they have been accustomed-new habits soon begin to form and exert their influence upon us. Thus, in commencing married life, the wife has entered upon a new sphere of action, duty, and responsibility, and a new class of habits begin to bind their ties around her. It becomes her, therefore, to look well to it, that she commences right in this respect. The habits which she first adopts in her new career, will quite probably exert an influence upon her through life-for "habit," says St. Austin, "if not resisted, becomes necessity." It is, hence, exceedingly important that the wife should be careful, on becoming the partner of another, and the mistress of a household, to establish good and useful habits-habits that will aid her in an efficient discharge of her duties, and lead her into all those practices which are requisite to her usefulness and enjoyment, and to the happiness of those connected with her.

Good habits can only be founded upon good principles. The former are the legitimate fruits of the latter. Improper principles cherished in the heart, will lead to improper practices, and to repetitions of those practices-and repetition forms habit. But good principles, like good seed sown in a fruitful soil, will bring forth a harvest of good deeds and good habits. Every outward moral qualification is the transcript of a similar principle within-every good deed, every commendable action, is the fruit of principles resting in the soul. And to ensure a continuance of praiseworthy prac

tices until they become habits, it is necessary to examine critically the principles from which they proceed, and to perceive and realize that they are correct principles, and are in the highest degree calculated to promote human happiness, both individually and collectively. If the intelligent wife will pursue this train of reasoning—if she will examine understandingly the peculiarities of her situation-if she will strive to learn the foundations upon which happiness in married life depends— she will readily perceive the indispensable necessity of forming certain fixed habits, upon which she will practise through life. I have said that they should be good habits: and I desire the patience of the reader while I go beyond this general term, and define briefly a few habits indispensable to the prudent and faithful wife.

I consider Neatness as one of the most important and indispensable habits of woman in every condition of life. Slovenliness in dress or in person, is bad enough when exhibited by men; but when seen in women, it is absolutely disgusting. There is danger here which the young wife especially should guard against. I have known young ladies who have exhibited before marriage the utmost neatness and cleanliness in dress and in person, and seemed to spare no pains to make an appearance perfectly unexceptionable in this respect. But when a few months of wedded life had passed away, lo! a change most remarkable had come over them. They had apparently parted company

with cleanliness and neatness, and a kind of slovenly negligence exhibited itself in their whole appearance--the neat, tidy young lady had become transformed into the slip-shod, slatternly wife. Now a change of this description furnishes satisfactory proof that she who exhibits it has been guilty of criminal duplicity towards her husband. Being well assured that no young man of taste and worth would be attracted by a lady who was not neat in her habits, she assumed a commendable exterior for a selfish purpose, viz.: to obtain a husband. It is evident that her neat appearance was merely assumed; because, had it been natural, had it been the fruit of confirmed habit, it would have been as scrupulously exhibited after marriage as before. But as this appearance was not the fruit of habit, it vanished with the cause which prompted its assumption, Having obtained a husband, which was the object at which she was aiminghaving attracted the attention of some confiding young man who believed he was marrying a paragon of neatness-she considers it no longer necessary to wear her hypocritical garb, and she accordingly throws off the mask and sinks into her natural character of slovenliness and negligence. And when remonstrated with for her want of neatness, by her husband or some intimate friend, she exclaims, with the utmost nonchalance,-" Why should I give myself trouble about my appearance? Is not my market made ?”

In proceedings of this character, there is a lack

of wisdom as well as of propriety. If a young wo man is habitually negligent and careless in respect to her appearance, and has no disposition or design to amend in this particular, let her not be deceptive, but exhibit herself in this light wherever she goes. If she can find a young man willing to wed her under these circumstances, he will have no just cause to complain of her habits afterwards. But if she puts on an appearance of neatness when her tastes and habits are the reverse, and in this respect most deeply deceives the youth who weds her, is she not palpably guilty of moral wrong? And how can she expect, in this state of things, to retain the affections of her husband, or find happiness in married life? There are few things more calculated to cool the ardor of the young husband's affections, and to lessen his interest and delight in his wife, than day by day to make the painful discovery, that she whom he had married as a scrupulously neat, cleanly, and tidy woman, is, in reality, all the reverse- - uncleanly in person, negligent in dress, and slovenly in her whole appearance! Is it astonishing that his feelings become soured that he begins to neglect his wife, and finally exhibits an entire indifference respecting her? I sincerely believe that in thousands of instances, those animosities and contentions between husband and wife, which so often imbitter the marriage state, have had their origin in the deep disappointment which the husband has, in this manner, experienced. There has too generally an

impression prevailed among young married ladies -even those whose habits have always been of an unexceptionable character—that it is not necessary to be so attentive and particular in regard to their appearance after marriage, as before. But this supposition is very erroneous, and very mischievous n its tendencies. It is exceedingly important that the young wife should take a correct and reasonable view of this subject. Her happiness depends, to an immense extent, upon the continued affections of her husband. If she will exercise a little reflection, she will discover that, as it was necessary, among other qualifications, to exhibit a neat and tasty personal appearance, to gain her husband's love before marriage, so it is equally necessary that the same personal neatness should continue to be exhibited after marriage, if she would retain his love, and continue to inspire his respect and confidence. The sum of these remarks is this:--That it becomes the wife, if she would enjoy peace and happiness in her marriage relations, to pay the utmost attention to her personal appearance at all times--not only in company, but also, and especially, when she is in the presence of her husband and the family--and to strive to establish fixed and permanent habits of neatness and cleanliness. There is no possible excuse for indifference upon this point. And whoever is neglectful will most assuredly bring unhappiness upon herself. A certain writer remarks- "A married woman negligent of her person and careless of her charms, will soon