[In her 1901 book] Dr. [Emma F. Angell] Drake gets in your face. “The wife has a right to expect that the man she marries shall be as pure as herself, and she has a right to know it.” And if she cannot learn this for a certainty, then “as she values her happiness, let her take no step further. Better by far, single blessedness, than marriage with a moral leper.”
A brief note to moral lepers: If that “purity” thing sounds just too weird for today, insert one or all of these: “intelligent,” “hard-working,” “compassionate,” “constant,” “devout.” They will do as well….
Hahaha, that’s awesome! Good for the Victorian doctor — she is spot on. Her list of questions is just as relevant and vital now as it was back then.