THE INVALUABLE SPOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 193, 9 May 1908, Page 11

THE INVALUABLE SPOUSE.

In these twentisth-century days of feminine freedom of thought and action (says, a writer in the "Express") most women would scorn tho idea that they ever sheltered themselves behind'.-their husbands'. Marriage, they, say, is a-, mutual contract, in which both parties stand on equal terms. '. Woman is .110 longer the weaker .vessel to require'a man's protection; she is his intellectual and intelligent companion, • arid capable .of' sharing equally'-with him' tho business worries as well as the. nioro.overy-day matters' affecting the family 'in.'general. ' . , « . I-.wonder, if any of these ladies whew.they quail, before the--.baleful eye of their cook have sufficient grace to admit that they sometimes gladly avail, themselves of the masculine strength and protection when 0110 of' these . indispensable, but : often decidedly abusive, personages lias to bo. dismissed with a month's^.-wages in lieu of.notice'.- ■ Fominino independence, at such moments is to'disappear into the background, and the■ husband .appears as a-tpwer. of strength behind which thoy aro ready and willing to hide. - •

' ' ' MORNING REPRIMANDS. And bow many.women are guilty of cloaking their own identity behind their husbands' when! the morning reprimands are dealt out to the domestics? "Mr. Blank did not think tliie,outlets were sufficiently cooked last night," or, "He complained that the .soup was'too thick." "Mr. Blank is very particular about the way the dishes are served, and; said last night that he did not like the way cook had put the food on the dishes in: unappetising lumps." "Mr. Blank noticed the silver was not looking as bright as usual, and that the bathroom taps had not been polished." And so on, without Mr. Blank's supposed mouthpiece admitting that oven if he nad mado the statements at all it was not until his wifo had drawn his attention to the facts. ■ .There aro many other little ways in which even tiio most advanced and emancipated wom'o'n will make use of their husbands as props to support them or screens behind which to hide their own identity. "My husband dislikes it so much he will not allow me to wear it!" is a frequent excuse for returning a dress to a costumiere who had probably in the first instance warned the lady that the style she had scleeted was absolutely unsuited to any one whose figure was of the short and rotund order. .One could cite instances by the dozen and fill, columns without number in pointing out tho manner in which women still make uso of their husbands, but these are sufficient to prove that, after all, the husband is not really quite such a useless responsibility as most women would havo u3 believe, and'that ho does occasionally act in his original capacity as guide, protector, and extricator from' tho miro.

Crocheted dishcloths will last longer than any other kind, and will be found easy to clean. Crcchct them in an open stitch about a foot squaro. Use a heavy white crochet cotton, or keep for this purpose the string that comes around parcels, joining tho ends and rolling in a ball* .