At first, quarrels arise which in the eye of wives give an air of
tyranny to husbands. The tyranny of a husband is always a terrible
excuse for inconsistency in a wife. Then, in their frivolous
discussions they are enabled to prove to their families and to ours,
to everybody and to ourselves, that we are in the wrong. If, for the
sake of peace, or from love, you acknowledge the pretended rights of
women, you yield an advantage to your wife by which she will profit
eternally. A husband, like a government, ought never to acknowledge a
mistake. In case you do so, your power will be outflanked by the
subtle artifices of feminine dignity; then all will be lost; from that
moment she will advance from concession to concession until she has
driven you from her bed.
The woman being shrewd, intelligent, sarcastic and having leisure to
meditate over an ironical phrase, can easily turn you into ridicule
during a momentary clash of opinions. The day on which she turns you
into ridicule, sees the end of your happiness. Your power has expired.
A woman who has laughed at her husband cannot henceforth love him. A
man should be, to the woman who is in love with him, a being full of
power, of greatness, and always imposing. A family cannot exist
without despotism. Think of that, ye nations!
Now the difficult course which a man has to steer in presence of such
serious incidents as these, is what we may call the _haute politique_
of marriage, and is the subject of the second and third parts of our
book.
Pages:
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144