Courage—­the child of Hope—­the despair of Failure.  Born of Good Cheer it links its fate with the higher attributes and tramples under foot the fears which spring up before it.  When sown early into the hearts of the young its companionship becomes unerring in its efficiency for good throughout their lives.

CHAPTER XVIII

WEDLOCK IN TIME

It is a happy idea to marry while we are young—­a fine thing—­a good thing—­a pleasant duty indeed to marry the woman of our choice at a time of life when both are at an age when adjustment is natural and lasting loyalties are implanted in our hearts and minds for all time.  We make a sad mistake when we postpone so important a step just for the sake of becoming a rich man first so that our bride-to-be may step into luxurious quarters and never have to lift her dainty hands except to sip from the glass of nectar we have set before her.  The real facts compiled by the statistical “System Sams” are against this idea.  The balance comes up in red ink on the wrong side of the ledger.

According to these gentlemen the average mortal is likely to be very fat and much over forty before he can make an offering according to his first generous impulses and the chances are he will never reach the goal in this life.  By the time he might be financially ready there is a hard glint in his eye, and he will be looking for the mote in the eye of his lady love.  The waiting game is a hard one and it makes us worldly.  After the lapse of years what once seemed a rose might appear to be more of a hollyhock.

Naturally we never blame ourselves for the changes.  Had we obeyed the grand impulse in the hour of our youth we might have kept the garden full of roses and the hollyhocks would never have sprouted there.  Then the home nest would have tinged our sensibilities with its loveliness and our affections would have been nailed down hard and fast forever and a day.

Among the many baffling problems which the young man faces, and for that matter, any man, is marriage.  More thought, more energy and more time is taken up over this one decisive step than over any other.  The reasons are obvious.  It involves for life the happiness of the contracting parties—­not only in a direct and personal way, but also in a general sense.  The man’s business success largely depends upon the helpmate he has in his home. His career is at her mercy. For example, if the wife should turn out to be unsympathetic, and uninterested in his ambitions, this fact might warp his prospects by causing him to lose heart in facing the large problems awaiting him along the road of opportunity.  However, if she is of a cheerful, energetic disposition and willing to do all that she can to help him over the rough spots as they travel along together he will be inspired into action and will do his level best.  He will be conscious as he goes about his work that there is one person above all upon whom he can depend—­his wife.