And I say unto men, be _men_! Don't choose a
wife, in the first place, for the mere exterior of a pretty face and
form. Be as alert in the choice of a wife as you are in a bargain.
You don't invest in a house just because it looks well, or buy a suit
of clothes at first sight, or dash on change and snatch at the first
deal. After you are once married stand by your choice like a man. If
you must have your beer, don't sneak out of it on a clove and a lie;
carefully weigh the cost, and if you conclude to risk everything for
the gratification of an appetite drink at home and above board, and
don't attempt to deceive your wife with subterfuges and excuses. Don't
run after other women because your wife is not so young as she once
was, or because the bloom is faded a little from the face you once
thought so fair. It is the part of an Indian to retract a gift once
given, or to go back on a bargain. Don't live together if you can't
rise above the level of fighting cats, but be careful how you throw
aside the bonds that God has joined between you. Live the lot you have
chosen as bravely as you can, remembering that the thorn that you have
developed will never change into a rose by mere change of
circumstances. Divorce and the mere shifting of the stage setting will
never make your tragedy over into a vaudeville or a light opera.
XLIX.
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