When women ‘had their place’

Carmel found the following article and submitted it for our approval or otherwise!



The Good Wife’s Guide – from ‘Housekeeping Monthly’ 13 May 1955

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready for your husband’s return. Let him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up; put a ribbon in your hair. Be a little gay and a little more interesting to him. It is your duty to provide a lift for him.

Clear away the clutter. Gather up school books and dust the tables. Light a fire. Catering for his comforts will provide you with immense personal satisfaction. Prepare the children, washing their hands and faces and combing their hair. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimise all noise. Encourage the children to be quiet. Don’t have the washer, drier or vacuum running when he comes in.

Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him. Let him talk. Remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner or other places of entertainment without you. Try to make sure your home is a place of peace and tranquillity where your husband can renew himself body and soul.

Don’t greet him with complaints and problems. Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Have a cool or warm drink waiting for him.

Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice. Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness.

You have no right to question him. A good wife always knows her place.

……………

 Ah! The Good Old Days!

 ………….

 Your comments, please!

For my part, I’d like to know what homes had ‘a washer, a drier and a vacuum’ that was power-driven in 1955? We’ve had a tumble drier here only in recent years!

Apart from that I can find little remarkable at all in this article! 

Emancipation has brought far more problems than solutions!

 PS  Guess which of the two of us added these comments that follow the article proper!

… roar of the greasepaint …

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