Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1912 — TWO SORTS OF WIVES [ARTICLE]

TWO SORTS OF WIVES

SOME ARE HELPMEET*AND SOME •TUMBLING BLOCKS. .. Lives «f Successful Men Remind Ue of Credit Due to Wife—LHtle Bald of the Wife Who le a Hindrance. In these piping times of prosperity we see many articles published telling how the writer achieved success in this Oregon country, and principally on small pieces of land. Such, stories are highly Inspiring, particularly to the young men and young women who are Just starting out for themselves. If one will take the trouble to tabulate and analyze these stories it Will be discovered that In nine cases out of -ten a good woman was the actual cornerstone upon which the success was founded and worked out. The same has been true since the world began, wo suppose. It certainly has been the rule that the good helpmeet has done more for man than any other one cause —than any other score of causes —since our forefathers landed on the bleak New England shore. There are, perhaps, fewer exceptions to the rule now than ever, particularly among those who have risen from poverty to affluence on the land. We must give the wives of nearly all successful men great credit In many cases they have suffered more hardship than their husbands, fathers, or brothers have labored harder, have worked for longer hours. No credit is too great for them. But how often Is the other side of the story alluded to? Where can we find the stories of the wives who were not helpmeets, but rather hindrances and stumbling blocks to their husbands? How about the wives'who almost from the day of marriage were begging for fineries, luxuries and unnecessary articles beyond their means? Do we read of them? This is not a pleasant subject to touch upon; but many of us can point to cases where the extravagance of the wife has kept the husband tn poverty, is still keeping him in poverty, or at least keeping his nose to the wheel, grinding, grinding his life out inch by inch. Would it. not bo well to take up this phase of life and now and then speak ot the failures? Why not call attention to the woman who has begged the money from her young husband for the purchase of a new dress which she does not need, or a new hat, which all know to be above her means, when the same money put into a co* or two would mean success. In telling about the eheery and encouraging words of the true helpmeet why not give a little thought to the poor husband who has had the very soul and spirit nagged out of him by a woman who did not know what she wanted, but was bound to have, if nagging could get thdm. many of the fineries of her richer neighbors had? Few such stories are published, for the reason that the husbands are failures, or so considered, and no man likes to exploit himself as a failure. But would It not be well for some of the unfortunate ones to tell their stories for the benefit of the young wives who, with their husbands, are just starting out on the road of married life? All praise to the good women, the good wives, the self-sacrificing and noble mothers; but let us now and then have a word for the unfortunate husbands of the other sort of woni€D, Oregonian.