The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-19
By WILLIAM CHANDLER


quest. Would it do any good for me to
command you to drop herY
This staggered the young husband.
but not for long.
at wouldn't do any good, and prob
ably 1t wouldn't do any good for me to
command you, but the right to COM
mand is on my side There must be
one head to everything. There is a
head to all government Marriage in
wolves government. Government, to be
effective, cannot be with the weaker
1t must be with the stronger-party.
Man is stronger than woman; therefore
he is the natural governor"
when man and a woman love
each other. what's the need of govern
mentr
How about the childrenT'
THE children Oh, the mother natu-
rally governs the children"
"Oh, she does? You may as well un-
derstand now as later that If we have
a boy l shall not permit you to make
milksop Of him by coddling him. as
coAuC AnOlhCiS w vi tuelT UOyS.
"And you may as well understand
that you shall not give him the harsh
treatment Joe Tucker gives little Ben"
II shall teach our son one thing-obe.
dience"
obedience to both Of us?"
Certainly"
Suppose you tell him to do one thing
and tell him to do another?"
AHA. There you have proved my
case. It will be your duty to yield to
me in the matter-in other words. to
obey me. How can our child expect to
obey me unless you set him the exam
pie? It's my opinion that these divines,
instead of taking the word obey out
OF the marriage service, should make
1t stronger. 1t should be printed in
capitals and with dozen exclamation
points,"
IF l were to marry you again l
would insist on the word obey being
left out"
Then you wouldn't marry me-"
And we wouldn't have any son for
you to abuse"
You mean you would make Miss
Nancy of him."
I'm sorry l married you at all. j
now see In you what have never seen
before, the disposition of tyrant"
And see in you what promises to
be rebellious wife"
Very well. If we can't get on to-
gether Wen have to separate"
That was the end Of the fracas, for
she founced out of the room. leaving
her husband gaping after her.
Il wish those COMPOUNDED ministers"
he said to himself, chad left the mar.
rage service alone. What difference
does it make whether the word obey
is in 1t or out Of it? Maud didn't con-
slider it of any Importance till these di-
vines brought it up"
He was miserable for an hour. and
his wife was in the same condition.
Then he gave excellent evidence as to
who was master. His wife being the
weaker party, 1t was his part to offer
the olive branch TO her, not she to him.
He went to her. kissed her and said:
sweetheart, it seems to me that you
and | quarreling about the manage
ment of boy who may never be born
is like fighting for the sky for pas
ture."
1T was all my fault" she sobbed.
IF we ever have boy l shall expect
his father to take the lead in manag-
ing him, of course"
One day three years later Mr.. Web
ster was in the library with his son
Billy. Billy deliberately took a tum-
bier from table and smashed ii ON
the floor.
Billy" said his father, ''if you do
that again / shall punish you Sc
verely."
The boy defiantly took up glass
pitcher and repeated the smashing
process.
His father was about to take him
over his knee for a spanking when
there was a swish of skirts on the
stairs and Mrs. Webster dashed into
the room, took Billy in her arms and
disappeared like a retreating whirlwind
up the staircase.
There's a lesson in obedience for
you,' said Webster to himself. "Our
ancestors who put the word obey i'm
the marriage service knew what they
were doing. But in these degenerate
dnE a