The Truth about Marriage/Chapter17
CHAPTER XVII
HASTY MARRIAGES
Now the next question will interest some of you: "How long should you know a person before getting married?"
My answer would be, long enough to know the person thoroughly, and that is not a day, nor a week, nor a month. Some people we think we know at once, and know them thoroughly, but let us be cautious about marrying such a person at once. Our opinions of people change.
I have met people that attracted me powerfully at first, and yet later on the attraction has evanesced to the vanishing point.
So beware of marrying in haste. Almost certainly it means to repent at leisure. The marriage laws of every state ought to make it impossible to marry too quickly. In California it is necessary to wait three days for a marriage license. In Massachusetts five days are required. Other states have similar requirements. Every state ought to demand such a delay.
It is imperative for the happiness of people that they should have some time to think the matter over and be able to change their minds. Impulsive people are always getting into trouble by acting too hastily. Marriage is too important to enter into on the spur of the moment. It takes time to know one's own mind and so study another in every condition and under all circumstances.
So wait a long time before you marry. Sometimes we are rushed into buying a property or other things by people who want us to decide for their advantage. The same thing may happen in regard to marriage.