To Avoid a Bad Husband (from The Christian Recorder--1861)

1.  Never marry for wealth.  A woman’s life consisteth not in the things she possesseth.

2.  Never marry a fop, or one who struts about dandy-like, in his silk gloves and ruffles, with a silver cane, and rings on his fingers.  Beware! There is a trap.

3.  Never marry a niggard, a closed-fisted, sordid wretch, who saves every penny, or spends it grudgingly.  Take care lest he stint you to death. 

4.  Never marry a stranger whose character is not known or tested.  Some females jump right into the fire with their eyes wide open.

5.  Never marry a mope or a drone, one who drawls and draggles through life, one foot after another, and lets things take their own course. 

6.  Never marry a man who treats his mother or sister unkindly or indifferently.  Such treatment is a sure indication of a mean and wicked man.

7.  Never on any account marry a gambler or a profane person, one who in the least speaks lightly of God or religion.  Such a man can never make a good husband. 

8.  Never marry a sloven, a man who is negligent of his person or his dress, and is filthy in his habits.  The external appearance is an index to the heart. 

9.  Shun the rake as the snake, a viper, a very demon. 

10.  Finally, never marry a man who is addicted to the use of ardent spirits.  Depend upon it, you are better off alone than you would be were you tied to a man whose breath is polluted, and whose vitals are being gnawed out by alcohol. 

* In the choice of a wife, take the obedient daughter of a good mother