THE WIFE “ON HER OWN.”

Dunstan Times, Issue 3136, 25 September 1922, Page 2

THE WIFE “ON HER OWN.”

(By n Male Cynic).. Last week the newspapers reported a case where a man was summoned by his wife for assault.«* They had been married for years, and had managed to live amicably together until on a sudden on ■_» evening the wife had elected to "go out on her own.'' In point of fact her had merely been visiting friends, but on her return the irate husband refused to listen to explanations, and used his right arm. And in court, whilst willing to apologise, he made it clear that he still regarded his wife':-: behavior as wrong. She should have told liim of her intentions and asked his permission. The wife, however, pointed out that for ten year or more, her husband had gene out most nights of the week, and never thought to tell her wliere he was' going or what he was proposing to do. This meant that she had been obliged Id spend most of her evenings alone. She admitted that sho had become tired, i f such a one-sided arrangement, and decided to show him that two could play at the same game. Most people's sympathy. 1 suppose, will go out to the woman, as much because of that one-sided arrangement as -because she was assaulted en the occasion of her sudden and most unexpected excursion. And yet throughout the world's history the. husband has always demanded a different code of behavior in his wife from that which !i;: has chosen for his own. Is this right? The suffragettes used to tell us that it was horribly wrong, and the modern tendency is for the wife to demand as much freedom as her husband believes to be his due. The wife, you are told, has ceased to be the husband's property or chattel. She is a citizen with, most of his "rights.'' Yet there is something to be said for the husband's point of view. He must not, of course, use physical force, but if he be the wage-earner, he is purely entitled to know that if he choose® to spend some or even most of his leisure away from home, his home itself will not thereby be disordered. You may argue that the wife has probably been working all day at home just as hard as the husband., and this may be true: but even so it would be injudicious of her, to say the least, suddenly to decide to give him "a lessen" by dloing something for which he is utterly unprepared. All sensible wives know what a tired' man requires, and in the ease I have mentioned, ther'e was nothing unexpected about the husband's behavior. for which. 1 dare say. the wife was partly to blame. Tn any ease, she could- probably have avoided all trouble by informing her husband of her little plan Rut she said nothing, and 1k v who, like mo,st men. was suspicious of change, lost his temper. it is all very regrettable, of course, but such little mishaps could be easily avoided. it is not enough 'for husbands and wives to be lovers; they must also bo friends.