Just so with matters of personal neatness.
He knows--oh, yes, knowing is his long suit!--he knows he "ought" to be
neat; and he thinks he wants to be; but unless Eve and the serpent come
along he hasn't the _living impulse_.
And Eve must not lose sight of the serpent, however far away the dove
may fly. Eve must use wisdom and tact, as well as example; if she would
have Adam accept her standard of cleanliness she must see to it that her
example is _beautifully_ clean instead of _painfully_ so. There are men
who are careless about their persons simply as a matter of relief from
the painful cleanness of their surroundings.
Then there are Adams who are careless for lack of interest in pleasing
Eve. In these cases you will find that Eve has little or no interest in
pleasing Adam; or that she overdoes the matter of trying to please, and
frequently dissolves in tears and precipitates countless reproaches upon
luckless Adam.
Then there are Adams who are careless from petty spite--with shame I say
it. And with greater shame I say, you will find their Eves are spiteful,
too; probably more spiteful than the Adams; for Eve, you know, is
generally smart enough and ambitious enough to outdo Adam in any line of
endeavor--especially in the use or misuse of the tongue.
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