s tongue instead of at the eyes of his
wife, as he had done when a lover. He had a dread of pure air, and was
as averse to bathing as a cat. The woman had lived in the open air,
taken a daily morning bath, and was disgusted with those who did not
do likewise. The writer says, "She stormed, took her baths, and opened
the windows; he cried, took no baths, shut the windows, and called the
doctors." There is no need to depict the unhappiness of the home, and
yet no doubt the girl would have been shocked had anyone suggested
that she inquire into these facts concerning her lover. But if she had
been less romantic and more practical, if she had remembered that the
marriage contract would bind her for life to one who would be more
closely connected with her than anyone else could be, and this union
for life, by day and by night, constant, continuous, and not to be
annulled by any such small matters as bad breath or unpleasant
personal habits, perhaps she would have considered it no small matter
to discover the possible causes of disgust before they became fixtures
in her life.

And perhaps, also, she would have given her own personal habits more
consideration. True love will endure much, but it sometimes dies in
the presence of untidiness, of carelessness as to dress or room, or
lack of sweetness of person or of breath. If you demand much of a
husband, he has a right to demand just as much from you. If there are
habits concerning which you would rather he as a lover should be
ignorant, believe me that it is even more important that as a husband
he should not know them. Therefore employ your available time before
marriage to rid yourself of them. If a lover would be disenchanted to
see the room from which his blooming, beauteous adored one had
departed, bearing the marks of carelessness and disorder, with soiled
clothing, unmade bed, shoes, hose and dresses all in tumbled heaps on
chairs and floor, remember that the marriage ceremony does not make
such a room more attractive to the husband, who must not only see but
share its discomforts.

In addition to the knowledge of each other's personal peculiarities
there should be an understanding of each other's ideas as to the
duties and responsibilities of their proposed relation to each other.
I lately received a letter from a young woman who asks, "How freely do
you think two engaged young people may talk concerning their future
life? Would it not be indelicate for them to discus