THE BITTER CRY OF THE HUSBANDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 147, 22 June 1901, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE BITTER CRY OF THE HUSBANDS.

THE DEMAND FOB PROTECTION AGAINST DRUNKEN WIVES.

On Sunday, May 5, at St. George's Hall. Westminster Bridge Road, London, a conference of husbands met for the purpose of devising some method of protecting men afflicted with drunken wives.

The seriousness of the subject Involved was duly emphasised by the promoter of the meeting. His experience had been, he Informed the conference, that during his 21 years of married life he had been compelled to buy his home back from the pawnbroker four times over, owing to the intemperate habits of his wife.

Many thousands of husbands, he added, were In a state of abject slavery. Home after home had been rendered miserable by the over-Indulgence of women In alcoholic liquors.

It was urged that while the wife had redress against the husband the latter had no remedy against the wife, who could pledge his furniture or break up his Home at will. •

For grim tragedy there was nothing to choose between any of the tales unfolded by those who attended the meeting. Some iiad left their wives In bed, recovering from the Saturday's bout; all dreaded the effect of the mother's example on the children, especially the girls. One working man had bought back his household effects six times in 2y years, his wife having sold them article by article for drink. "Here," exclaimed another, with dramatic effect, "is what I found before I left home this morning," and he produced a bundle of 25 pawntlckets— mute witnesses of a wrecked home. "Floating all over the place, I suppose," said a deep voice from the back of the room, and au assenting murmur ran through the audience. "I've got hundreds of 'em," said a weather-beaten cabman; "I sell 'em every six months."

"I lore my wife," safd one. "My wife Is a perfect angel when she is sober," exclaimed another, with the emphasis of strong conviction. "We married these women,and we cannot utterly cast them off," said a gentlemanly young fellow, "but we must hove more protection than the law at. present gives us."

Having formed themselves Into a protection society, the husbands passed a resolution in favour of amending the Bishop of Winchester's Bill so as to reach drunken wives. This will be forwarded to the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary, the Bishop of Winchester, and various members of Parliament.

At a christening, while the minister was making out the certificate he forgot the date, and happened to say, "Let me see, this is the 30th?" "The 30th!" exclaimed the indignant mother. "Indeed, not; it's only the 11th!"

"Speaking of battles, major," said the bud of a former season, "were you ever in what might be termed a really serious engagement?" "Well, rather," replied the major. "I was once engaged to a widow for three weeks."