A little more memory on the part of the husband will prove a powerful
remedy for the eradication of unhappy marriages and for the lessening
of divorces. She is the same woman after marriage that she was during
the days of your courtship, and a good deal better. Why so forgetful
of all the sacred vows and solemn pledges which you plighted then? Why
so constant then and so inconstant now? Why so affable and faithful
and loving and attentive then, and why so inattentive and bitter and
sullen and neglectful now? Why such a profuseness then in your
courtesies and smiles and flowers and gifts and kisses, and why such a
lack of them now? Is it because of wrinkles? Is it because of her
faded beauty? She has lost it in your service. She has come honestly
by her wrinkles. She got them in the sick-bed, in the kitchen, in the
nursery, by the bed of your sick children, by the grave of your child,
by painful night-watches and overtaxing day toils, by your harsh words,
and by your heartless treatment. This is all she has in return for her
beauty and youth and cheerful mind and happy disposition, which she
laid at your feet when you asked her to join her destiny with yours. A
little courtesy, a kind attention, a bouquet of flowers, a small token,
a word of appreciation and of encouragement is not much to you, but it
is a world to your wife. Your smile is all the reward she craves. Her
heart thirsts for it, and when given, its effect upon her soul is as
the refreshing dew upon the withered grass. It is a mistake to believe
that she can draw in her married life on your love-deposits during
courtship. If love is to prosper, the supply must be ever fresh. The
love of the past will never satisfy the need of the present. Love
constantly and carefully cultivated will increase its blessings as
fruit trees double their bearing under the hand of the gardener. It
will be killed, as will the fruit tree, if the gardener's hand grows
neglectful and noxious influences are permitted to impede its growth.
Let your wife be your helpmate and not your housekeeper. She shares
your sorrows, your defeats, let her also share your thoughts and plans.
Unbosom your thoughts to her. Lay open to her your heart and soul.
Trust her with your confidence, she trusts you with hers. The men who
succeed are those who make confidants of their wives. The marriages
that are happy are those where husbands and wives have no thoughts
apart. The children that are well raised are those that have had the
example of loving and confiding parents before them. Proud of your
confidence, she will labor to deserve it. She will study to please
you. In your prosperity she will be your delight; your stay and
comfort in your adversity. She will return your confidence and
affection in full measure. Gloom will vanish from the hearth, and
happiness will hold dominion within the home. "Her children will rise
up before her and call her happy; and her husband will sing aloud her
praises."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account