The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-12-08
THE TYRANNY OF TOO TIGHT A
REIGN
tCopyhghtI

fhe freeSt people that ever breatheC
into hopeless slaves. numbly submits
give and spiritless. or scheming rebels
with smile on their lips but hate in
their hearts as they dream their gold
en- dreams of secret revolt and a bold
break for liberty. There is a brand OF
bossism in married life, of petty ty
ranny in the home that duplicates in
miniature this dilemma of results. II
Eaps the ambition, courage and vitality
of husbands and wives. and transforms
Them into dull. crushed, colOrleSs be,
tngs. or if they do not submit thus
meekly it trains them persistently in
smiling Hypocrisy, trickery, deceit, ~
ing and plotting to cheat the tyranny
they do not dare openly to resent.
Have you ever met the husband. of
fhe timid. suppressed type, who al
ways answers his wife's call with yes
my dear" mo, my dear" or '.just in a
moment, my dear" 1t is never the
sweet dear" that drops gently into a
sentence like Il caress. His my dear"
with its mOnotonOus iteration of a
photograph record seems a continuous
phrase of placating. 1t is not affec-
ton. 1T is just fear; it seems pleading
deprecatory gesture of the voice as if
trying to dodge a rebuke or lecture
MS one invOluntarily wards off an at
tack with the appraised arm. You
somehow feel that you should take him
into coy corner and soothe him.
and tell him not to be afraid, that you
will protect him.
When you are alone with him he
may talk easily, cleverly and we'll the
stream of his conversation runs
smooth and free like a mountain brook
but 1t suddenly trickles into irrelevant
commonplaces when his wife enters
the room, the whole atmosphere seems
changed, and you vaguely wonder who
shut off the water supply. You do not
like the surreptitiOus way he covers his
lighted cigar with his hat; it seems too
much like a child caught with its hand
in the sugar bowl He can never tell
you definitely whether he can go out
tomorrow night; he will let you know
1ater and you feel that he has already
begun to plan how he can secure his
Uife'S cOunterSign to his pass. Even
when he is doing what is absolutely
right and harmless he becomes wonder
Dusly fertile in lying excuses, those
conversational capsules to Sweeten the
breath of suspicion. His ill-concealed
Joy when his wife has to go out of
town for day or two is not a mere
confession; it is a condensed biog-
faphy.
Sometimes 1t is the husband, In
homineering assertion of authority,
Syho plays the poor, petty role of do
mestic tyrant. He dictates, he de-
maids, he threatens, he forbids, he is
sues his orders as uItimatums in a
manner that would be unwarranted
even were he a pirate captain haran-
guing his crew. He fOrgets that mar
riage means partnership not proprIe-
ltorship. freedom of both in the best
Interests of both, not slavery of either.
His assaults on her rights when he
crosses the dead line of intolerance
and despotically demands obedience
may not be received as submissively,
as uncomplainingly and as finally, as
he in his blind conceit believes.
He may secure an outward SEM
blnnce of submission but actually con-
teInptuOus rebellion. Brought to bay,
her bitter protest of opposition may
make her dangerously ingenious in out
whiting him. When in q moment of
pique at some act of her family he
dares to order her never to see them
or write them or hear from them, she
feels the cruel injustice of this cutting
OF the ties of love and tenderness she
may resort TO subterfuge, intrigue,
evasion and systematic deception and
defy him behind his back while she
seems sweetly and serenely resigned in
his presence. She may drift unknow-
tngiy into a course Of action normally
repugnant as she surrenders to a tide
of conditions of constant despotic in
Justice. Tyranny needs hundred
watch dogS-truStful love, none.
When she finds n quarantine Or
dered against some of her dearest and
best friends coming to the house, her
self Prospect bushes at the plausible
lies she writes or speaks to prevent
their knowing the real reason. When
she fears to tell him of some misdeed
of one of the children because of the
cruel punishment his anger NAV pre-
scribe, he is slamming the door on her
confidence and giving q bonus of new
license TO the little rebel in the mr.
Sery. When she gives false statistics
as to the price Of some simple article
she has bought, just to avoid a "Scene."
he is giving her unwiSe postgraduate
courses in duplicity which may later
prove costly. He is worse than wrong
he is foolish.
He is paying a big price for his
tyranny when the song dies away on
her lips as she hears his key click In
the lock in the evening and she draws
a long breath of relief when he leaves
home in the morning. Then she NAV
remember with a sigh and a little dim
ming of the eyes the sweet early days
of their married life when, not satisfied
with the mere good morning kiss she
used to stand on the porch and follow
him with her eyes and Semaphore love
with her f1uttering little wisp of q
handkerchief as he looked back in the
sunshine at the bend of the road that
soon shut him from her sight. And
she had struggled so long and faith
fully to hold back the ebbing tide OF
her love for him and love had gone and
carried respect with It, and she, grown
hard, and bitter and rebelliOus. had
lost the hest of life an6 60 bod haF