Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 126, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1909 — How to Manage Husbands. [ARTICLE]

How to Manage Husbands.

Most quaint is some of the advice to women contained in an old book published in 1737.. The volume describe* itself as “an infallible Guide to the Fair Sex, containing Rules, Directions, and Observations for their Conduc and Behaviour th.-ough all Ages and Circumstances of life; as Virgins Wives, or Widows, with Directions how to obtain all suitable to the Sex.” Il tie lady’s hus ban-’ was choleric she was told how to secure her own way by dexterously “yielding everything till he begins to cool, and then by slow degrees she may rise and gain upor the Man” or “when other Remedies are too weak, a little Flattery may be admitted, which, by being necessary, will cease to be criminal. “With a oov etous husband, pride, ambition, vanity, anger, kindness, or even a dqse ol wine, may be expected “to open or enlarge his narrow Mind.“ “The wife’* business must be to watch for critical moments, and not let one o them slip without taking ad vantage of it' And a wii: may be said “to want skill i by these means she is not able to secure herself in Gc'vl Measure kgain'-t the inconvenience this scurvy Quality in her husband might bring upon her.” All the frailties of poor, erring husbands are here rot forth, singly, in plain, unmistakable language, neatly docketed, each with the recipe for cure appended thereto. There are other interesting passages In the same book. Of spinsters the author says; “An old maid is now thought such a curse as no poetic fury can exceed, looked on as the most calamitous creature in nature. Modesty and Obedience, though necessary to all, are yet in a more eminent degree required here. Their Look, their Speech, their whole Behaviour should own a humble distrust of themselves.” Concerning amusements this : “The reading of Romances seems now to be thought the peculiar and only Study of young Ladies. It must be confessed their Youth may a little adapt It to them when they were children, and we wish they were always in their event as harmless.” • On another vanity: “There is also another great devourer of Time—we mean Dressing. Sure ’tls allowable upon a soberer account that thoee who design Marriage should give themselves the adrantsge of dec sot Ornaments, and not by the negligent Rudeness of their Dress bely Nature, anc render themselves lass amiable than she has made them. But all this being granted, ‘twill by no means Justify that excessive Curiosity and Solicituda, that Expense of Time and Money, too, which is mors used.” Double tracking the Siberian Railway will certainly not take place for a year or two. As there are neither rails nor other material nor workmen along the lines, the difficulty 1s great. Moreover, the whole at the appropriation for the purposes has hem spent