Year: 1861

He is disappointed in something evil
IDENTIFY. He does not find in you all he had
expected"


"Motherw The young wife had startled
look.


at must be so, Martha, else why should
he be different from what he VAST He has
had an ideal Of wife, and you have failed
to reach this ideal"


The face of Martha, which had flushed,
became almost pale.


"And am free to own" continued the
mother, that you fall considerably below
my ideal l do not wonder at Edwards
disappointment"


Tears began to fall over the young wife's
cheeks.


"Im sure" she said, sobbing, "that I
have been to him all that know how to be.
If love would draw upon me favors and
kindness, he would never look at me, as he
does, sometimes, with cold eyes and q
clouded face, nor speak, in angry impa-
| lich0c, Hoius sAab uuit tuo WOIsc tnnH
blows"


"But you have not done for him all that
you know how to do," said Mrs. Barton.


al fail to comprehend you, mother" was
replied to this.


"You do not make his home as pleasant
as it should be. There seems to be no an
ticipation of his wants, and no provision
against discomfort. Every thing is left to
your two servants, who do pretty much as
they please"


"why motherp


" 1t is true, my daughter. have looked
on with closely observant eyes, since have
been here; and must say, that am disap-
pointed in you. In every case that Edward
has shown impatience in my presence, the
source of annoyance lay in your neglect of
a plain household duty. 1t was SO this
morning; and so yesterday"


"He was annoyed at the burnt steak this
morning." said Martha, in answer. That
wasn't my fault, l am sure. I'm not the
cook"


at is your place to have competent
cook" said Mrs. Barton.


"If can find one, mother"


"The one you have, now, is not to be
trusted to prepare meal"


al know that but how can help my
self"


"And knowing that, you never went near
the kitchen to see that she did not spoil the
steak intended for your husbands break
fast. 1t might have taken you ten or fifteen
minutes to superintend, personally. the
preparation of this morning meal and so
made it worthy Of being set before your
husband but, instead of this, you set read
ing or talking, from the time you were
dressed until the bell rang. When we went
down there was no butter on the table no
knife and fork TO the dish of meat; no salt.
nor any napkin Ht your husbands plate
The tabie-cloth was soiled, and you scolded
the waiter for not putting on clean one.
The meal opened in disorder, which you
might have prevented by n little fore
thought, and progressed and ended in an
noyance and bad feeling. Now, who was to
=, blame for all this 7"


"But, mother, you don't expect me to go
, into the kitchen and cook ?" said Martha.


"The captain who undertakes to sail q
ship, must know all about navigation, Is
it more unreasonable to expect that wo-
man who takes upon herself the obligations
. of wife, should know how to conduct a
household? Is a woman less responsible in
her position than a man p? If so, hat moral
laws give the distinction lhave not seen
them. The captain does not trust the ship
wholly to the man at the helm. He takes
r observations, examines charts, and sees and
knows for himself that every thing is done
at the right time and in the right place
His thought and his will are active and pre-
dominant in every part of the ship; for on
, him rests ali the responsibility. And it is
SO every where in mans work. You ask il
expect you to go into the kitchen and
cookf l answer yes, in case there is no one
else to prepare your husbands food. If you
have an incompetent cook, or one not to be
trusted, then it is your duty to make up her
deficiencies by personal attendance in the
kitchen just as often and just as long as the
case may require. You contracted to do
this when you became wife,"
~ don't remember that the subject was
even referred to, said Martha, who did not
yet see clearly +; and who felt that her moth
er's view of the case actually degraded the
wife into o household drudge.
, "Was it stipulated" answered Mrs. Bar
ton, "that Edward should engage in busi-
ness, giving himself up to daily care and
work, in order to secure for his wife the
comforts of home Idon't remember that
the subject was even referred to. And yet
t it was as much implied in the act of taking
f wife, as the other was implied in the act
of assuming the relation that you now hold.
Do you suppose for moment, that be isn't
active in every part of his business That
he trusts an incompetent clerk, as you trust
an incompetent cook7 Thought, purpose,
hands are all busy in his work, and busy
throughout every day busy for you as well