, it seems clear that these people had very little worth
reading in their own tongue); but I find no reference whatever to
the bringing up of children. They could not have been so absurd as
to omit all training for this gravest of responsibilities.
Evidently, then, this was the school course of one of their
monastic orders."

HERBERT SPENCER

This quotation from the pen of Herbert Spencer arrested our attention
this winter when we were reading a number of books dealing with various
epoch-making periods in the development of educational method and
theory.

We closed the book and pondered over the inferences made by this leader
and we began to speculate on what an antiquarian of the present period
might say of our textbooks, our curricula, and our examination papers.
We hope in his search that it might be his good fortune to unearth the
syllabi of some of our courses on Education for Marriage and Family
Life, some of the worthwhile literature which is being written on the
subject, even perhaps the _Good Housekeeping Marriage Book_. If these
happened to be the only remaining record of the period, we might fancy
him concluding, "Ah, what an enlightened people there must have been in
the twentieth century. I perceive here preparation for real life
problems. This must have been a school course for all the Youth of that
generation."

This volume represents a definite step in the advancement of this ideal.

We wish to express to Dr. William F. Bigelow, former Editor of _Good
Housekeeping_, our sincere appreciation for the kindly way in which he
received the idea of publishing these valuable articles in permanent
form and his readiness to help in every way possible in carrying this
idea through to completion.

To each author we wish to express our gratitude for the important
contribution he has made, not only in giving new interpretation and new
meaning to the institution of marriage, but also for rendering valuable
assistance in the solution of many of the problems which confront the
Youth of today as they approach this most challenging, most demanding,
most satisfying and most rewarding of Life's experiences.

H. J. B.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

Introduction--Dr. William F. Bigelow v

Foreword--Helen Judy Bond vii

I. Whe