The Daughter's Marriage 291 



outlook in regard to a happy future for your growing 

 daughter ? Do you want her to take her place among 

 the men and be forced to do some sort of man's work 

 in order to obtain her bread? or, do you earnestly 

 desire that she find some sort of worthy woman's 

 work ? And if the latter be your choice, what help- 

 ful agencies are you bringing to bear upon the situa- 

 tion ? In the midst of all your consideration of these 

 matters touching your daughter, we should have you 

 most earnestly and prayerfully consider at least one 

 thing; namely, with few possible exceptions, the 

 healthy, growing girl looks forward instinctively to 

 the time when she is to become mistress of a house- 

 hold of her own. And in every case, if the girl fails 

 to become such a mistress, there is only one reason- 

 able alternative to be thought of and that is to 

 provide that she engage in some sort of work which 

 will give expression in the largest possible measure to 

 that which is best and truest in her feminine nature. 

 Ordinarily, in planning for the future of their 

 daughter, parents might as well consider the prob- 

 lem as having a two-fold aspect. Assuming first 

 of all that the girl instinctively desires to preside 

 over a home of her own, how can she best be pre- 

 pared for that place ? Second, in case that, by some 

 miscarriage of plans, she fails to reach this most 

 worthy ambition, what may she safely fall back 

 upon as an adequate means of self-support ? Now, 

 if this statement of the matter be a correct one, it 



