Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-05-14

, ed fragments of his bust Then he
dealt automatically with the cook
and the bill collector, attacked the
unwashed dishes and generally
evolved order from chaos
From that time he was the head
of the house in all that the phrase
implies. The same perseverance and
determination that he had given to
the wretched bust. no longer mis-
guided, he brought to bear upon the
management of the house. He sup
| plemented and reinforced his wife;
theirs was an ideal specimen of
teamwork. The business, which had
been wobbly and uncertain, was now
| on an even keel and forged steadily
| ahead. In other words, the man had
! found himself, or was brought to
| himself.
1t is an incident which / have
always remembered because of its
| psychological interest.
On the face of the returns, 1t
would appear as If his wife's out
burst was the immediate cause of
his redemption. 1t gave him the
necessary jolt to rouse him from
his mental lethargy, just as paraly-
tics, bed-ridden for years upon
learning that the house is afire
comotion and raced madly for
safety.
have even heard it argued that
the natural inclination of the male
is toward Incidence and repose
and that if it were not for the con-
slant proddinS of his mate he
would drift rapidly back to the
blanket and a state of lazy saw
agery.
By that logic. to Xantippe must
go the credit for the philosophy OF
| Socrates.
OF course, everyone has seen
more than one tiny woman hold a
hulking colossus of a man in alb
ject subjection, solely because OF
the needle-thrust quality of her
repartee. But 1 do not believe that
such mosquito tactics ever stirred
! a man to great endeavor or brought
out the latent strength of his
character.
Nagging is one thing, though
and an occasional thunderstorm
when the domestic weather needs
clearing, is quite another. And
by the way, why do people always
speak of a "nagging woman" Some
of the most persistent and annoying
| naggers l have ever encountered
have been men.
Most women are potential shrews
just as most men are potential
brutes. And as there are certain
primitive types of women who can
respect and adore only the men who
beat them, so there are certain lazy
| saVageS of men who can be stimu-
lated to effort only by the poison OF
the serpent tongue.
| Yet for the normal human being
| believe, with st. Paul, in "a more
excellent way"
In the case that 1 have cited
above, l have my own pet particu-
| lar theory. Apparently the worth
less, Intellectual husband was shaken
| out of his shiftlessness by the uneX-
! pected explosion on the part of his
! long-suffering wife.
But please remember that this
! was her first outburst. For years she
had covered up his delinquencies and
had eXtolled him as a paragon of
competence and ability.
We all thrive on praise and re-
| spond to it, 1 do. You do. May it not
! be, then, that the long course of her
/ encomiums reacted on his nature,
making him believe himself the man
of force and character which she
| persstently presented both to him
| and to their world; so that when the
| opportunity came for him to eXem-
| plify thebelief she had implanted, he
| rose to it.
We are all so ready with our
"judicious criticism" and our right
eous indignation" And we are so
sparing of our pleasant thoughts and
pleasant words, so forgetful that,
ITO understand all is to forgive all.''
Don't you agree with me?