The Washington herald., 1917-11-17

We are all agreed that making a
home Is a partnership job that re-
puires the united efforts Of both
sexes.
No man can make a real home by
| himself alone, although he lives in a
palace designed by an architect who
is an artist, and puts a tidy on every
chair, and has a cook that is chef.
No woman can make a home alone
by herself, though she smokes ciga-
rettes in every room, has parrot that
swears, and a cat that comes in late.
1t takes both a man and woman,
working together, to create that in
tangible atmosphere that changes a
house into a real home. This being
true, what should be the mans part
in the actual work of running home?
II he furnishes the money which
maintains it, does that end his re-
sponsibility in the matter, or has his
wife a right to expect him to add the
role Of handy man around the house
to that of financial backer?
An interesting light has just been
thrown on this question by a recent
decision by a Judge of the Domestic
Relations Court.
A man was tried for wife desertion.
He pleaded as his excuse for having
abandoned his own fireside that his
wife made him do all of the house
work in addition to supporting the
family. He said that after having
worked hard all day as a carpenter he
would have to cook the supper, make
the beds, sweep the floor, wash the
children's faces, and often work till
midnight doing the family laundry.
For which reason at last this poor
downtrodden domestic worm turned
and. in vulgar parlance, beat it.
The judge, being just man. exoner-
ated the martyred husband and de-
livered a severe lecture to the slave
driving wife. in which he told her. In
substance, that when a man provided
the money to support a home he had
done all that could be reasonably ex-
pected of him and that his wife had
no right to burden him with the ac-
tual work of running it. That was
| her part of the business.
A most just decision. in my opinion
Personally, I think that when a man
provides the money to support house
he has contributed his quota of the
| labor. and that the rest Is up to his
wife. He should be considered an
honored guest who is not expected tc
do any other work or face any of the
worry of keeping the household ma
| chinery running.
This is, of course, II the wife is
well. Naturally IL the wife Is an
invalid the husband would have to
lend a hand, but a healthy woman
! who hasn't industry and intelli-
gence and executive ability enough
to keep her house going without
bothering her husband or sending
out s. o. S. call for his help ought
to be ashamed of herself.
She shows herself a poor incom.
petent, and the thing she should do
is to buck up and get busy with
her end of the domestic partnership
The woman who expects her hus-
band to be an assistant chamber
maid and cook and nurse girl al
home, in addition to doing his own
work outside of the home, is handi-
Gaping him in the race for sue
cess. In the fierce competition that
prevails now in every kind of busi-
ness the average man has just
about all the work, anxiety and
nervous strain that he can endure
| in his own bushes. II when he
gets home he has to help with the
dinner and the cleaning up and
wash the dishes, sooner or later he
will find out that these domestic
duties are the last straw that broke
the camers back, and he will col
lapse under them!
No matter how willingly he un-
dertakes his wife's work in addi-
ton to his own, or how beautiful
the impulse that prompts him to
s-v~ hAr all at tia anArosza and dfs-