Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1961-08-15
Assignment America

e>~~~e>~~~~~~~s~ ~~~s~~se~s~~e~e.
bookstands, TV sets and maya
zines. 1t has caught on slowly,
picked up momentum and be-
come a national crusade-till
finally poor, sensitive American
housewives have begun to look
on their husbands more as pa
tients than as companions and
lovers.
Honey, | may not be tarzan,
and I'll try to remember It," an
insurance executive pointed out
to his solicitious wife recent.
ly. But you remember, you're
not F ence Nightingale
either"
Nobody knows exactly when
the male health panic began,
but it's proved to be a lucrative
gambit for sociologists, doctors,
psychologists and free lance
writer's who delight in being
purveyors Of gloom II it brings
in a good price; and one of the
most saleable themes in recent
months editorially, has been the
"save.him.yourself' tide. Wom-
en- have become so deeply con-
cerned-worry being a most
contagious disease that If they
love their husbands, they'll read
anything they can get their con-
sciences on, In order to pro
tect" them.
But is the concern complete
ly valid? Or is 1t overrated?
1t is true statistically that
men live an average of six
years shorter than women; but
this has been true for gener.
atoms and is not current dis
ease of the time.
There Is deep concern over ex-
ecutives caught In the deadly
pressures" Of his business. Yet,
statistically again, their health
is just as good as that of men
in low-pressure white
collar jobs or so-called whole
some manual labor.
And men of all kinds of work,
in all social categorles, have
nearly doubled their life spans
in the last go years.
1t would be wrong to say, of
course, that the warnings to
housewives are harmful. It
would be wrong to indicate even
that they are unnecessary.
After all, the more a woman
can do to keep her mate phys
ically fit with well.balanced
meals-and the more she can
soothe rather than nag him
the better off the American
male specimen will be.
However, the time has come
when basically good advice has
reached its peak and gone over
board to the detriment OF the
health of many women as well
as men. Some women have be-
come so concerned now about
the purely physical well.being
Of the men they married, that
they are literally pampering
them to death:
Take 1t easy" Is a slogan of
these overly-patranizing little
ladies'. Mustn't overdo," il their
bylaw. They are concerned
about their husbands work,
exercise, drinking, eating. They
try-as gracefully as possible
to make him cut down on all
these natural and necessary
habits. ;.
The only activity such solici-
Lous little women encourage
their husbands to indulge in un.
stintingly Is sleep.
The result Is that there are
some mighty vigorous wives
poklng around America to some
,hronically weary men. The men
are weary from pure boredom.
From cutting down on every
hing that is part of invigor-
ating living. They have been
forced off the alleged tread
mill" onto the soft sofa of Sc
ientary nothingness.
Perhaps wives who have wor-
ried about their husbands
health, not because of what
they've read In a magazine,
should be reminded that life is
meant to be lived. And that a
perfectly sound man may give
up the ghost just because
heres no longer anything to
i've for.