The Washington herald., 1909-08-18

I am ashamed OF myself yet. when I think
/ Of the worry I passed through.
! over and over had read Of the feelings
| a woman experiences when she sees her
/ first gray hair. and 7 had several before
+ my wedding day. without calling forth
/ any OF the emotions described By the
writer's. so I might have taken a grain
/ Of salt with their other statement
! Well. I worked my way through the
first year OF married lie is the hardest
/ Of ALL" and proved that 10 be false. The
| first year OF married life IS no harder
/ than any other year, provided you have
married the right kind OF a man and you
| are the right kind Of a woman. There
/ after. instead OF trying to dodge the
| theories, l thoroughly investigated each
one. and it is really laughable TO think Of
the stuff foisted upon a believing public
/ However, / feel sorry FOR the poor little
anxious bride-to-be as she studies the
directions for keeping the affection Of
/ her husband-to-be.
/ Il sholud have been stated earlier in
! the article that my marriage was doomed
/ to he an unhappy one because my hus-
/ band had been married before. OF course
/ II was a matter Of convenience ON the
mans part, and the desire for a home
/ that led him TO propose, and there could
L
| II IS really amusing to hear wives
complacently tell that their husbands"
would never be guilty OF marrying again
/ If they should have the opportunity. and
| look tTiumphantly At the woman who
had the audacity 10 marry a widower.
! As the years went by the people who
rush IN where angels fear 70 tread"
calmly informed us that we were missing
all the JOY Of life because no children had
| been given to us. No doubt every home
should have little ones. but there are
/ happy homes even without this great
blessing In fact a husband and wife
/ who truly love each other can so grow
/ into one as to need no children to help
them enjoy life as the years go by. 1t
may be selfish kind OF love, but II IS
better than a constant whine for the
/ blessing that has been denied. And there
are childless homes that are happicr-a
million times hapnIer-than many homes
I with children.
OF course all children do not turn out
badly, but there are enough black sheep
to give every mother an anxious heart
as she looks at her little flock.
! Over and over again we have said in
= looking at the pert, saucy. ungovernable
youngsters our friends parade before us.
that we were better of and happier than
the worried. anxious paretns.
In speaking Of this with wise. kind
friend the statement was made that we
were only as happy as we knew now to
be. and no doubt that describes the sit
uation. II we had children we would be
far happier. but not knowing what we
are missing we still enjoy life.
l was at liberty to be with my husband
on little trips or IN business life. as n
companion and friend as we'll as a wife
And many q mother has looked after me
with wistful expression that was more
pathetic than any ever sent after their
children.
And so one by one the theories have
been exploded. until I look forward TO
investigating all the other things I have
heard as they came along I confidently
expect that every idea OF old age and the
winter OF life shall be laid on the shelf as
the others have been, and that all my
lifetime 1 shall be making new dis
cover!es
Every day life becomes fuller and rich
err every day the love and devotion OF
my married life deepen. and every dav
makes my faith In the triumph Of happi-
hess over misery more complete. SO II
any young girl is trembling for her future
happiness let her take courage from one
who has found such theories false, and
stop fretting.