YOUNGER DAUGHTERS MAKE POOR WIVES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 166, 4 July 1908, Page 3

YOUNGER DAUGHTERS MAKE POOR WIVES

\ You have noticed probably th.lt the /(•ungor daughters of a family often get Mimed whilst the eb.er girls remain at '"line, there to develop into old/maids? D.i men imagine that these younger girls make the best wives? it is'.hard to say;, but, at any rate, the younger girls »f a family seem to have a greater P'.r.v?r 0 f fascinating men; t.hcy are usually brighter and more vivacious than their elder sisters. The question, however, is'this: Do lhe>v younger daughters make really gnud wives? Are they mor,e fitted to take on the responsibilities 'of married life? The answer in each case must be in the negative. The average younger daughter is often a bit of a butterfly, and is very unpractical, and has the' smallest idea of what household routine means. Of course that is as much her misfortune as her fault, for often her older sisters ( will not giant her any opportunities for I developing capacity in the household. I

In. most homes it is the rule that the elder girls bear all responsibility. They under the management of their mother are allowed to conduct the establishment, purchase household goods, cater generally for the homo, cook meals, and so on, and very often the household purse is under their control. These elder girls vßknol tolerate any interference from yoK;. r .-.isters. The ■ latU'r are brushed ;iA .is being practically useless, and tlßis exactly what they do become in 'S long run. They get into tin; habit oßipecting the older girls to attend to anything, and look after all details. 9 Younger girls, too, are nearly certain to be spoiled by parents, more especially male parents, for it is a fact that younger girls arc, as. a rule, far dearer to

i parents' hearts than the elder girls. [ Well, between parents' pampering and sisters doing everything for them, the younger maids are thoroughly spoiled in very many rases. They become quite useless, they cannot act independently, anil frequently develop into mere dolls', without a single idea in their heads beyond 'art's* and young men. There, is another thing, too—younger girls are allowed t"o much liberty; and too much in the t\-ay of new clothes; and too many new frocks and too much

liberty are not good tor a girl 'from a matrimonial point of view. True enough, these things may not actually interfere with a girl's prospects ol marrying, but they certainly do with .<, young woman's chances of Success in married life, for after marriage a woman's liberty is much curtailed, and new dresses are often like unto oases in the ilescct —few and far between. The younger daughters of a family, I fear, are rather prone to become failui'es as wives—they ace handicapped from the very beginning of married life. Having charge of a household simply appals, a younger daughter—sh,> knows not v'urt' to do, or liow to a'-t; she is, in fact, like a fish out of water. She lacks the guiding hand that has all along been at'her licek nnil call, and one cannot wonder if she fails dismally.

Thus does it come about that the man who selects a younger daughter usually makes a grand mistake, for it is not, tiil her elder sisters are married and away from the home, that she has a chance to learn about those things which co.mtfor so much iu everyday life. . It must be remembered, too, that the parental pampering and petting which i younger daughter receives comes down very lu-iivily on the man she marries.

She expects him to act towards her as did her parents, and she is quite'brokenhearted when she finds that her liusband will not give into her every whim as did her father. What surprises'her more than anything else is the astonishing fact that, whereas a few tears eot'ild extract a new dress outlof paoa, a whole bucketful won't eon, jure a new hat out of hubby. If the honest truth lie told, the man who weds a younger daughter from out of a family of girls, finds, that he has married a doll, a pet, a toy, if you like, but certainly not a capable woman of the world to manage a ho/isehold. Many unhappy marriages are caused through men selecting /and wedding younger girls. Their inexperience, Aheir lack of practical training, make These young women of precious little use in this hard, wnrk-a-day /world, e.ifl the simplieilly, which, perhaps, acted/ike a charm with fathers, meiicly irritates husbands. ! ,'