SECOND FIDDLE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16833, 8 September 1922, Page 10

SECOND FIDDLE.

When a man contemplates matrimony as often as not he sees himself wielding the conductor’s baton in the domestic orchestra. A very few* months of the reality, however, will teach him, ir ho be endowed with the faculty of clear sight, that hi* role is to sit quietly in his corner obedient to the behests of the lady of his choice. E'ox*, in nine cases out of ten, it is she who calls ihe tune that he accompanies in a minor key. In all household matters the wife is i supreme, the husband’s sphere being re-.-tricted to humble acquiescence in her arrangements. “ The cook’s out on Tuesday, so you d better dine at your club.” is the form the ultimatum takes. What can the man do but obevP If he should attempt to argue the point he is certain to be overwhelmed bv some such crushing rejoinder as ‘ Are you running the houee or am I?” That is the very last thing he wants—to manage his home as well as his own business—so up goes the white flag of unconditonal surrender. Tt is all very well for the bachelor to talk about “ masculine pelf respect.” Benedict knows a thing worth two of that—“ peace at any price.” AVhen it comes to social questions—who shall be asked to dinner, whether a particular invitation shall be accepted or not, and suchlike transactions in the small change of the currency of hospitality, Alan is a mere cipher. Before he wag married he was his own master, enjoying the reputation of an ideal host with an innate talent for collecting the right people round his table. Transformed into a husband, lie has to make himself pleasant to the guests of the woman who promised once upon a time to “love, honour an] obey” him. He may fill the part to the appreciation of every unbiased Critic, but for all that it is a subordinate one. that of an understudy, not the lead. The satisfaction to be derived from playing second fiddle instead of banging the big drum is one that grows with indulgence. Aliddle age. taught by experience that solitude is too often the price of independence, is not inclined to be a stickler for what is, after all, only a, barren pre-eminence. If a woman chooses to undertake the duties of management, let her! An armchair, tobacco, the latest novel from the library —these are surely more, concrete pleasures than that conferred by the headship of a household? AA’lvH does it matter where a man goes for the summer, so long as his better half is gratified, and that golf is tolerable, or who comes to dine provided the wine be decanted to his taste? There would be fewer unhappy unions were this philosophy more generally accepted, for it is the self-assertive male, dear to the hearts of authors and playwrights, insistent on a privileged status, who works such havoc in real life. Looked at from the correct angle, there is nothing derogatory in taking ! a eeat in the background, while one 1 -3 : partner monopolises the limelight. Rather it the manifestation of a heaver-sent tact. If there should be discords in the orchestral harmony, no blamo can attach to him. For he is of ' no account. He plays second fiddle.

CHEERFUL YOUTH. : WHAT BOYS LIKE IN CLOTHES. J A boy likes to be as nicely dressed anyone, and if he can get a tailormade suit at practically the same price as a slop suit he is out to get it. And that is ivhat Brisk, the tailor, offers him—a suit tailored exactly like a man’s, at just about the same cost as a ready-to-wear obtainable elsewhere. And, moreover, these Prisque Boys’ Suits made by Air Brisk are designed so entirely to boy liking, the coat pockets. etc., being as near perfection as a coat can go—in fact, boys are so delighted to wear them they take more care of their clothes than they usually trouble to. Apart from this, Mr Prisk claims that his tailor-mades easily outlast two slop suits. These Prisque Boys’ Suits are made of carefully chosen tw*eeds calculated to stand plenty of hard wear, and tbev are specially reinforced at the places where boys’ suits wear out quickest. Bring your boy in to see J. R. Prislc. the Tailor, 639. Colombo Street. between Lichfield and Tuam Streets, and be measured for a suit. X