in wedlock who cannot bring to his partner the
offering of good health.

Another consideration is _evenness of temper_. In the wooing days
everyone is a lamb, and only becomes the howling wolf after marriage.
Circumstances that ruffle the temper in the presence of the intended
are but like the harmless squib, but would become like the explosive
torpedo in his or her absence or in after-marriage. Quarreling caused
by matrimonial differences is the most frequent cause of infelicity,
and most of it is caused by an innate irate temper of either husband
or wife.

The _tastes_ should not be dissimilar. Some of them may be
unimportant, but others are a fruitful source of disagreement. The
social wife will never be contented with the unsocial husband, and the
gay husband, though his gayety may not be commendable, will always
accuse his wife if she lacks a social disposition to a great extent.
The religious wife will never excuse a tendency to irreligion in her
husband, and though he may be far from being immoral, she is unhappy
if he does not participate in her devotions. The one devoted to
children will never be happy with one having a natural repugnance for
them. In this way we might multiply facts illustrative of the
importance of an investigation into the similarity of taste previous
to marriage. Great love, however, overcomes almost every obstacle.

THE PARTIES SHOULD BE NEARLY OF ONE AGE.

The husband should be the elder. The union of the old husband to the
young wife, or the reverse, is seldom a happy one. It is seldom that
such a marriage occurs in which the incentive is not the wealth of
either of the parties.

Marriages are usually contracted to gratify various desires, as love,
fortune or position. The results are more truthfully stated by an
eminent divine in the following:

"Who marries for love, takes a wife; who marries for fortune, takes a
mistress; who marries for position, takes a lady."

To a man there is but one choice that he can rationally make, a
marriage of love. My female readers, I hope, will decide rather to wed
a husband than the master or the elegant gentleman.

A little foresight, a little prudence, and a little caution will
prevent in most cases the entrance into a marriage which, by the very
nature of the alliance, is certain to be an unhappy and improper one.

CHAPTER VIII.

PREGNANCY--LABOR--PARTURITION.