IS MARRIAGE A FAILURE?

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2561, 8 December 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

IS MARRIAGE A FAILURE?

Mrs Langworthy's opinion

Tiie London correspondent of the New Zealand Times, writes as follows:—Your readers will possibly remember the Langworthy case, which created such interest a couple of years ago. Well, during this craze •' Is marriage a failure ?" which the Telegraph has discussed from all points, Mrs Mildred Langworthy has written a capital article in one of the weekly papers giving her candid opinion of married life, and as her experience was a peculiar one it is worth reading her views on the matter. Her verdict is— "Yes, marriage is a most deplorable failure." See says in her article: "I notice that the woman who speaks kindest of her husband is the widow." Another paragraph in her article is so good you must pardon me for quoting it verbatim: "Too often matrimonial failure may be traced to the fact that courtesy was bid farewell t3 on the threshold of the bridal home. If men would carry a little, ever so little, of the chivalry of the lover, or woman, the smallest bit of the pretty fascinations of the fiancee into married life, how much pleasanter their home would be ! Why should husband and wife be less corteous to each other than they are compelled to be to their very servant ? Says a devoted lover, tripping over his lady-love's feet one day before marriage, "Oh, my darling ! have I hurt your tootsy-wootsies ?" The same gentleman having after marriage committed the same awkwardness, turns savagely round with "Good Heavens! woman; can't you keep your d d hoofs out of the way?" That's it. "Tootsy-wootsies" before marriage, "d d hoofs" after marriage

Mrs Langworthy says, in conclusion:— " The whole system (divurce) is debasing, demoralising, and renders ridiculous the marriage clause " till death do us part" For death read divorce. If man and woman did but know that the partner he or she had taken for better or worse, mustbokeptforbetteror worse, they would try and make the best of it, and so mariago might become in time what it was meant to be, instead of what it is now—a good enough situation till I can fiud a better."