These are both truthful tales, nor are they the only ones of the sort that could be told.

On the other hand, these are matched with acts of ignorant and careless young husbands, who do dastardly deeds to their brides because they think the law and the contract give them the right!  There is no need to go into details.  The whole evil is revealed by the words of the woman just quoted:  “Oh, but we are married now.”

These records, and all like them, lead to the remark that marriage confers no rights, to either the bride or the bridegroom, in the highest meaning of the word.  So far as its outward and formal observance is concerned, marriage is merely a sort of protection for society which has grown up through the years, and which is probably for the best, for the present, things being as they are.  But it should be well understood that it can never lead to true happiness if it is viewed and utilized merely on its legal and formal side.  True marriage is based on mutual love; and mutual love can never be traded upon, or made an item of formal agreement and contract. People may contract to live together and to cohabit, and they may faithfully carry out their agreements; but this is not marriage!  It is simply legalized prostitution, bargain and sale, for a consideration.  It is blasphemy to call it by the sacred name of marriage!

Truly does Tennyson say:  “Free love will not be bound.”  Indeed it cannot be!  It must remain forever free if it stays at all.  And if the parties to it try to bind it, the more chains, fastenings, pledges and agreements they put upon it, the sooner and quicker will it escape from all its holdings and fly away and stay away!

And so, to come back to where we left off (for we said there should be no hurrying or haste here) let married people understand that the key to married happiness is to keep on “courting” each other.  Indeed, to make courting continually grow to more and more.  During the whole extent of married life, never neglect, much less forget to be lovers, and to show, by all your acts, that you are lovers, and great shall be your reward.  Don’t ask how to do this!  You know how, well enough.  Do it!

And be careful not to do anything that a careful lover ought not to do!  This direction should be heeded by both husband and wife.  Make yourself beautiful for your husband, Oh, wife, and keep yourself so.  As between the public, or your friends, or society, give them what of yourself you can spare, after you have given to your lover all that you can bestow upon him, or he can wish you to bestow.  Don’t give to everybody and everything else, church, society, work, children, friends, or what-so-ever—­don’t give all of yourself to these, and let your husband “take what there is left.”  Don’t do that, as you value your married success and happiness!  Don’t say:  “Oh, but we are married now,” and let it go at that!