A WOMAN'S GRIEVANCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3148, 27 March 1909, Page 5

A WOMAN'S GRIEVANCE.

To the Editor. Sir, —Will you allow me space to air ~ little grievance, or rather a big gritv ice, which I think all your lady refers will endorse, or mtfst of them, at anyrate. Why is it that ( hundreds and thousands of women , are forced to speak an untruth in our otherwise beauti'ul marriage service of the Church of England? Tne word obey is whit I refer to. Couples j st about it till it is really said at • Uod's altar, then after the honey- > moon is over the tug qf war begins. "Why don't you cut those dresses of yours short to the tops of your boots, like a sensible woman, now see they ar i done at once. I hate long dresses. Now do obey me in this." How graceful we should (as elderly matrons) look! or if caught in a shower "Why ever don't you wear a macin- , tosli, bonnet or hat instead of those flimsy thing?. Then you would always ba prepared for bad weather. See you get one next week. It annoys ma so to see you so inconsistent, and vou will not obey me in these thin*?." Shoul'l we not look pretty? or "You go to bed dear (9.30). I Vf'H icnis wlij.i I finished this Writing or reading." If not instantly obeyed, "Why don't you go to bed when I tell you, you n*ver ybey me ii anything,Dl.wbadlant wOIVjcUi, J %f; "Oil je.r me, fancy you eating an S4S ifom the brge end, instead of tfi-3 Small. Now don't do it again, pbiae. It looks as if you were broJght up in tfm bush." "There you ari, do ng what I told you not to do. Why diri't yoa obey me in thess small matters?" and so on. Such casis I "nave frequently come acioss, an 1 I think it is a shame go <1 -< bl; wivi s shoulJ have to bear I !<e indignity of this word "obey" like ci liren, or the animal world we expct to obey us. Ii would-be a good o iportunity while the Book of Common Prayer is now undergoing alteratiins to Inve the word "obey" takan out of it. Thousands of women ne-'er intend to obey like the brute creation, but any good wife would willingly do anything reasonable her husband asks h ; r to do, but not obey commands. 1 agree with the Canon who told me he thought it was a man'* own liult if a wife did not obey, for if sie were asked to do anyt ling reasonable she would doit; if u>t reasonable, of course she would not. Of eour-e many good husbandß d)"not enforce it, but many do, and i; makes gn-.at unhappiness, constant 1/ j3irjng. with these continual pinpricks. Ia it not ho, sir? And simply because tiur marriage service insists on this word "obey," thus giving the husbands power to enforce it, if they can-!—I am, etc., DISOBEYING WIFE.