Year: 1859

Young wife, talked to your husband in my
last letter, and now address you. | told him
that you have a CLAIM on his time and society
There are qualifications for this claim which
concern you particularly, and so speak 10 you
about them. Your husband labors all the day
every day-and during the waking hours, be-
\ tween the conclusion orhis labor at night and
its commencement in the morning he must
have recreation of some k ind and here comes
in your duty.


If you do not make his home pleasant so that
the fulfllment of his duty to you shall be a
sweet pleasure to him, you cannot hope for
much fhis company. What his nature Graves
it will have. He cannot be slave all the time
"a slave to his work by day and a slave to you
by night. He must have hours offieedom; and
happy are you il, of his own choice he takes the
enjoyment you offer in the place of anything
which the outside world has to give. | sup
pose there are few men who, when the work
is over, and their supper eaten, do not have de-
sire to go down town 'to meet u man. or visit
the post Office. There is natural desrein every
heart to have every day an hour OF social free
dom-a few minutes, at least, or walk in the
open air, and contact with the minds of other
men. This is entirely natural and necessary
thing and you should encourage rather than
seek to prevent it, unless your husband is in
clined to visit bad places, and associate with
bad companions


Precisely here is a dangerous point for both
husband and wife. The wife has been alone
during the day, and thinks that her husband
ought to spend the whole evening with her
The husband has been confined to his labo",
and longs for an hour of freedom in whatever
direction his feet may chose to wander. Per-
haps his wife thinks he has no business to wan
der at all, and that his custom is to wander too
long. She complains, and becomes exactng--
She cannot bear to have her husband out OF her
sight for a moment after he quits his work.
Now if there be anything in this world that
will make man hate his wife it is constant
attempt on her part to monopolize all his !ers.
ure time, and all his society, to curtail his free.
dom, and tendency to be forever frctting his
ears with the statement that she is nothing O.
course that he does not care nything about
her, and that he dislkes his home. Treatment
like this will just as certainly arouse all the
perversencSs ola mans nature as a spark will
ignite gunpowder Injustice and inconsidcr
ateness will not 50 down, especially when ad-
ministered by mans companion. He knows
that he loves his home and that he needs anC
has right to a certain amount of his time, a
way from home; and If he be treated as if ht
possessed no such necessity and right he vii
soon learn to be all that his wife represents hin
to be. tell you that man wants very care
full handling. You must remember that he car
owe no duty to you which does not involve du
ty from you. You have the charge of the home
and if you expect him to spend por
tion, or all Of his evenings in it, you must maxi
4 it attractive. If you expect man. as a mat
ter of duty, to give any considerable amount o
time to your society, daily through a long Sc
ries years, you TO see that society is wortl
q something to him. Where are your accomplish
nents? Where are your books? Where ar
q your subjects of conversation?


But let US take up this question separately
How shall wife make her home pleasant, am
her society attractive. This is short question
but the full answer would make book | cal
touch only few points In the first place. sht
should never indulge in fault finding. If a ma,
has learned 10 expect that he will invariably b
found fault with by his wife on his return home
and that the burden of her words will be com
plant, he has absolutely no pleasure to partici
pate and none to enjoy. There is but one alter
native for husband in such case, either to stee
himself against complaints, or to be harrowe'
up by them, and made snappiSh and waspish.-
They never produce good affect under an,
circumstances whatever. There should alway
be q pleasant word and look ready for him wi
returns from the tolls Of the day wearied wit
earning the necessities ofthe family. Ifa pref
ty pair ofslippers lies reiore the fire, ready ft
his feet so much the better


Then, again, the desire to be pleasing in pei
son should never leave wife for day. II
husband who comes home at night, and fnt
! his wife dressing to receive him--dreseed nea
ly AMI astefnlly, hecause she wishes to he plea
4 ant to his eye--cann>t, unless he j. brut
asgiect her or slight her graceful pains takiu