Evening star., 1948-10-21
The Women Are the Bosses

TO the Editor OF The Star:
Apropos the editorial in The Star of Oc-
tober Is entitled wise Mrs. Berridge," I
was told a parable once, which ran thus: A
young man was to be married. His father
sad II see you're getting boss mo- I'll
be boss" the son replied So the father said,
III make a bet with you-you take a wagon
load of chickens and two horses, bay and
white, and drive down the road Where the
man Is boss in house, give him horse. I'll
pay for it. But where the woman is boss, give
chicken and pay for it yourself" So the son
went from house to house, and all he heard
was, MY wife runs the house" At last he
came to house where man sat in a rocking
chair. smoking pipe, and he told this man
about the bet. The man declared that he was
boss of that house, and he called his wife and
asked who was boss there She answered, "You,
of course, Pat, who else?" "All right young
man, bring in the horse" "The bay or the
white?" asked the young man. "The white"
said the boss. Then his wife leaned over his
shoulder and asked, why did you take the
white? Every one will be talking" So he
called out, Bring in the bay instead" But
the young man shouted: 'Ill bring in a
chicken!" % T. D. CONNELL.
To the Editor Of The Star
I was glad to notice that your editorial on
"Wise Mrs. Berridge' was written in the spirit
OF banter and that obviously you do not take
this wise woman too seriously. The point I
wish to make is that if husbands can dream,
can't they?" why don't they dream of growing
up emotionally and being equal to their wives,
instead of seeking the infantile pleasure OF
being the lord and master" at whose every
whim, roar, sulk, temper tantrum or physical
beating the woman will respond with love,
forgiveness and patience?
Why should woman want to get up just
when her husband does, go to bed when he
takes a notion have company when it is con-
venient tor him, have as many children as
he wishes and no more, and in general be his
lengthening shadow, and if she refuses to
conform, or irritates him in having her own
opinions, have him sulk for a week at time?
Are such men fit to be lords and masters? I
doubt it, Yet there are many of them.
In fact, psychologists tell us that men do not
grow up emotionally as women do, and that
there are very few who ever reach any sense
of emotional maturity; that their reactions to
women are purely on pleasure or pain basis,
and if woman does not please them they run
away and find another one hoping that they
will find their mirrored image somewhere.
This SO the psychologists say, is all womens
fault, as a woman finds her husband dis
appointing child and pours her affection on her
son, who becomes another emotional child. OF
course, the fact is overlooked that perhaps if
the father had been a man instead of spoiled
lord and MASTER" the mother might have been
content, and the child have admired his male
parent, growing into something a little more
mature.
Why can't men face unpleasant facts about
themselves, and do something about them? This
was rather well brought out in the recent article
in This Week" magazine about why men die
early-and of course it was the women's fault
because they refused to go to the doctor. stop
drinking and eating too much, and couldn't
take the tension of eight hours work, whereas
the women las I do) work IA and IS hours
daily, Sundays and holidays I have known
many women, deserted by their husbands, to-
work eight hours at the office and then come
home and care for families, also.
What are we rearing, bunch of panty
waist men, who seek in their women only sex
and infant comfort? Or are there few who
can face their own shortcomings and do some
thing about them and not hate their wives be-
cause they are individuals with opinions of
their own? DISILLUSIONED.