St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1919-06-21
ADVICE TO THE WIFE-TO-BE.


You are going to be married soon?
YES, the love light shines in Your
eyes, and you are dreaming-dream-
ing of him, when he will hold you in
his arms and whisper my own, my
own little wife at last; and the
words will be sweet music in your
willing ear, and such wonderful in
toxicating moment of bliss will thrill
your heart, land your dream will have
come true-"his Wife! You will
give him your virgin lips; your heart
and life will have passed into his
keeping. What wonderful minutes
and hours will be yours in those
bridal days! The gates of paradise
will be unlocked and there will bloom
the beautiful flowers of love kissed
by the sunshine of perfect happi-
ness. 1t is always thus in the honey
moon days.
On butterfly wings time will soar
lightly by and then-then, perhaps,
you will awaken from your blissful
dream; indeed, you will awaken, for
the intoxication of those bridal days
will have worn away, and life will
become a sober reality. You will.
discover that you have married not
god but mere man, one with his
faults and imperfections, and at the
same time he probably will have dis
covered that you are not the angel
of whom he dreamed. You see, both
of you will think that you were per-
fectly well acquainted with each
other, when in reality both were
practically strangers. Before mar
riage you will have exhibited to him
only your angel-like qualities, and he
to you his god-like attributes; be-
sides, love is proverbially blind and
your cases will be no exception to
this established rule.
Sweet little bride-and- Wife-to-be, |
would to heaven that all your mar
ried days could be like your honey
moon days, but they will not be
it's not so ordained in the union of
the sexes. Time opens loves blind
reasons light. You both may be a
trifie shocked it is always so. Your
ideals will be slightly shattered; the
awakening form your sweet dreams |
a little rude, and misgivings and |
heart-aches will follow, possibly |
doubts as to the wisdom of your mar
rage. These are the reflections of
when the honeymoon days are over
and real life for you begins.
Listen These things are coming
into your married life. You may
not believe it now, but forewarned is
forearmed, and you can arm yourself
for life's greatest struggle with your
for indeed it will be
a struggle to ever hold yourself in
his heart as the ideal Of his youthful
dreams, but you can do it, little girl,
in one way-the magic way, the way
you made him love YOU Your
weapon is the wand of love, and
every day, as his wife, you must WELD
that wand and he is yours through
all time, but you must be wise as
serpent and harmless as a dove"
You will be confronted with his
faults and imperfections, and must
prepare for them in advance by max
ing up your mind not to notice them.
Just so sure as you tell him Of his
faults. just that sure have you started
to raise a miniature hell for he is
going 70 retaliate-probably tell you
to mind your own business, intimate
that you are not an angel, forget the
usual kiss, slam the door on leaving,
then you'll have big cry. Of course
a makeup" follows but soon it oc
ours all over again, and the gulf
grows bigger and, in time, so wide
as to be impossible; then-separa-
ton.
You now have him wound around
a little finger as a lover; Keep him a
lover when married-1et him have
his own way. Yes, you must do
that; he's nothing but big baby
grown up. You must be mother to
him as well as his wife, and he'll
like being mothered, will expect it
without asking.
He may have formed habits before
meeting you; one of them perhaps is
smoking. You dislike the habit and
resolve to break him of it. Don't
attempt it; better let him understand