AUGUST 417 



It was interesting to find that they severally took what, 

 roughly speaking, might be called the four sides of the 

 question, though the last article held the philosophic 

 view that, as with most affairs of life, there is much to 

 be said on all sides. Miss Marie Corelli holds up the 

 little blind god Love as the only one worthy to regulate 

 our lives and destinies. Lady Jeune is surprisingly 

 satisfied with things as they are. Mrs. Steel prefers 

 even eastern to western customs rather than ignore the 

 importance of the future generation. Lady Malmesbury 

 takes, as I have already said, a broader and more moder- 

 ate view as regards the pros and cons of the various 

 points at issue. Most people would agree that the mat- 

 ter is one on which it is almost impossible to generalise, 

 as so much depends on the enlightened bringing up of 

 the girl herself. The whole question has been treated 

 with stronger and more philosophic consideration in an 

 essay called ' Marriage, 7 which I mentioned before, in Sir 

 Henry Taylor's 'Notes from Life.' His essay has the 

 additional advantage of being addressed to both men 

 and women, which is certainly to be desired. He begins 

 with a quotation from Webster's play, in which the 

 Duchess of Malf y asks : ' What do you think of mar- 

 riage ? ' and Antonio answers : 



' I take it as those that deny purgatory j 

 It locally contains or heaven or hell ; 

 There is no third place in it.' 



Sir Henry Taylor goes on to say that when he was 

 young he did not agree with this, but that increase of 

 years made him think Antonio's view the correct one. 

 It seems to me that the last fifty years have wrought a 

 considerable change in these matters. Nowadays mem- 

 bers of society, so far as I am acquainted with them, 

 consider it very inconsistent with their own dignity to 



