DOMESTICATING GIRLS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1956, 13 January 1914, Page 2

DOMESTICATING GIRLS

GA.\ 11 UK 0\ KRIjO.NK'- : .'tie'eiu■ s";i if'-'.-{tli;i'ti' ; ....t.iio.'.; : piiTo'derrivi "sporting;"educated;?;jjjrl[.. a..:, very successfui-o;frJwih^v'|^'i)ecause£.;V ; ;.:sbe is not <\\T('i-siv.-)y'; , dmne, l -! :c : and pivu'i 5... H) •, tallc. :?uy. about golf railicr.-'ilian about • M-rvants.j states a \vritpi-j;iiirnu; Ehglis!i'papei;s;iS: ; Sh« has so manyiintei osts that she-is'-less likely to/ bore.'- her. hnsban<l;C..witli;Sjdciniestic tumbles and details. . .--V» . ft. ,is'< undoubtedly, true- that • many ' spoilt* liy,* too;-, much (Jouiesticiiywif Chiiiies'Kingsiey/was so afraid. of ; :. this, that; ]ip. ; niad(';'it,/a'■ rule that ho;domestky matters . , should be mentioned after." tc-n in, the ; morning. Anything, that. Mrs. King-sley had to say about the house,"or the servants,' or the dinner.had. to.,bq, 'said; between '9 a.m. ,aml 10i'a.ui';,/b?. ; not. at: all.The rest of the. day!: was *strictly,preserved for other things. . if . tlwM'.oek:.gove notice at-'ll. o'clock; the'distressing news could not be.-told ;■ to Kingslev.-tiil 9 the next morning.,::,,::. If. the. kitchen,; fire, refused to burn.''properly,;^not;a word'must bo said about Probably, riiahy?households'; 1 would 1 be the happier for, such a plan.'. "I know many oases." ?said Mrs,' Charles Marshall, the well-known lecturer on domestic matters,"where what should have (iosii a happy marriage has been spoilt by the excessive, domesticity of the wife. It should be,, ii: rule in every house that all domestic', tilings'are barred after six in the evening... . When a, man comes home he does not want to hear about tho shortcomings, of ■ tlic -'servants, the imperfections.. of ■ the:, tradesmen, and the peculiarities, of 1 the cook. . But many women become so obsessed with the domestic side of/things that-they can talk about nothing else.,s Every .evening the husband has to listen to a recital of household trivialities.'...'One ..day., he is told thVit the cook is' excellent,'a&ather that .she is carekss;/anotlicr that she is extravagant,,and so on. Kingsley was a Sensible man. ■' lie knew, the danger of allowing domesticity, krrun loose in a house, and he, va-v/properly refused to discuss household things except at a eer.tain hour. i-.. , U. f i ■ o-,,-, -

■... "It often'happens, jVhen s ta woman worries her husband/ with,, kitchen details; ■.'■■ that he shows after a time that he is. not. very interested, or that ho thinks!..she taj;es such things, to seriously.' Usually she... then leproachcs him'with lack of sympathy.; This starts an argument, which degenerates before long into a quarrel.NeK'lv always tlie wife is to blame. A man will rarely horo his wife with detaik.of every 'trial and difficulty in his work', but many women think nothing of boring a husband with trivial domestic;, problems, though h<o c-au do nothing."to.solve-them.. ' "I quite agree that the modern girl is less likely: to. make such a mistake. Usually.: she has a healthy,. disliko for the. merely.:domestic things,' and she is not so likely 'to magnify tho.little household worries of every day into serious problems. needing■ lengthy , discussion. When-a.'man comes homo lie is anxious to forget about his'work.'. Many wives, on the contrary, refuse, to forget theirs, and seem to look.forward to the evenings as a time-when they'can pour out all their domestic worries.

"There has . never been a.. happier liomo than Kingslcy's; _ It would certainly bo a good plan" if his rule regulating domestic, discussion were adopted in every home.Siii; the;couiitry.''