Page:The Truth about Marriage.djvu/34

Rh, body, mind and spirit. She did not want to yield her body unless she gave also her mind and soul.

I shall not tell you what I told her, for that is a matter between ourselves, but I trust that she will go forward, or stand still, or retreat, according to the outlook for happiness.

I cannot fancy myself saying to a pure young soul like that, Enter into a trial marriage, or a companionate one, if you like to call it that; practice birth control until you find out whether you want to live permanently with your husband; but always keep in mind that you can dissolve your marriage at any time by mutual consent. An honest study of yourself and your sweetheart and of marriage itself is not at all necessary; for, after living together awhile you can separate and try it out with someone else. Enjoy life. Take a chance. What have you to lose?

Well, what does a young girl have to lose in a trial marriage? I am not going to try to answer that question yet. But from what I know of young girls I fancy that many of them would lose the glory of a dream, for one thing, and a loveliness of spirit that would make life thereafter rather sordid.

But there are other difficulties in the way.

Biologically, and thus nominally, a marriage is intended to produce offspring. Deliberately to enter Rh