r it comes from, and so we must put this consideration out
of the question altogether.

Let us also say, and at once, too, that if a man finds happiness in
matrimony, marriage will help him, whatever his position may be; but
happiness helps wherever it comes from, and so we must put this
consideration out of the question also.

And before answering the question, or rather, before presenting
arguments both in the affirmative and in the negative, we must examine
the different positions that a man may occupy in life.

In commercial pursuits marriage will help a man. If money-making is the
chief concern of his life, an attentive, interested, saving wife will
enable a man to devote all his mind to business, and, by a careful
management of her house, will also enable him to amass wealth.

If a man holds a post of responsibility--a Government one, for example,
in the Diplomatic Service, in the Civil Service, in the Church, in the
university professions--a wife, possessed of attractive charms, amiable
and tactful, will help him; for let us remember that in England, as
well as in all countries where it is sought to always appoint the right
man in the right place, before deciding on a candidate for any
important vacant post, the first question that is asked is, 'What kind
of a wife has he got?' The kind of wife that will help such a man is
the one that will help him socially and diplomatically--by
wire-pulling, if you like.

Now, if interviewers set any value on their comfort--nay, on their
lives--I advise them to avoid this topic; for the question is not only
a very big one, but a very uncomfortable one indeed, considering that
the very men who are called upon to answer it must naturally be married
men.

To prove this, I will, in a few words, put down a little conversation I
quite recently had on the subject over a cup of tea with a charming
English lady.

'But,' she said, 'you do not answer my question--Does marriage help a
man?'

'Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends a great deal on the
profession, or the calling, of the man.'

'Well, a doctor, for instance?'

'Yes,' I said, 'marriage helps a doctor. It stamps him respectable, and
many women will not consult a doctor unless they know that he is a
married man; but white hair will help him quite as much.'

'That is not very promising,' said the lady.

'Well,' I replied, 'let us try again.'

'Surely women can do much to inspire, to encourage a man, whatever hi