Our Deportment: Or the Manners, Conduct and Dress of the Most Refined SocietyYoung, John H.
General
Our Deportment: Or the Manners, Conduct and Dress of the Most Refined Society
Young, John H.
Etiquette
It must not be supposed that it devolves upon the wife alone to make
married life and home happy. She must be seconded in her noble efforts
by him who took her from her own parental fireside and kind friends, to
be his companion through life's pilgrimage. He has placed her in a new
home, provided with such comforts as his means permit, and the whole
current of both their lives have been changed. His constant duty to his
wife is to be ever kind and attentive, to love her as he loves himself,
even sacrificing his own personal comfort for her happiness. From his
affection for her, there should grow out a friendship and fellowship,
such as is possessed for no other person. His evenings and spare moments
should be devoted to her, and these should be used for their
intellectual, moral and social advancement.
The cares and anxieties of business should not exclude the attentions
due to wife and family, while he should carefully keep her informed of
the condition of his business affairs. Many a wife is capable of giving
her husband important advice about various details of his business, and
if she knows the condition of his pecuniary affairs, she will be able to
govern her expenditures accordingly.
It is the husband's duty to join with his wife in all her endeavors to
instruct her children, to defer all matters pertaining to their
discipline to her, aiding her in this respect as she requires it. In
household matters the wife rules predominant, and he should never
interfere with her authority and government in this sphere. It is his
duty and should be his pleasure to accompany her to church, to social
gatherings, to lectures and such places of entertainment as they both
mutually enjoy and appreciate. In fact he ought not to attend a social
gathering unless accompanied by his wife, nor go to an evening
entertainment without her. If it is not a fit place for his wife to
attend, neither is it fit for him.
While he should give his wife his perfect confidence in her
faithfulness, trusting implicitly to her honor at all times and in all
places, he should, on his part, remain faithful and constant to her, and
give her no cause of complaint. He should pass by unnoticed any
disagreeable peculiarities and mistakes, taking care at the proper time,
and without giving offense, to remind her of them, with the idea of
having her correct them. He should never seek to break her of any
disagreeable habits or peculiarities she may possess, by ridiculing
them. He should encourage her in all her schemes for promoting the
welfare of her household, or in laudable endeavors to promote the
happiness of others, by engaging in such works of benevolence and
charity as the duties of her home will allow her to perform.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account