The Washington herald., 1918-09-06

Sympathy in a man means under
standing. II means appreciation. It
means pity. 1t means a man being
able TO get the woman's point of view.
and to see life from the feminine
angle, and when a man can do that.
a woman can forgive him every other
sin under the sun. and II he can't do
it. all Of his other good qualities are
as tinkling brass and sounding
cymbals.
DO not believe that there are many
men who are Intentionally bad hus-
bands, or who marry girls with the
deliberate purpose of turning their
lives into cinders. ashes and dust.
think that most men would like their
, wives to be happy and contented, yet
! there are very few happy or content
ed wives, and the reason Of it is that
| they have married men without SYM
pathy.
The man without sympathy cannot
| cut himself in his wife's place, and so
he does not realize how dull and drab
how dreary and monotonous are the
days of the woman who does her own
| housework and takes care Of a brood
of little children. Therefore, he scolds
her for being peevish when she COM
plains, and thinks her unreasonable
/: she wants a little diversion, and to
stir from her own freside OF an even
ing.
II the man had any sympathy he
would realize how rerve-racking is
the grind OF the treadmill where one
etcrnally prepares food that is eaten
and forgotten; where one sweeps
floors that are Uttered the next mo-
ment; where one perpetually darns
socks and sews on buttons. and
washes little faces. and where the in
cessant cry OF M-o-o-ther never dies
out OF the air. and clutching little fn-
gers never let go of ones skirts.
The man would know that he would
&C mad II he had TO live in such an
environment and so he would plan
little trips, little surprises to bring
freshness and brightness into his
wife's life, II he could. And IL he
could not he would let her know that
he considered her a headliner among
the saints and the martyrs. and that
he understood her. and appreciated
all that she did and suffered.
For II he had sympathy he would
know that what women crave above
everything on earth is simply and
merely sympathy. woman is per
fectly willing to be nailed to her
cross II her husband is standing by
and shedding tears OF pity over her.
She is satisfied to wear shabby clothes
IL she knows that her husband Is
sorry for her. because she isn't be-
decked like the Queen OF Shebs, and
that il hurts him not TO be able to
give her diamond tiaras and ropes Of
pearls.
It is the lack OF sympathy on the
part Of the husband-the feeling that
women have that their husbands don't
know, or care. whether they have to
work hard or not, or are shabby or
not-that women resent and that
make them bitter and disgruntled
wives
II is the lack Of sympathy that
makes men humliate their wives by
making them come to them for every
penny they spend. No man could
endure to be financially dependent
on anyone else. no matter how gen.
erous that other person was. No man
would be willing to spend a lifetime
toiling in the service of another per-
son and get only his board and
clothes, and such perquisites as that
other person chose to bestow upon
him.
Yet hundreds OF thousands of men
keep their wives in that degrading
position because they lack the SYM
pathy to realize that women feel
about money and financial independ-
ence exactly as men do.
Husbands do not suspect It. but
most wives are terribly lonesome.
They have no companionship at home.
Their husbands do not even try to
talk to them. or pretend TO be inter-
ested in what they are doing. When
the average wife tries to tell her
husband about the things she cares
for. or attempts to voice the inner
longings of her soul. he yawns in her
face and turns to the stock market.
He isn't in sympathy with a thing
that she is doing. except her house,
keeping. and yet people wonder at
the prevalence of divorce.
1t is sympathy that binds people
together. 1t is sympathy alone that
can bridge the chasm of sex. and
unless woman finds In a husband
sympathy that is as broad and en-
during as the pity Of God. upon which
she can throw herself In time OF
lneed. marriage is bound to prove