Of course we are
speaking of our own kind of men and women, and the disproportion of the
numbers in so small a division of the population amounts to nothing. We
have no statistics to tell us whether there be any such disproportion in
classes where men do not die early from overwork."
"More females are born than males."
"That's more than I know. As one of the legislators of the country I am
prepared to state that statistics are always false. What we have to do is
to induce men to marry. We can't do it by statute."
"No, thank God."
"Nor yet by fashion."
"Fashion seems to be going the other way," said Herriot.
"It can be only done by education and conscience. Take men of forty all
round--men of our own class--you believe that the married men are happier
than the unmarried? I want an answer, you know, just for the sake of the
argument."
"I think the married men are the happier. But you speak as the fox who had
lost his tail; or, at any rate, as a fox in the act of losing it."
"Never mind my tail. If morality in life and enlarged affections are
conducive to happiness, it must be so."
"Short commons and unpaid bills are conducive to misery.
Pages:
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384