If his wife be a prudent
woman, she will help him to economize his expenditure, and enable him to
live honourably and honestly. No good wife will ever consent to wear
clothes and give dinners that belong not to her, but to her shopkeeper.
The knowledge of arithmetic is absolutely necessary to those who would
live within their means. Women are especially ignorant of arithmetic;
they are scarcely taught the simplest elements, for female teachers
think the information useless. They prefer to teach languages, music,
deportment, the use of the globes. All these may be important, but the
first four rules of arithmetic are better than all. How can they compare
their expenditure with their receipts, without the knowledge of addition
and subtraction? How can they know precisely what to spend in rent, or
clothing, or food, or for service, unless they know the value of
figures? How can they check the accounts of their tradesmen or their
servants? This want of knowledge of arithmetic is the cause, not only of
great waste, but of great misery. Many a family of good position has
fallen into destitution merely because of their ignorance of this branch
of knowledge.
Young people often rush into marriage without reflection. A young man
meets a pretty face in a ball-room, likes it, dances with it, flirts
with it, and goes home to dream about it.
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