Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-10-19
To Make Married Life Happy.

II two people are to live happily to-
gether, they must both move, or at any
rate endeavor to move, in the same
direction-that is to say, there must be
no obstinate opposition to one anothers
wishes and opinions. Each must study
the others failings and characteristics,
and make every effort not to clash with
them.
1t is wonderful what difference it
makes to the happiness Of married life
when husband and wife endeavor to
see things, about which they are in
clined to differ, with each others eyes
and mind, so to speak. There are
hundred and one things which crop up
during the first few months of married
life, for instance, which are apt to
spoil domestic happiness, unless the
rule Of give and take Is followed cut.
A common failing with the young hus-
band is to adopt the attitude Of II am
master in my own home, and will have
things done as / want them.' 1t natur-
ally follows that his wife resents such
despotism. She considers, and rightly
so, that she should have some voice in
all home matters, and the sooner a
husband recognizes this the sooner he
will experience the true happiness Of
married life.
TO illustrate my meaning. A couple
are very much in love with one an
other, but both generally want to have
their own way in all matters apper-
tanning to the home. If people are In
vited to the house they generally have
spirited argument beforehand as to
how they shall be entertained. If
new piece Of furniture is added to the
home they dispute as to how and
where it shall be placed, while baby is
rare bone Of contention. They are,
In fact, always pitting their opinions
and views against one another, and 1t
Is seldom one Is ready to admit that
the other is right. The consequence Is
of course, that their domestic life is
thrown all out Of gear, and neither can
understand why their marriage seems
to be proving a disappointment and
failure.
Another fruitful source of unhappi-
ness against which it is we'll to warn
married couples, more especially those
whose matrimonial experiences have
only extended over very short period
Is that Of living above ones income
Many young couples are not content to
| hot. 60 IL al
but must needs begin where they left
off. sse,F
At first this policy seems to work
very we'll There are only themselves
to think Of By and bye, however,
the difference between income and ex-
penditure is on the wrong side. It is,
Of course, at this point that matters
should be rearranged. But more often
than not Indifference or cowardice on
the part Of husband, reluctance to
explain exactly how matters stand,
prolongs the state of affairs, which fire.
quently ends in disaster. The happi-
ness Of many home might be saved if
wives were taken into their husbands
confidence; for women as a rule are
unselfish and self-sacrifcing.
If couple strictly avoid the afore-
mentioned failing, however, their mar
ried life win not be success unless
they remain lovers throughout The
sad part Of many marriages is that the
love which brings them about is not Of
lasting nature 1t flames before It
burns, and consequently. does not en-
dure. And as the old proverb says:
Loves fire, If it once goes out, is hard
/. to kindle. Home Monthly. /