El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-02-03
Collecting Love D e b t
IL Is a Great Art to Know, but Few
Husbands, Wives or Parents
Learn Ii.
- n ulnrnaIr-- nlr -

IT Is one Of the tragedies Of life that
so many people are never able to
= collect the dividends on their viz
tues. They are everything that is noble
and good, but some unfortunate pecu-
liarity of manner or temperament or
character prevents them from ever re-
ceiving the Just reward Of their good
! deeds.
The family circle offers the most
continuous and piteOus illustration OF
this unappreciated merit, for it seems
10 be the lot OF those VINO do the most
Tor their nus Stands OF wives or chill
dren or parents TO get The least love
and thanks for il.
The family dOorm1I IS always trOd-
den upon The fam-ly martyr 1nvarl-
Merit and Attraction.
This Fagary OF human nature seems
strange, but the explanation is really
Tery simple. II IS that II IS not enough
We must know how TO collect the debt
And duty is a bad collector. In order
to receive the reward OF their efforts
the VlrJuOus must appeal 10 soInetnlns
in Us except our sense Of obligation
To be loved one must be lOvaDle, and
alas, merit and attraction do not al
ways walk hand in hand
Do you not know some woman whose
devotion TO her husband is so absolute
that II is actually pltlfulE She never
mas thought that does not center IN
him. She burns herself to a c1nder
over the kitchen stove cooking the
dishes he likes 10 eat. She slaves and
saves to help him along She would
cheerfullV be cut IN little pieces if it
would do him any good
In his soul the husband probably
feels that he should value his treasure
as 1t deserves but for the life Of him
he can He knows Just how wonder
tul and fine such affection as his
Wife'S is in the abstract but all thar
he can remember is how she nags him
about little things, how fOOl1shly jeal-
s~r hi Il
her domestic tyranny SO the woman
loses all the reward Of her devotion
Just because she doesn't know how TO
collect her debt Of love from her nus
band
And do we not know Just the same
tyDe of huSband2 The man who never
looks at another woman than his wife,
who tolls like a dray horse to give her
every luxury. who is a model husband
is concerned, but who is cross and sur
" or grOuchy and silent at home, and
who never shows his wife any tender
Can't Remember Virtues.
Then. how many cases do we know
Of parents who make perfect martyrs
who get no return IN appreciation or
affection. It's the custom to blame the
children. but the fault is not so often
theirs as that of the fathers and moth
ers, who do not know how to collect
the reward Of their devotion
I think now Of father who is liter
ally killing himself by inches IN order
to give his children the advantages
that he did not have in his own youth
He works almost ceaselessly, with none
of the breaks and rests in his toll that
he needs. He stays at home while his
family goes forth to enlOV themselves
He has always the shabbfest clothes in
the household
The Pay He Doesn't Get.
The only thing that could repay this
man for all that he does and sacrifices
for his children would be their under
standing of it and their love and rev
erence for him. but his children-as he
sees himself with tterness-really
care nothing for him The father
thinks the fault is entirely the chill
dren's, but il isn't 1t is his. He has
never taken the trouble to get &C
quainted with his children. He has
never been a pal with one OF them He
has scarcely ever spoken to one except
10 criticise him or her, and the result
Is that the children are afraid OF him
It's a great art to know how to col
lect the debt Of love, and it's worth
learning.