The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-11-30
Little Problems
MARRIED Life
@-@--.~---s-@sss-ss-
By
WILLIAM GEORGE JORDAN
HOLDING MoNoToNY AT BAY.

M0not0ny ~ the malaria OF matfi-
rnony. 1t poisons the home atmo-
sphere, gradually exhausts the life-giv-
ing oxygen Of love and comradeship
and leaves one sitting Ia an air Of dis
content, protest, and rebellion. II
means duh, deadly depression Of spir-
its, general tired feeling regarding
life, weakened hope and will, loss OF
appetite for the trifles OF everyday
living. q listless, languid indifference,
q nervous irritabllity difficult to con.
troll. Ii takes all the brightness and
vividness from the color scheme Of life
and thought and leaves them cold,
dismal gray. This nonotony saps the
vitality Of mental moral and physical
resistance to trivial cares and worries
that assume portentous proportions like
figures blurred into bigness by a fog,
1t needs the fresh tonic ozone OF
change, the vitallzing sunlight Of new
interest, the windows of life opened
wide for freer air and broader out.
look.
Monotony in married life Is an In.
sidlous evil. 1t is hard to cure but
easy to prevent. Husband and wife
should realize that 1t rests solely with
them; the conditions are absolutely
within their control when acting in
unity and harmony; either can do
much, neither can do all. They can
create an atmosphere of comradeship,
cheerfulness, and courage that defies
monotony. 1t takes so little to hold
1t at bay, In the beginning; 1t takes
so much to kill it, In the end. 1t is
easier to dodge few snowflakes than
the Wild fury of the storm at its worst.
The secret of monotony Is over-ab-
sorptlon of the head or the hands
where the heart is not in it. 1t is the
overlooking of one side of life at the
expense of the other; 1t is the pros
trating effect of unbroken sameness
IN an environment.
The wife In her devotion to her home
may place a false estimate on trifies.
She may become house bound; never
crossing the threshold except when abb
solutely necessary, she may unconsci-
ously convert her home into prison
and submerge the wife in the house
keeper. The amending repetition of
/ the same duties, this continuous per-
/ Torrance without change or intermis-
sion, begins to chafe and fret and
weary her; 1t seems like the regular
tramp OF 9 vast army on the march,
continually passing but never passed.
The deadly routine begins to wear on
her nerves, like the irritating, insist
ent tick of clock in a sick room.
The narrow horizon of her living de-
presses her spirits; she grows fault
finding, dissatisfied, helpless and hope
less. The salt OF life has lost its sa-
| YOUR.
She must lessen the tension some
way, drop the whole outfit occasional
| ly, forget she Is a machine and re-
| member she is a human being, and
get out for a change of thought and
| experience. Let her turn her steps to
the green pastures of rest and resto'
ration. take walk or drive, hear
little music or see play, make O
visit or entertain caller, go shop
ping, that does not require money, fol
1t is only buying that costs, read some
book even though II Is only zone OF
the best sellers"-anything that vii
freshen the mind, quicken the blood
gladden. the heart, or put new edge
on life.
Some people do take duty bit too
seriously. 1t is delightful occasional,
to turn your back deliberately and i'm
politely on duty for while, to giv'
salntship little vacation, for the dut.
does welcome you so when you return
and II does not seem half so hard
Much Of our loyalty to duty Is simpl,
dlsloyalty to higher duties and whel
we are dulled by monotony, we do no
dlfferentiate clearly between them
There are honest, earnest, good womel
who, like Martha Of old, are 'cumbere,
with much serving" They let tn
house eclipse the home. creature CON
fort overshadow heart comfort; the
make themselves unfit companions TO
themselves, much less for their nus
bands. They should cultivate tn
courage let 60; they should realiz
that monotony Is never bargain, new
or worth what they pay for it.
: There are other wives who have n
cares nor responsibility, no tax on tim
or energy. no money worries burden
Of housekeeping are reduced to a min
imum by the help Of efficient servants
! the children are away at school, Thes
wives. too, often face monotony. II
not the monotony Of work, but Of leis
, ure.
In the absorption OF making none
, for the support OF home and family
husband may lose the true perspeS
tive Of life. He may become undul
anxious for more money he may kee
| his desires too high; he may be sa'
itlcing too much OF his real self In az
/ uuirlng wealth. In over.absorption |
/ providing all that money can buy h
| may forget the greater things tha
] mere money cannot buy, forget ths
mere material things do not bring res
happiness. II he goes home tires
physically, mentally and morally. an