The Washington times., 1938-04-27


Somehow it doesn't sound Just
right to say IT have mended
your socks, so how can you hurt
my feelings?" Or IT baked you
an apple pie, so how could you
flirt with the girl in the office
who can't even boil water?"
I rarely ever receive a letter
from a neglected wife but what
she writes paragraph after
paragraph Of her virtues as q
housekeeper. I have yet to re-
ceive a letter telling Of how q
wife sympathized with her hus-
band, how she was gay with him
when he wanted to be gay, how
she gave him her understand
ing, how she played UP to the
man in him or any Of the things
that are so vital to the happi-
ness of a marriage.
II have slaved for him" is al
ways the theme song of the let
ters just as it is in the following
letter.
SlaUe Song
Again
Dear Mr.. Antheil: what in
heavens name does a married
MAI want in this world? I have
a very dear friend who has been
happy in her married life. She
is 40-her husband Is. They
were devoted. He was selfish
and she waited on him hand
and foot. AS she often said, he
was the only baby she had. She
would plan dinner parties at
which he was always late and
she made excuses for him. They
had a lovely home and she is a
wonderful cook. She was good
looking and still is, and has per-
sonality.
Then he asked her for his
freedom, saying he loved some
one else. The other woman was
20 years younger. The wife ap-
piled for a divorce. The hus-
band, when he heard from the
lawyer, asked her to drop the
case. Now they are living to-
gether but not as man and
wife. The wife lets him shift
for himself, doesn't wait on him
or do things for him.
"she won't say word against
him. She does say you can't
make a person love another
against his or her will. It seems
a shame he destroyed her con-
fidence in him. How dare he
come back to her and expect
things to be the same after the
wav he treated her when she
did everything for him. She
said if she were sure he was
really in love with the girl she
would divorce him. But she
will wait and see. I don't think
it is human to expect a woman
to take a man back after all
that. JUST A READER"
Puts Value
On Services
You can't hope to see eye to
eye with this woman. She has
put a high value on her service
to her husband. Note that the
moment she found him out, she
refused to do the material things
for him she had done for years.
That was rather pettish. If she
is willing to take him back into
her home she has no right %
let him shift for himself. I
know he has been disloyal, has
hurt her deeply and has been
a cad. But why must she think
of him in terms Of a man who
needs her housekeeping? II
that is what he needed he could
hire a maid.
I don't say she should take
him back. But she wants to
do just that-plus having the
chance to punish him. Maybe
he does need her cooking and
her ministration to his needs.
but she ought not to feel flat
tered to have him back for that
treason. If he came back be-
cause he loved her so much
and saw that no other woman
could take her place in his
heart. then she could take him
back and retain her self-respect.
However that doesn't answer
your question. What we men
want from women is more than
good housekeeping-but you can
throw that in just as we throw
in the nav eYvel0nA along with