Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-10-11
Little
6eNarriedLife
By
WILLIAM GEORGE JORDAN
Copyright
HOME MATTERS OUT.
SIDE.

1
tress from the ship Of matrimOny?
They give monolOgues on the slightest
proyocatiOn. and often on the very
slightest acquaintance, On the ever
new subject of their home troubles.
They seem to be a private press assO-
citation for syndicating news of domes-
tic cares, worries and miseries. They |
keep their memories Of home discOrd
all labeled. classified and dated, and
seem to take a collectors delight In
parading them. 1t is a false adver-
Using instinct that publishes the weak
ness of the matrimonial firm.
4. II the sky of the home Is overcast
ind the sun Of love is temporarily
1arkened by doubt or misunderstand-
Ing, 1t is not wise to bring In the neigh
bors to witness the eclipse. II there
Is Il little sand In the sugar Of home
happiness. 1t really seem better to
concentrate on the sweetness that re-
mains than to curry around samples
If the grit In envelopes Of conversa-
tiOnal confidence.
In the business world. when a firm
has to pass through u period of sun
less days and stress and storm; when
they are long on hope and short on
prosperity; when the partners enthu-
siastically agree with each others pol
Icy; when the present looks grim and
the future grimmer, they guard their
condolences carefully they fear their
troubles may be known outside; they
realize that they are facing u problem
that must be solved from within, not
exploited from without. They feel an
esprit de corps that makes it seem
d~lslOyalty to talk matters over outside
the breustworks. And In married life
love, loyalty, dignity, u basic mutual
respect should make this guarding Of
the sanctity of the home even greater.
Talking home matters outside Is adver.
tising the Insolvency Of harmony. 1t
weakens the credit and reputation Of
the home firm, and often causes unjust
ratings In the Brudstreet of society.
A temporary trouble, that may be
merely a weeks cloud In the home It.
self, may be recorded as Il Damaging
tornado" IL given Intensity of life by
being idly talked of outside the family
walls. Gossip is a natural weed In
the garden Of conversation; 1t grows
so freely and spontaneously that we
need never plant with our own hands
the seed Of needless criticism, com
nent and condemnation Of ourselves
and Of those who should be nearest
and dearest to US.
There are times In the home when
some grievance. real OF fancied, swells
our feeling to a dangerous high-tide
Ut emotion; piQue or pride may add q
new pang to suffering, and, carried
along by the torrent, we feel we must
tell 1t to some one 1t hardly matters
what ears hear the story, 50 that we
may have U hearts filed with the
c0nsoling music Of sweet sympathy. II
may be a natural hunger, but it II
none the less dangerous. Its very ma
ture may make It unjust.
In the intensity Of feeling we con
centrate In our complaint on the eli
max. the word, phrase or act that
seems the essence Of our hurt. Bui
we rarely tell the true story truly; We
unknowingly suppress part, slur ovel
in innocent lightness our part Of it
an i%ncendiary word that added new
fire, an unkind silence, perhaps. thai
made rs equally guilty. This Is thu
element that makes the telling unjust
and intensiles its disl0yalty; We eager
ly drink In the sympathy. feel a mo
ment's balm Of righteousness In hear
ing the other condemned; and Il
usually ~intensiies and exaggerates oul
sense Of hurt.
But when our wiser judgment re
turns and night dawns into day, ant
the bright sunlight pours in through
the windows, We see things In a more
normal perspective. Our high-struni
emotions Of the night before seem I'm
justified, foolish. with the garish dis
order and confusion Of a banquet tabl,
still standing the morning after. w,
would give so much to buy back ouI
confidence Of the night before, ont
would pay a good premium just to b.
able to lock our secret again in tn
silence Of the unspoken. But that 4
one thing that all our most earnes
prayers and sincere repentance canno
bring to pass. What we have told, ",
have told, and 1t has gone from on
keeping.
This ia the cyclonic confession, un
derstandable, and even f%0rglvablc, per
haps az a cloudburst; but there IL
mean drizzle Of complaint, q constan
fog Of petty charges, that IL one o
the worst phases Of talking home mat
tiers outside. When q husband adopt
the martyr pose and talks freely Of al
the things he hos to put up with q
home, interposlng sample home con
versati0ns and Incidents, n longs 4
take him into a corner, remove thi
"Dend March In Saul" cylinder fron
the photograph Of his conversation
md put In a "Iiome Sweet Home
one. When q wife feels that ever
p mi must be interested In her story o
her difficulties IN divorcing her hus
band from a little money for house
hold expenses, and continuously en-
cores herself with similar narrative
In her repertoire, one cannot but fee
somehow, u good deal Of sympathy
with the husband.
II the horsepower energy that maj
y rled people thus put into syndicatlnI
their trials, sorrows and troubles wer
concentrated on trying to lessen tn