MARTHA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 130, 26 February 1919, Page 2

MARTHA

(By "A Mere' Husband," in.the "Dailv Mail.") 7. ,; Asked by (he- Tottenham -magistrate what her religion was, a woman.replied "Housework." '" '' ; Many women. v are born .....housekeeper*; with a passionate zeal for cooking and "tidying up." The iovo of order and neatness may be noted in certain, physiological types of womanhood, and ■ is associated with nervous energy and restlessness. _ Thij domestic devotee finds no satisfaction in complete repose, except when asleep. She admits that housework is her ohief pleasure, that she- takes a pride in 'her spick-and-span kitchen, her severely ordered sittingroom, and the raroly used drawingroom, with , its brown holland furniture protectors. She l'as-iio time to spare for politics, reading, recreation, and rest. It is far from my wish to underestimate the excellent virtues.of the complete Martha. But I would point out that this fervent solicitude.for. tho comfort nnd happinosg of the nm inmates of the home, which, as we are told, is the principal incentive to this unselfish industry, is not demanded as a right 'by a large and increasing number of husbands.

The Marthas are wont 'o altirm that all men esteem mos.t highly the women who excel in providing the material comforts of the home. Undoubtedly there are many of my gex who, iii taking ,i wife, seek first the good housekeeper and the skilled cook. There are men who rise up and bless tho wives who adhere to the tradition that married felicity consists chiefly in scrupulously tidy rooms awl well-served dinSieM. But there are. other men.

There are men who value companionship in marriage more highly than supreme excellence in domestic arts. It is the secret lament of many husbands that their wives are constantly and unduly preoccupied with household matters. Some men, though conjugal, are only domesticated in a primitive sense. They require simple shelter, food, and warmth as 'fundamental necessities of existence. Dean Swift counselled women to make comfortable cages for., husbands. Buttho wife who devotes her whole time'and activity to furbishing- and decorating the cage may actually nc|lect the imprisoned partner. The truly conjugal spouse wishes his companion to ehare his interests and his amusements.

There is a happy mean iri the proper regulation ot the home. The altruism, tho conscientiousness, and the sen; 3 of duty inherent in the greater number of women impel a largo host to wear themselves exnctingiy in household labour. Better cold dinners and a reasonable untidiness, than hot meals and scrupulous order at the cost' of health and happiness. All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl.

The last of the Raleigh tercentenary celebrations took place, in the Central Hull, Westminster, little more than a stone's throw from Old Palace Yard, where the great Elizabethan, was beheaded, and St. Margaret's Church, where lie is buried. Sir Sidney lee pointed out in his lecture before the' Royal Colonial Institute on Ealeilfli's Discovery of Guiana. Baleigh he described as "the prophetic- pioneer of the British Empire, Hnd implicitly, if 'not explicitly, its patron saint."

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To bid a touching farewell to relatives and friends, present- one of 'our dainty'"Bon Voyage Posies made from tho "choicest blooni6—sentiment and beauty combined. Miss Murray, ViceRecal Florist, Willis Street, Wellington. -Advt.

Pyjamas for boys of 6 to 1G years in good assortment from ds. lid. to 10a. 6d., at Geo. Fowlds, Ltd.; (Manners Street.— Advt. , For Children's Hacking Cough, Woods'-Great Peppermint Cure*