Not all women
are fitted to marry; some would be happier and better without it.
The day is long past when a woman must either marry or be laughed
at as an old maid. What I want my girls to do is to grow into
strong, noble women who are fitted to fill any position that opens
before them, and to fill it well, with no thought of self, but
only for the good of others. Then, if the time ever comes that you
are asked to be the wife of a man, for the sake of whose love and
companionship you are ready to give up all else, then you will do
right to marry him, but not until then."
There was another pause. Mrs. Hapgood went on,--
"And since we are on the subject, Katharine, there is one more
word to say. If the time ever comes for you, remember, in making
your great decision, that married life is not all sunshine, but
that there are the same little every-day worries after marriage as
there were before. If a woman is strong enough to be a true,
devoted wife, she can have no happier, better life than in her own
home. But she has no right to promise without thinking it all
over, whether she can sacrifice and work, can suffer hardship and
even wrong for her husband's sake. Those are solemn words, dear,
and should never be spoken thoughtlessly: 'For better for worse,
for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health--'"
"You make it all mean so much more than mamma did," said Katharine
thoughtfully.
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