upon him. and
he humiliates me by insulting me every
time I ask for q. penny No slave, fear
ing the masters lash, ever Quaked with
terror as 1 do when present a bill to
him. There is nothing that he could
say that would wound me that he has
left unsaid, and in all the years I have
been married to him he has given me no
tenderness, no praise, no recognition
even of my faithful service as wife and
mother"
That's the meanest husband in the
world the man who takes a wOman's
a-A