OUR HUSBANDS, AND HOW THEY MAKE HOME HAPPY.

Otago Witness, Volume 01, Issue 2123, 1 November 1894, Page 51

OUR HUSBANDS, AND HOW THEY MAKE HOME HAPPY.

Can man reason 7 I am aware that he has invented the telegraph, laid the submarine cable, and carried the railway system throughout the world; but putting such little matters aside, and viewing man as the simple husband — and he geuerally is pretty gimple — we are constrained to admit that we have to do with a being who cannot bend the mighty machinery of his intellect to grapple with the simplest domestic problem.

There is the husband, for instance, who thinks that the whole work of the household is comprised "in one or two small duties — making the beds aid cooking the dinner, and that any other housework is a mere filling in of time — " because," as Bartle Marsey remarked, "the womon are there, aud something must be found for them to do." Hj has * deeply-rooted conviction, to which he gives expression, that if his offics weie only next his own home, he could fly in aud look after tbe dinner and evorjthteg in bis odd moments, at which observation Lia wife will raise her soft voice and answer, "I'm sure you could, John, dear. Mabel, my child, will you siug us that fine old Scotch ballad, 'John Gimnlie.'as I'm sure your father would like to hear it." So he is crushed, and his vace ia heard no more in the land.

Another curious typo of the married man is the economical hnsband, who, freehanded in general, is subject to frequent fits of penuriousr.ess, daring which he believes everything will goto rack and ruin unless tbe household savea money by going to bed without candles. This results in the eavicg of twopence worth of candles, and the loss of six shillings' worth of juge, ewers, or bedroom ornaments. In some respects tbe economical husband *is absurdly lavish with his money. He does not, for instance, grudge tbe expense of taking his wife a trip round the North Island and back; aud be ia delighted to escort her to theatres, concerts, and so forth — for he understands the pleasure of all this — but he will steadily refuse her monoy for & new carpet, though the trip he offers her would not give her half the amount of pleasure she would derive from the new waxcloth in the baU and an extra whatnot for the drawing room. It is no matter hew shabby, how dull-looking the house may be, the economical husbnnri ncvor SQia it; aud whtt especially annoys Lis family is that he often overpays th«s civ wsi\ and throws sixpences to the newsboys, thus earning tbe reputation of being a geaeroup, free-handed man whose wife ought to be a happy waman.

The average married man must always have something Dad about him, and when a husband fir.da ha has no taste for grumbling, amoVing, or drinking, lie takes |to reading, add makes a vice of that I Ho reads steadily throngh the month — meal times and all — with an extra carouse wfeeu tbe new magazines come in. The Athenasum is bis public hou«o. He cannot pass it,, aod his wife is thinkiog of appMug to the librarian for a probihidou order sgHinat her husband. He slim not till the laot atroke of 10, when he hastily gwailiws Lib !asc paragraph, and ieeh homewarda intellectually intoxicated. To this icteresticg individual unite the unpuECtnal husband, who, always late himself, nevertheless expects hie dinners to be teidy to a minute whenever he choo=.es to come io, and you have a couple of tho lea" common t/tpes of men who "mske home happy." In training up oar husbands let us first ohoo3e our raw material wisely ; let us look to the surroundings of our prospective bridegrooms, rememberlrg that men brought up by devoted mothers or man-worshipping eisiers make poor husbands, asking much and giving little. Better marry what the Irishwoman called a "dissolute orphan " than take up with one of these. A friend, of mine, who is an acute observer, Bays that one thing we should carefully bear in mind is not to annoy our dear husbands by obedience. There ia, she alleges — and 1 must admit with some show of reason — nothing a m.vn finds more tiresome than a meek, submissive wife. " Men," she says, "of course deny this; nevertheless when we hear cf a husband deserting his wife we generally find that she is one of this type. So has it ever been since the days when the imperious Cleopatra kept Antony to her side while the meek Octavia wept her husband's abandonment in solitude."

(C 7* Description* of balls, &., must be endorsed I>t eltier (h* Y> Itiu-si correv'oniiont fnr the district or by the secretary to lh« ball rommittoc, The MS. of nny corrcpondentn who do not comply ulth this rule ulll he tent to the heeretary for endorsfc. mciH prior to itpmvirlng.— KMMKl.lNi:. To ' ensure i publication an the forthcoming issue, lotton should reach the tt itneii ofneo ir pooslble en Saturday nlghl, but on. no nccnunt Inter that Monday night.

AVSKtfni.Y MALI, AT IUI/T! HII.L FIAT. l):-\- Kmmkmni:,— The li.ilrf Hill Flat Quadrille Awim lv hold their annual wind-up dance in the lue.il .sdioolhou-e on the oven ing of Friday, tho 19th, al.out 20 conpl s being present. The club weu: fortunate in having line weather, the evening bcln? a mild and agreeable one for a dance. The music during the night was supplied by Mr Morrison (violin), aud Mr James Carroll acted as M.O. A very pleasant evening was spent; I by those present, and dancing was kept up till I o'clock next morning. Appended is a brief description of the drcs-es worn :— Miss J. Can oil, blue crepon, white lace ; Mi*s O. Kemp, white nun's veiling, pink flowers; Miss M. A. Wilkin* eon, yellow silk, white lace; Miss M. A. Murphy/ white relieved with pink ; Miss J. M'lntyre, whita crepon, red flower-* ; M^ss K. Brown, flowered sateen ; Miss ]J. Rahill, white muslin relieved with,, pink ; Miss Welsfonl, grey dre-s ; Miss M'Donald, black slciit. white blouse; Misses 7 worsen, black' skirts, white blouses ; Miss A. (ialvin.fibck dress, blue ribbons ; Mi.-s 13. Oalvin, pink ba^en, white lace ; Mi«s D. Kemp, blue crepon, waits \oaes J Miss M. Murphy, cream cashmere, whitw lacej Miss K. Murphy, pink dress, whiLo luce ; Miss O, Murphy, white muslin; Miss M. Can oil, white Fateon ; Miis M'Neish, navy blue dress ; Mrs ])awbon, white cashmere ; Mrs Diamond, black dress ; Mrs Lynch, black dress ; Mrs Carroll, dark dress ; Mrs Johnston, fawn cashmere, pink vest.-* Judge. bvcheloits' hall at canniniiton. Diun Emmumne,— lhe bachelors of Cnnnington Kave a very enjoyable ball on the 12th ult. in the local hall, kiudly lent by Mr Dickson. It was a henutil'ul liisht, nnd many young ladies, ami married ones toD, arcep'ed the invitation. Tho ball was opened with the grand march, about 25 couples taking the floor. It was a really pretty sight the wo.irois of bo many pretty ami wellmade dresses all looking so bright and happy. Miss Annie Grant (Cannington) was without doubt tho belle. Dancing was kept np with vigour until daylight the following nio-i.in^, when all returned to their homes well plutised with tho time they had sitent at the Canuingtoii bachelors' ball. Ilie following is a list of tho many pretty dre^si"j worn :— Miss Annie Grant (Can- 1 ninxton), piuk satin dress liclily trimmed with' white Mal'ese lace, with fan, itc, to match ; Mis^r lliihicll, pale blue dicss trimmed with maroon' velvet ; Miss Gibson (Claremont), dark tweeclf dress with Maltese bodice richly trimmed with? white s:lk; Misses Elliot (2), brown serge; Mis^ Batchelor (AU-ury), white; Miss Thorn (Albury),' black skirt with white b ulice ; Miss Treveller, (Cave), white; Miss M'Konziu, white sateen richly trimmed with pink silk ; Miss O. Grant (Pleasant Point), bla°k velvet richly triinmud( with pink silk ; Miss J. Grant (Cave), black satin ! skirt with a pink statin b ulice ; Miss M. Grant; (lotara), brown velvet skirt with white satin' bodice ; Miss Tate, pale blue ; Miss M» Talo, white ; Miss Nora Sullivan (Cave), pale blue trimmed with white lace ; Miaa Little (Cannington), mnrooii velvet dress ; Mis> Fr.iser, pale bluo ; Mr* Little (Cannington), pink satin dress very tastefully trimmed with white Maltese laco ; Mrs Fraser, blown silk; Mrs 'lhorean, maroon velvet with black sealetto opei'4 c'oak ; Mrs Tatc, black. The music wa3 supplied by Messrs Ward and Curtis, and Mr William Gibson acted as M.C. — Tippy.