THE IDEAL WIFE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19698, 16 January 1934, Page 10

THE IDEAL WIFE

SOME MALE DEFINITIONS. This delightful advertisement for a wife, writes a London correspondent, appeared in the German periodical “D-eutscher Bauer” the other day:— “I want a brave, original, genuine German girl as a comrade for life. She must be rectangular in body and soul, of healthy natural feelings, with ‘schneid’ (smartness), athirst for freedom, a woman’s pride, a sense of sacrifice and a joy in singing; she must have a passionate devotion to her nation and a heart in love with nature, sun and bodily exercise. . . No dancing dolls need apply.” The standard seemed so depressingly high that I began to collect other recipes for a perfect wife. Here are some “necessities” acording to my friends:— The Ideal Wife Must Not:—Pluck her eyebrows, polish her nails or redden her lips; rake up the past; listen to scandal; criticise her husband; incur debts without her husband's permission; experiment in cooking (!). She must: —Be a good tennis player and a good dancer; understand a football match and not mind going to see one regularly; be goed-tempered and smiling; be able to cook well. Not long ago 100 students were asked to define the most important quality in an ideal wife. They answered in order of prefernce:— Character, health, domesticity, good looks, intellectual brilliance, ability to earn a living, social standing. They also decided that:—Red haired girls have the fiercest tempers; a dimpled chin- denotes determination, and that plump girls are good tempered.