The Columbus dispatch., 1921-09-28
WHERE COURTESY COUNTS.

What a heaven of a place this earth would
be if all men would remember that cOurtesieS are
never so beautifully practiced as at home! The
place to take the measure Of mans gentility is
not in society," nor at church, nor yet in business,
but in his home. The man who is all smiles in
society or at his place of business, and all frowns
when at home is lacking very materially in gen.
tility, for the wife has the highest claim upon
his consideration and is entitled to be treated a
little bit better than any other person with whom
he associates
The poet was absolutely correct when he
said, MANS love is of mans life thing apart;
it's woman's whole existence" The husband has
a place in the business world; the wife has a
place only in the home. If things don't go along
pleasantly in business, the husband can discharge
a clerk; dissolve partnership or change locations.
But how about the wife when things do not go
pleasantly in the home? She can can go out of
the world, or get divorce and this old world is
mighty uncharitable toward a divorced woman.
She may have been driven to the divorce court by
a drunken or brutal husband, yet the world will
ever look askance at her, and withhold the SYM
pathy and encouragement she so richly deserves.
So few men realize of what fine material
women are made They don't seem to appreciate
the fact that womans feelings are much more
delicate than mans; that her sensibilities in
other words are nearer the surface-more easily
reached-than mans. Little attentions that
man considers not at all worth while will cause
woman's heart to swell with JOY and her eyes
to sparkle with delight.
If home courtesy doesn't come natural to
you, cultivate it. Instead of saying to your wife,
"This coffee tastes like thunder" say, my dear,
the coffee is unusually good this morning; what
did you do to make it so nice?" And if you have
fallen into the habit of saying the wfes biscuits
were fit only for paper-weights, change the order
of things and say, MY dear these biscuits are
lovely; my mother never saw the day she could
make them so lighi" You may be eXaggerating
a little but if you are, it won't be long until the
biscuits will be as good or better than your moth
er used to make, for every encouraging word you
say to your wife will stimulate her to do better.
You remember how you used to look at her
before you were married don't you? The love
was simply beaming from your eyes You wouldn't
so much as let her move chair, and every time
you came to a step, you thought she needed assis-
tance in getting upon it. And the flowers, and
boxes of candy, and perfumed notes, how they
used to fly out her way. What made you stop
those delicate little attentions soon after mar
riage? Why couldn't you always be sweethearts p
Don't you consider it as important to make your
wife happy as you did your sweetheart? When
the silver threads begin to appear among the
golden treSses will you be able to say "Yet, my
darling, you will be always young and fair to me-
You will be able to say that, and say it earnestly,
if you have every day of your married life prac-
ticed the little courteSieS IN the home that your
wife is justly entitled to receive, and if your
conduct toward her has caused her to cling to YOU
with ever-increasing tenderness and devotion If /
you cannot be courteous in only one place let that
be in your own home. If YOU can be courteous to .
only one woman, let that one woman be your wife.