The Washington herald., 1918-05-31
How Shall a Poor Man Treat His Wife?
BY DOROTHY DIX,
THE WORLDS HIGHEST PAID WOMAN WRITER.

I have received a letter from a
woman who asks me to write an
article on How a poor man should
treat his wife"
| 1 think that the poor man should
treat his wife with more considera-
ton. tenderness and affection than
the rich man does his wife. because
these are all that the poor man has
to give to make her life worth living.
The rich man can atone, in degree
at least for his neglect and ill tenn
pers by presenting his wife with dia-
monds and automobiles, and tapping
her in luxury, but the poor man can
only make his wife rich in love. and
IL he withholds this precious gift from
her, she is beggared indeed.
| I think. to begin with. that the poor
man should treat his wife with great
sympathy. I think he should never
| forget that no lot in the world is so
hard and so nerve fraZzling as that
of the woman who must do her own
cooking. and washing. sweeping, sew
ing and baby tending.
Hard as the poor man works, his
wife works ten times harder. Her
days labor begin before he Is up In
the morning. when she arises to pre-
pare his breakfast. and do not end
until long after he is snoring at night.
There's no union and eight-hour-day
for the wife and mother. And her Ia
bor Is the dull, monotonous round OF
the treadmill. cooking meals that are
eaten as soon as cooked. washing
clothes that have to be washed next
week, darning socks. that get holes in
hov MI ring cutting bread
and butter for little mouths that are
forever hungry. And this exhausting
dreary labor is carried on to a cease
less, maddening chorus of the chill
dren's quarrels. and the baby shrieks,
and calls for "Mo-o-ther."
1 think that il I were a poor man
I should let my wife know how
sympathized with her. and how I felt
that any woman who was fighting the
battle of life so bravely. and valiant
ly as she was. deserved about ton
of iron crosses when they passed out
medals for real heroism.
i think that a poor man should show
his wife great appreciation. I think
that when he sees how far she has
made his pay envelope go that he
might tell her what it means to a
man to have a thrifty wife. I think
that when he sits down to a meal
that she has spent hours in prepar-
ing he might praise the food instead
of gobbling it down like a hungry
dog. I think that when he observes
the daily and hourly Sacrifices that
his wife makes of her ease. her pleas
ure and comfort. and of how she
gives the best of everything to him.
and the children he might tell her
that in his eyes she is little less than
an angel. and that every day he
thanks God for having given her to
him to bless his life.
think that a poor man should have
great patience with his wife. He
should realize that II the house is
not always immaculate that It Is next
to impossible to keep two or three
rooms neat and orderly, especially
when there are a pack of children
always cluttering about. and also
there is a limit to the work that two
hands. even the most industrious, can
accomplish. And IL the meals are not
always good he should realize that
it takes a miracle worker to provide
nourishing and appetizing food in
these days Of the high cost of living.
And IL the wife's temper has some
times got a razor edge he should try
to visualize to himself what it is to
stand over a wash tub. or q hot stove
with an aching head and a throbbing
back, and every nerve shrieking aloud
in agony until one is half mad with
the strain of it all.
think that the poor man should
try to be a companion to his wife, to
cheer her up, and bring something
bright and breezy into her life when
he comes home at night. Her work
has been done in the narrow confines
of her home. His has been done in
the big, outside world. Perhaps she
has not seen a new face, or exchanged
| a word with any one but the children
| all day. He has been out with other
men who were joking, telling stories,
swapping ideas on the news of the
day.
So think that the poor man, instead
of burying himself with his pipe be-
hind his paper and smoking along in
! silence, should make a conscious ef-
i fort to entertain his wife. He should
relate to her the little budget of gos-
sip he has collected during the day,
\ and listen with interest to the things
she has been thinking and help her
to solve the problems that are troub.
ling her.
think that the poor man should
give his wife all the pleasure that he
can. He should not feel that because
he earns the money he has a right
to indulge himself in amusements
while his wife stays shut at home.
The price Of a round of drinks, or a
few games Of pool will take the wife
and kiddies to the movies, or on a
cheap Sunday excursion, or a picinc
to the park, and give them something
to think and talk about for weeks
on end.