The Washington herald., 1917-10-24

such different home stmospheres and
had such different points OF view.
My people were prim and puritanic.
with rigid codes OF conduct. Each
Individual child Of us had its own
room. its own belongings, It's own
privacy, and we would no. more have
thought OF using each others things
or intruding on each other than we
would have intruded on a stranger.
We were taught reticence about our
own affairs, and that to talk about
our plans was TO indulge in a sort OF
weak garruiity.
My husband, on the contrary. came
OF happy-go-lucly family, demon
strativeiy affectionate to each other.
and where everything was held al
most in common. and nobody had. or
wanted to have. any privacy. Every
thing that everybody did was talked
over exnaustively before and after IL
was done. and was the subject of
unlimited free advice.
You cannot imagine how all OF this
grated on my every sensibility. II
seemed to me the very quintessence
of the vulgarity of family life. / al
most died of silent fury the first time
my husband asked me whom a let
and II was months before / had sense
enough to perceive that what prompt
ed his question was not jealous de-
sire TO pry into my correspondence.
but just a loving interest that made
anything that concerned me, even my
letters. Of interest to him.
TT shocked me to hear him tell Of
his aspirations. 1 thought Il weak
Dragging. until in course of time /
learned that it was Just his afec-
tionate desire TO share his hopes
with those dear to him.
And his family equally mis-
Judged me. Because / couldn't dis
cuss with them a new dress or hat
before / bought ii. they thought me
secretive. Because 1 have never
been able TO express a miIlionth pa
OF what 1 felt. they thought me cold.
and because / couldn't overcome the
habit that had been instilled into
me from my babyhood and accept
the things they offered to lend me,
they thought me proud and ex-
elusive So j will always be an out
slider to my husbands people. Per-
hsps that is the reason that most
in-laws get along so badly together.
It's family characteristics that
neither side can help having that
makes the family circle a perpetual
prize ring.
'1n domestic life it's the little
things that count. Nearly all of
us could forgive our husbands or
wives some one great big sin IL
only they were congenial and SYM
pathetic and companionabIe about
petty everyday affairs. The things
that we find unforgivable is the
everlasting antagonistic attitude
the husband and wife who never
thinks the way you do. who never
likes the things you like. who never
wants TO do the things you want
TO do.
The wife / pity is the girl who
has been brought up to be inde-
pendent and who marries a man
who has been raised to think a wife
should be her husbands slave. or
the girl who has been petted and
loved and INDUCED who marr,es a
human icicle. The man who has
my sympathy is the man VINO has
had a big Drained. Intelligent
mother. and sisters. and who mar
ries a fool, or the man who has
been raised to see a wife be a help
mate TO her husband VINO marries
a selfish, spoiled. extravagant girl
who is a milestone about his neck
But as 1 said before" the wom-
an philosopher added. these un-
suitable marriage do take place,
and they don't all end in divorce.
And that's the marvel of mEtri-
mony. 1t shows that the old martyr
spirit still exists"
ICoryrisht. 1917, hy the Wheeler syndicate. I3cD