Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-10-13
By DOROTHY DIX.

The announcement that the Episco-
pal church is going to expurgate the
word "obey" from the marriage serv-
ice has been hailed everywhere by
women as tidings OF great joy.
Aside from the fact that it is archaic
and insulting in these days OF
feminine emancipation to ask a full
grown, intelligent woman to promise
to obey anything except the dictates
OF her own conscience and judgment.
women object to being called upon to
perjure themselves in the most
solemn act OF their lives.
For no woman has any idea, or
intention, or expectation of obeying
her husband. More, il there were the
slightest danger OF her being forced
to keep the vow of obedience, there
would be no wedding bells for her.
Nor does the bridegroom either ex-
pect or desire that the woman ne IS
espousing shall obey him. fle isn't
marrying brainless child, or a hum
Bile slave, but woman whom he has
picked out for a companion through
life, and who is as broad minded and
as we'll educated as himself. Why,
then, should she take his orders? Why
should she do his bidding?
1t would strike the average man
as a pretty cheeky thing even to
suggest that he should expect his
wife to obey him. Besides. the thing
simply isn't done now, you know.
OF course, there are those who
insist that woman should promise
to obey her husband, because he is
the head Of the house. Nonsense.
This head-of-the-house theory has
been first aid to more divorces than
any other cause in the world, because
its generally only after a woman gets
to the place that she can't endure
her husbands tyranny any longer that
she hires private detective to hunt
up his record.
In its finest essence marriage is
partnership wherein man and
woman pool their whole resources.
The woman puts in everything that
she has OF heart and brain and
purse, even more completely than
the man does, and this being the
case she is certainly entitled to an
equal voice with him in deciding
every problem that arises in their
joint lives.
Two men who are equal partners
in a business do not arrogate the
right OF "bossing" each other. They
consult, they defer to each other.
One or the other gives in when they
differ, as seems best and wisest.
Each partner is supreme in his own
department, and, if the firm pros
pers, the partner with the most
far-seeing judgment directs the af-
fairs of the business.
There is no reason why this plan
shouldn't work out just as well in
domestic life as it does in CONNER
cial life, and in reality wherever you
find happy marriage the aforesaid
plan is the one that is used.
After all, the mere putting on Of
trousers does not endow the wearer
thereof with supernatural wisdom.
and in many family the gray mare
is the better horse. Many a wife
has more intelligence, keener per-
ceptions, wider outlook, and even
more business sense than her hus-
band. How idiotic even the sugges-
ton that she should obey him, and
that he should arbitrarily decide the
family destinyl
And while the marriage service
is being overhauled for deadwood,
there is another passage that might
be deleted with profit. That is the
phrase in which the man promises the
bride, with all my worldly goods l
thee endow," and which is just as