If Wives Were Better Cooks, There'd Be Less Divorce

1907

COOKING VS. DIVORCE

Mrs. H. L. Vail, of Oregon, comes out with a new remedy for the divorce evil. She thinks that if wives were better cooks there would be less domestic discord.

There is more truth than poetry in Mrs. Vail's argument. The way to a man's heart is well known to be through his stomach. No man would feel like commencing divorce proceedings after having dined well, especially if the cook were his wife. It would be a hard-hearted woman who could think of leaving a man whose heart had been reached by the most direct route, and whose happiness was for the moment bounded on the north, south, east and west by — his cook. The greatest domestic tyrant would tremble at the thought of letting any little family differences disturb the equilibrium of his kitchen arrangements.

Man is naturally a domestic animal. A wife may be flighty; and a domestic man and a flighty wife are not congenial. A cook who is busy with her own pans and kettles has neither the desire nor the time to seek excitement away from home. A good housewife should and does take her pleasure in contemplating the satisfied look on the face of the man whom she loves. A good husband, and one who can appreciate a good thing, will be perfectly willing to spend his evenings where he can keep both his eyes on the woman who is both a wife and a cook to him.

But, of course, there are flighty husbands; and the best way cure such men of their wandering propensities is to give them such dinners at home that will make all other dinners insipid and distasteful. A husband who is a good provider and a wife who a good cook constitute a combination that would give the divorce courts little trouble.

A little asperity of temper on the part of the wife would be more quickly smoothed and soothed away were good meals dependent on the success of a husband's diplomacy. A ruffled husband could be quickly brought to realize his helplessness were he threatened with a reduction of his daily diet. There is no better or more binding link between a husband and wife than a full larder of well-cooked food; and where such a link exists the divorce courts would have a hard time to get in any of their deadly work.

A perfect wife is one who can cook intelligently, and a perfect husband is one who is capable of appreciating intelligent cooking.

—The Centralia News-Examiner, Centralia, Wisconsin, September 20, 1907, page 12.