The Washington herald., 1918-07-01
A Husbands Authority
By DOROTHY DIX
THE WORLDS HIGHEST PAID WOMAN WRITER.

OF course, to even speak Of q hus-
bands authority and Of his forbidding
his wife to do certain things 10 to
indulge IN archaic chatter. The thing
simply isn't done now. The modern
woman Is 80 thoroughly convinced
that the. gray mare Is the lead horse
that she has taken the bit In her
teeth and run away and no mere hus-
band dares even say whoal to her.
This state Of Affairs 10 based upon
the presumption that an adult mar
ried woman is responsible and in
telligent human being. It IL supposed
that Q woman. who Is old enough to
marry, have children. and be at the
head Of house has acquired enough
Judgment, discretion and self-control
to enable her to fulfill properly her
part Of the marriage partnership.
Unfortunately. this 10 not always
the case. There are many married
women old enough to know better.
who are nothing but spoiled children.
without reason, without common
sense, without prudence, without any
Of the qualities that 60 to making up
of a good wife.
L kucoc WoIlcu dIC JUST - lNtccPoh-
sible as any child Of seven years
they need authority over them just
as much as any child does. they even
need spanking just as badly as any
peevish youngster that howls for the
moon. and It is a thousand pities that
their husbands haven't the nerve to
deal with them kindly. but firmly. a.
q wise father would deal with bad
child.
It is a sad fact that the finer and
nobler a man IL. the less capable he
II Of coping with q mean and selfish
woman. All that il chivalrous In his
nature forbids him to take advantage
of his wife's dependence upon him,
even to coerce her into doing the
things that are for her own good. Her
weakness appeals to his strength. Her
very lack Of reason and judgment
cause him to make pitying excuses for
her faults.
And this is her own undoing as well
as his, for there Is Just one thing In
the world that appeals to the vixen
woman and that is brute force. She
| never understands, appreciates. oi
loves for long the gentle man who
bears with divine patience her weak
nesses. She has a contempt for him
The only man she respects. and who
can hold her. Is the bully who layi
| down the law to her and who sees
that she obeys II. and who keeps her
in terror of her life.
| Therefore, when man finds out
| that he has had the III luck to marry
a wife who shows that she lacks either
| the reason, or the moral principle tc
| conduct xuiSaIV ~ n his
bounden duty to assert his authority
over her and force her to conform to
his higher ideals Of conduct.
To give such a woman her head and
| let her go her own gait Is as foolish
and as disastrous as it would be to
give a child fire to play with because
she cried for 1t, or to refuse to re-
strain a lunatic.
! For instance, a man Is a fool II III
lets his wife ruin him by her ex'
travagance. Every husband should be
i as liberal to his wife as his means
permit. What he gives her he should
give freely, but he should draw the
line absolutely on the safe side Of the
bankruptcy court. and should forbid
his wife to go one penny beyond it.
The woman who runs her husband
in debt, and who, for the sake oi
gratifying her love Of spending, Il
willing to work him to death, and
cause him days and nights of sleep
less anxiety, wondering how he is tc
get the money to pay her bills. shows
that she has no affection for him
He Is nothing to her but a money
making machine and this being the
case, a man should have no hesitation
in declining to let her punch the cast
register too frequently.
More than that. a man should re-
fuse to let his wife spend all that he
makes because that is the only way
that he can safeguard her from wan,
| as well as himself. II she Is 50 short
! sighted that she cannot see beyond
her desire for a new frock OF hat, OF
keeping up with the Jones, he al
least, has a longer vision. He knows
| that a wasteful youth makes a pau.
perized old age. and It is his business
| to force his wife to practice thrift nc
matter how much 1t goes against hel
wishes. There is no excuse for any
man being ruined by his wife's ex'
| travagance except his own weakness
II is also a husbands duty to exer.
else his authority over his wife in re.
gard to the company she keeps and
her conduct. A man gives his name
| to a woman when he marries her. He
puts 1t and his honor into her keeping
and It is within his province to see
that she does not drag them in the
| mud.
Girls. as a rule, have seen little oi
life before they marry. They are pool
judges of character. They are full oi
credulity and enthusiasm, and wher
they meet an agreeable man or WON.
an they are apt to take him or her a,
his or her face value.
This causes them to be imposed
upon by Adventures and adventur
esses. They believe implicitly tn,
tale of Ill treatment that such people
tell them and champion their cause
Or. perhaps, get to running with q
fast set that drinks too much an,
CANDLES for too high stakes, anC
whose ideals of conduct are too loose
These wives think there is no harm
in their being seen about with round
ers and women with shady reputa