QUALIFICATIONS FOR HAPPINESS IN MATRIMONY

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 12021, 21 March 1903, Page 3 (Supplement)

QUALIFICATIONS FOR HAPPINESS IN MATRIMONY

(By MAX O'RELL.)

People, either men or women, who possess the following qualifications, are most likely to be happy in matrimony," especially —this <roes without saying—if both husband and wife possess them : 1. A spirit of toleration, which will always make one of the two lenient toward the shortcomings of the other. 2. A cheerful temper, which will make both always see the bright and rosy side of things, and laugh at the thousand"-and-one little miseries of conjugal 'life. 3. A .generous temperament, which will make them easily forgive and forget, little offences and only Temember services and good turns.

4. A genial philosophy, which will keep them satisfied with themselves and w?th each other. 5. A keen sense of humour, which will ever prevent them from making fools of themselves in their own eyes as well.as i n each other's, and will fill their home with gaiety. 6. An artistic temperament and the love of the beautiful, which will prevent them from making matrimonial life prosy, dull, and monotonous, and will constantly enable them to' find something that will keep alive their ideals and! feed their intellectual wants. 7. A sober constitution, which will suggest to them that the best matrimonial meal should be-eaten discreetly, and never devoured ravenously. Love dies more easily of indigestion than of want. 8. Self-control, which will prevent them from committing one act, or even saying one word, which they may afterwards regret. l 9. Openness, which will cause them to say outright what they mean, mention what little grudge one may have against the other, and never to brood and consume their own smoke in sulks and retirement. The sky of matrimony should never be allowed to remain long cloudy. Rather than that let the one who was right, and knows it, make advances and get a reconciliation if the one who was wrong will not quickly come forward and do it. 10. Unselfishness, which will cause concessions to be made constantly. 11. Thoughtfulness of the smallest details of everyday life, careful consideration for the little fads and fancies of the other, self-abnegation of every moment, which will suggest to each one to do this or that in order to pjease the other. 12. Honesty and straightforwardness will inspire in each the respect of the other. There can be passion without respect or even esteem, but there cannot be love. 13. Great strength of character in the man, an inexhaustible fund of tenderness in the woman, and boundless devotion in both. 14. Good health and intelligence. Sickly and stupid people ought not to marry ; nay, ought to be forbidden to mairy by the law. 15. The love of a quiet life, of retirement, of the countryj of children, of animals, of flowers, and of all the simple pleasures of life. 16. The love of property, which prevents jealousy, makes a person prefer what he has got to anything else, simply because it belongs to him, and therefore makes him love his home. 17. Similarity, not necessarily of character, but of taste.