ACTRESS'S VIEW OF WIFEBEATING.

Evening Star, Issue 13016, 10 January 1907, Page 6

ACTRESS'S VIEW OF WIFEBEATING.

A distinguished English actress is at present fulfilling engagements in the United States, and the übiquitous American reporter has been interviewing her, with most interesting results. She is appearing on the stage as an ill-used wife, whose nusband is strongly addicted to beating his " better half." This was one of the subjects discussed at the interview. " You do not really mean to say," said the reporter, " that you believe in the spectacle of wife-beating as an evening's entertainment ?"

"It is. true to life, is it not? And if it is true to life it should be an entertaining plav. Men do beat their wives, you know." ""Do you think many husbands do?"

" A great many more than most people imagine. If the secrets of all domestic lives were laid bare we would find thai wife-beating is a much moro common diversion, than is generally thought. Also, if the secTets of men's lives were laid bare we would find that there are a lot of husbands who would like to beat their wives if they dared." "Do you think all men are by nature wife-beaiers?" " Surely, more or less. The brute instinct is very strong in man, and the submission to it very strong in woman. 1 can easily understand how a woman who had never been accustomed to any other way of thinking would consider it quite prerogative of her husband to whip her." " How about wives beating their husbands? Would you.approve of that?" asks the reporter. " Certainly; turn about is fair play. I presume manv of them would like to if they were only strong enough. I know of one woman in the west of England who used to do it. She was very athletic, rode to hounds, and did all that sort of thing. She was a. big woman, too. Her husband was a little iellow, and the way she used to whip him on the slightest provocation was a joy to all the old maids in the neighborhood." " Would you whip your husband if you had one?" , "How can I tell? It- depends 60 much on Mv<- kind of Kusband. You soc. I have no husband, and so I never had an opportunity to experiment. I have met some men 'that I would like to beat, though. Oh, yes, lots of them."