The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1917-02-02
Love, Honor
And Obey
By WILLIAM CHANDLER

Il don't exactly see that"
In some instances a command is
necessary. Suppose, for instance, |
should notice that you were permitting
too frequent attentions from one OF
your old flames. I ask you to desist
You pay no attention to my request
l command you to desist. Isn't that
right"
You might rather say, Dearest, Mr.
So-and-sos attentions to you are at
tracting attention, to your and my in
jury That would be sufficient.
would act upon your warning"
But suppose you didn't?"
"Then command would do no
good"
Him. 1t wouldn't, eh?"
Suppose, ON the other hand. | asked
you to drop some old flame of yours
and you paid no attention to my re-
quest. Would it do any good for ME to
command you to drop herr
This staggered the young husband.
but not for long.
ut 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 n
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
ment?"
How about the children?'
1.-The children? Oh, the mother natu-
rally governs the children
"Oh, she does? You may as we'll I'M
derstand now as later that if we have
a boy | shall not permit you to make a
milksop Of him by coddling him. as
some mothers do of their boys"
"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. 1t 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 a dozen exclamation
points"
IF l were to marry you again |
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 married you at all. }
now see in you what / have never seen
before, the disposition of tyrant."
And l see in you what promises to
be rebellious wife,
Every well. If we can't get Oh to-
gether We'll have to separate"
That was the end Of the fracas, for
she fiounced out of the room, leaving
her husband gaping after her.
II wish those COMPOUNDED ministers, -
he said to himself, "had left the mar
riage service alone. What difference
does it make whether the word obey
is in it 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, it 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 l Quarreling about the manage
ment of boy who may never be born
is like fighting for the sky for a pas
ture."
ut was all my fault" she sobbed.
"If we ever have a 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 tum-
bier from a table and smashed it on
the floor.
Billy" said his father, ''if you do
that again l shall punish you Sc
verely."
The boy defiantly took up a 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 retrea ting whirlwind
| up the staircase.
There's a lesson in obedience for
you," said Webster to himself. Our
ancestors who put the word obey In
the marriage service knew what they
were doing. But in these degenerate
days it doesn't make any difference
whether 1t is there or not"