Chapter IV: Part 4

The influence of dress is greater than we will acknowledge. We feel better, act better and bring more honor to those who love us when we are properly gowned. An ill-dressed woman may possess the wisdom of a sage, or the beauty of a goddess; but among her sisters she is at a tremendous disadvantage unless she is like unto them in the glory of her raiment.

SHOULD HE MARRY?

The Man--

Who goes home to grumble and growl;

Who thinks he can keep house much better than his wife;

Who cannot remember his wife’s birthday nor the anniversary of their marriage;

Who believes that no one below the status of an angel should be his helpmate;

Who decides his wife is “fixed” for the season if she has one new gown;

Who imagines a woman’s bonnet should cost about $1.95;

Who fancies that his wife exists for the comfort and convenience of his mother and sisters;

Who provides himself with a family and trusts in providence to produce a home and something to eat;

Who labors under the delusion that his wife’s money belongs to him;

Who advises his sick wife to be up and doing and she will feel ever so much better;

Who doesn’t know what a woman wants with ready cash when she has credit at a dry-goods store;

Who forgets his manners as soon as he steps across his own threshold;

Who thinks a dining-room carpet should last a lifetime;

Who constantly talks about supporting a wife, when she is working fourteen hours a day, including Sunday;

Who declares it all nonsense for a woman to want a ten-cent bunch of violets when she hasn’t seen a flower for five months;

Who quotes the Apostle Paul on the “woman question” and firmly believes the mantle of the holy man has fallen upon his shoulders;

Who looks upon his wife as a mental waste-paper basket into which he dumps the chips of ideas he has collected during the day.

SHOULD SHE MARRY?

The Woman--

Who buys for the mere pleasure of buying;

Who expects a declaration of love three times a day;

Who anticipates in married life a good easy snap;

Who thinks it cheaper to buy bread than bake it;

Who would rather die than wear the same bonnet the second season;

Who wants to refurnish her house every spring;

Who stays at home only because she has no other place to visit;

Who would rather nurse a pug dog than a baby;

Who thinks she can get $5,000 worth of style out of a $1,000 salary;

Who does not realize how many pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and halves there are in $1;

Who marries in order to have some one pay her bills;

Who thinks embroidered centre-pieces and doylies are of more importance than sheets, pillow-cases, and blankets;

Who buys bric-à-brac for her drawing-room and borrows kitchen utensils from her neighbors;

Who cares more for the style of her winter furs than she does for the health and comfort of her family;

Who thinks the cook and nursemaid can run the house;

Who weeps over the woes of the heroine in a trashy novel while ignoring domestic tragedies directly under her own nose.

DON’TS UP TO DATE

FOLLOW RULES AND BE HEALTHY AND WISE, IF NOT OTHERWISE

Don’t exercise after you feel exhausted.

Don’t fail to laugh at your husband’s jokes.

Don’t treat your family to a morning view of hair-curlers.

Don’t neglect the daily bath if you want a radiant complexion.

Don’t forget that diet, quiet, and sleep are the hand-maidens of beauty.

Don’t be afraid of sunshine and fresh air; they give bloom and color.

Don’t wear the high collar. It ruins the line and curve of the neck and hardens the flesh and often leaves its mark.

Don’t talk when you are hoarse. Your voice may be permanently lost or difficulties of the throat result.

Don’t ride in an open carriage or near the open window of a car after playing golf or exercising in a vigorous way.

Don’t exercise one part of the body too much and another not at all. Let the development be symmetrical.

Don’t become so burdened with the accumulation of knowledge that you cannot spare time for a good hearty laugh.

Don’t think any “old dress will do for home.” Always wear a pretty and becoming gown.

Don’t tell your husband you wish you hadn’t married him. The chances are that you don’t wish it any more than he does.

Don’t believe you can get rid of wrinkles by filling in the crevices with powder. Instead, give your face a warm bath and good scrub, night and morning.

Don’t take a long walk or undertake much household work before breakfast. Vitality is not at its best early in the morning. Strength increases as the sun rises and one is stronger about midday.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:

Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.

Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.

Archaic or variant spelling has been retained.