Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-03-07
Little Talks By
Beatrice FdUfdr

What makes married life dull 2
correspondent writes and asks me
There is no question of my hus.
| bands affection for me, or mine fol
him-but we have nothing TO talk
about"
! She continues: "Our dinners are
! especially trying, the silence is de.
| structive of digestion-almost sanity.
l feel sometimes as If L would well
come the presence of a burglar, oil
even an assassin-anything to makf
little conversation"
This poor lady in several type
written pages goes on to tell me
something of the family history.
She has a strain OF Irish blood III
| her veins, therefore a meal to her
means festivity, discussion, cheer.
! Whereas her husband, missing this
saving grace, likes 10 stoke in ST.
! lence."
In this sort of Jack Sprat and
wife tragedy there is nothing to do
but compromise. The man might
agree to talk a little, just enough
to prevent his wife from feeling
that a funeral was in progress in
the next room and that she was din
ing on the funeral baked meats. -
And the woman might agree to de-
mand less talk. j
My sympathy, however, is with the
poor lady, the repressed wife with
strain of Irish blood that persists
in being gay even If it is mated tt
that. awful wetblanket, "the tired
businessman"
In the first place, if 'the tired
business man" would only realize 1t,
nothing is so restful and refresh
ing as a good dinner with a little
amusing small talk. He need not
hold forth about business, what he
made or lost, the Increased cost of
living, or anything else calculated to
disturb his holy and sacred digestive
functions
In fact. he needn't talk at all, the
lady with the strain of Irish blood
will probably do it much better. But
he could listen with fairly recep-
tive attitude and occasionally reward
her with a smile of appreciation. /
judge. however, that like a good
many tired business men he stokes
to the exclusion of everything else
anu pays almost Immediately by in
digestion and a crouch.
Don't Drop Interest With
honeymoon
A good many married people
never play up to the situation of be-
ing married. They drop the rules OF
the game when they come home
from the honeymoon. Doubtless be-
fore the wedding this man was not
possessed of a dumb devil during
moals; if he had allowed himself to
be, his wife in all probability would
have declined to marry him.
He comes home tired, and ii is
easier to succumb to the dumb
devil" than it is to talk, or even to
listen politely to his wife-hence the
lady's tears.
A great many men and women are
so lacking in imagination that they
fail to see the wisdom of studying
their life-partner's virtues and little
failings. Possession seems to end all
interest. In this respect they are like
children who tease, save their pen
nies and cajole their parents into
buying for them the beautiful white
rabbit-then neglect 1t TIL it stdrves.
In like manner, the cheapest
movie at the corner is better than
the life drama going on .unde~ ones
own roof. Interest lies outside of
the threshold. never by nEy posi-
bic chance within.
Perhaps the crux of the whole
matter lies in a lack of imagina-
tion. Such men and women haven't t
enough unselflshness to make real
happiness for themselves in trying
to make another person happy.
Blessings within arms reach goad
them to wearineSs, while the com
monplaces of life become blessings
through distance,
The Fatal Spirit OF Adventure
What ails good many men and
women is fatal spirit of adventure.
If they could only be persuaded to
pack up the field-glasses with which
they sweep the horizon in search
of possible romance and look for
it little nearer home they would
be happier.
In the great problem of How to
Be Happy Though Married" hus-
bands and wives should be careful
not to thwart each others gifts or
even parlor tricks. If the husband
is good raconteur. the wife should
not permit herself the luxury of
looking bored even when John be-
gins for the ninty- ninth time to tell
his best story.
And il she recognizes, during the
applause that follows the symptoms
that forecast the telling of another
favorite story of his her smile
should be one of welcoming xepec-
fancy rather than martyrdom.
For these little homely gifts OF
storytelling and ballad singing must
have the warm sun of approval to
make them flower. And If they do
not flower at home please remember
that the necessary congenial tenn