Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-09-25
BY DIR. FRANK CRAM


MOT that I have a plurality of wives.
N Just to get myself accurately placed l
will confess that I have had but one,
who is still very efficiently the job.
But in talking with Mr.. Ku Hung-ming,
the venerable philosopher of Pekin 1 be-
came much interested in his defense of po-
| lygamy and concubinage. He certainly had
| some new and curious arguments to adj
vance in favor of these time-honOred insti-
| tutions.
One point he made was that it was good
! thing for man to have one more as
! sistants to his wife, because, he said, they
| were useful as "eye-rests." In fact, [ think
he said the Chinese name for concubine is
| "eye-rest." And, come to think Of it, one
! does need q lady occasionally that rests the
7 eye considerably. This suggests also that if
one is making a collection of wives for rest
full purposes he might want to pick out one
or two deaf and dumb ones as "ear-rests."
But, seriously speaking, should not
gentleman have several wives? Is not the
wife business entirely too complicated and
above the powers of any one woman?
In the first place, it seems to me, if !
were young man and starting a collection,
I would want to pick out first of all three or
four business ladies, say department store
managers, travelling sales ladies or expert
bookkeepers whose duty it would be, and
privilege, to skirmish around and make a
living for the bunch, thus relieving me, their
lord and master of the necessity Of doing
any work.
working wives keep a millinery store While
she was employed in the establishment
could sit out in front under the cool avn
ing, smoke my cigar and discuss politics with
the judge and the preacher, occasionally go
ing down to the postoffce for mail, when l
needed exercise.
Another wife would have charge Of social
matters She could do the calling, go to
receptions and teas and bridge parties, and
chat with visitors when they dropped in.
She would have nothing else to do and could
devote all her attention to this. 1t is pretty
hard a woman to have to take her hands
out of the dough md come into the parlOr
and attend to company.
Another wife would look after the cook
ing. She would see that there always
plenty of doughnuts in the jar and apple
pies on the pantry shelf. Not being both
cred with parlor work, she could study cook
cry assiduously and bring the food level of
the family up to a fascinating pitch.
Another wife, preferably a stout one,
could do the washing and ironing. AS it is,
1aundrymen and hired wash women are eX-
pensive and lots of trouble 1t seems much
more rational to have wife do all of this
just for her board and keep.
Another wife would look after the high
brow matters She could entertain me with
literary conversation, read for me the poetry
that bores me, and otherwise keep me post
ed in all things intellectual
1t might also be we'll TO have sort Of
cabaret or f1apper wife whom ! could .occa-
sionaIly take to frolcs, where the wash
woman wife would be out of place and the
intellectual wife would really not care to go
I might say that I mentioned this idea of
mine to my resi- wife, and she asked me
how it would do for a woman to have sew
eral husbands?
Isn't that just like a woman? OF course
it would never do ~" ? woman to have
more than one husband This is mans
world. woman should find her pleasure in
sacrificing herself.
At least, so says Mr. Ku Hung-ming.
Copyright 1923.