Year: 1878

HUSBANDS NOT ,LOvERS


a Plea For Wives.


st. Louis Post


Yea, this is a queer world! Queer at
least in the sense that husbands are not
lovers. And pray why not? lam griev-
ed and indignant to-day that such is the
case, and while writing | have in mind S
eye woman, not one of your poor, puny
milk and water women either, but one
whom God has endowed with his grand
est faculties in the grandest sense, and
one especially which predominates all
Others, that of benevolence. This wom-
ans husband was certainly one of the
most loving of lovers | do not say that
now, even after ten years of married life,
he really neglects the comfort of his
wife and family, or that he stays from
home, or that he fails in any way to pro-
vide for his family y all the comforts that
his means will allow: he is not stingy-
of his money-but of himself, econo-
mizes his society too mnch for the com
fort of his family; is afraid of the noise
Of the children, cant stand it." in fact.
They are not rude children, either, but
healthy, noisy, frolicsome boys, all but
baby Nell, who is two years old, and
chubby and sweet as baby can be. Pa
pa thinks she is darling until some
thing occurs that upsets. her temper,
when she bravely asserts her rights, in
baby fashion by crying; then he is off;
cant stand it, | can not see, for the
life of me, why it is, just as soon as the
children get into trouble, into children's
quarrels, and fights, and squabbles, that
mamma is the only one that can make
peace and again restore quiet. She is
accustomed to it; she knows exactly
what they need. But how does she be-
come accustomed to it? All, by practice


What is there that lover Will not do
for the woman he loves? Why, the on
ly trouble is he can never find half
enough to do; he is not saving of his
company, either; where else does he
spend so much time as in her society?
All the little wants that go to make up
the daily life are attended, and every
wish anticipated. All this before mar
riage; then why not more so after mar
ria ge? Surely the wife should be more
dear than the maiden


The husband, not lover, comes home
gets his daily paper, and betakes himself
to the quietest spot he can find, and he
hopes the children will not bother him
with their noise and gable So he
reads-in the quietude by the hour
while the mother does her utmost to
keep the children at distance, so that
the noise may not offend papa" Who
is papa more than mamma that his wish
es must be so strictly regarded? He sees
little of them all the week. she is with
them hourly. Would it not be good
idea for papa to give her the daily paper
once in great while and take the chill
dren clear out of hearing, that she too
could see how pleasant thing little
quiet is2


[ say this woman of whom | write is
benevolent. She thinks naught of her
own comfort, so accustomed is she to
deny herself, in order that her family
may be happy. | have known her to
spend whole days in her room with the
children, when papa was home, trying
in every conceivable way to entertain
and amuse them, in order that papa
should spend a pleasant day of it. He
did not so much miss her society
thought of the loss in this wise: "Of
course, it can't be helped; she suppose.
must see to the children" Yes, but if
you were not so nervous and afraid of
the noise, she and the little ones might
have spent the day with you out on the
green sward.


Home must be made attractive for the
husband or why should he not 90 where
it is pleasant for him? Everything must
be tidy and tasteful, the meals we'll
cooked and on time, the shirts snow
white and glossy, or else there arises
cloud in the domestic horizon. Man, did
you ever, just once, stop and think how
many, many things your wife sacrifices,
and all for you comfort? She grows
old. and yellow and wrinklcd, all through
hard service for you, in order that ,you
may be comfortable, that home may be a
pleasant place. Is it always pleasant
place for her? See if you can make it
more so. If she grows sour and her in
tellect rusty, is it not because of her
patching and darning, and the everlast-
ing sewing that goes on from year to
year, and grinds the life slowly but sure
ly out of woman? You are overwork-
ed, must needs run off during the warm
weather for little recreation, and how
pleasant is the cool mountains, or the
breeze from the grand old ocean. Could
you take the time, while in your best
humor, your dainty toilet and your
pleasant ramble, to lift the curtain, you,
| think would see at home alfred, over
worked, mountaineering through with
everything in the way of household
drudgery, that things may be gotten
through with before your return The
fruit season is about this time at its
height, and the mercury stands at about
Is deg in the shade. / wonder what is
the temperature of the kitchen with its
booming fires, while the process of can
ming, preserving and jelly making goes
on? You will not think of this next
winter when you emerge from the frost,
toss off your wraps and enter cheerful
warm dining-roOm to eat some of these
dainties. Q.