ct and courtesy in the offering of them.

The Selection of the House.

Whenever it is possible the young or newly married couple should start
their life together in a home of their own. I would warn all brides to
superintend the choice of that home. A man, certainly one of the
nicest kind, has not what may be called a domestic eye. If he is
artistic he will choose a dwelling for its picturesqueness, regardless
of drains and dank ditches near the house. An inert man will value his
home for its proximity to the station. Another considers the garden
the most important feature. The stay-at-home will be influenced by the
place which affords the most scope for the pursuit of his hobbies. Men
cannot gauge the amount of work that may be made or saved by the build
of a house and the arrangement of its rooms. The all-important
question of cupboards and store-rooms, the aspect of the larder and
condition of the kitchen range are things that do not appeal to the
masculine mind, especially when that mind is in love. If the bride is
young and inexperienced she will do well to visit the projected abode
with some practised housewife. The expeditions taken by the engaged
couple in search of their new home ought surely to be among their
sweetest experiences, even taking into account the misleading tactics
of the house agent.

Furnishing.

In olden days, when the daughters of Eve span, the bride provided all
the household linen, most of which had taken shape under her own fair
fingers. Now the intending bridegroom furnishes the house throughout.
If the bride's father were wealthy and generous enough to make them a
present of the lining for the nest, I do not suppose the bridegroom or
the bride would have any objection. One argument for not furnishing
till after the wedding is that many of the presents in money and kind
might be valuable adjuncts; {80} but then those presents would come
from near relations who could tell the young people what to expect. A
chest of plate or a box of linen, a piano or some such handsome item
often comes from some one in the bride's family, but failing such gifts,
the bridegroom must supply the new home with all needful articles.

The Bride's Share in the Matter.

As she is to be the mistress of the establishment, the bride should
have a voice in all that concerns it. Many departments of house
furnishing do not require the assistance of the male mind at all. They
will both like to choose the actu