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Musings on marriage: Mars, Venus, dogs and balloon flights!

Charles Darwin was considering marriage to his cousin Emma Wedgewood, and wrote some brilliant thoughts on the subject. Writing out of his scientific personality, Darwin drafted this rather cold sounding logic as an argument for marriage. Ladies, don't expect to swoon over the next few lines with romance heaving in your bosom! Against the idea of marriage Darwin noted, " the expense and anxiety of children"  and the fact that a married man could never " go up in a balloon" . An odd one perhaps, but maybe just his way of expressing that marriage will tie him down and limit his risk taking (in his view!) More positively, in favour of marriage, he spoke of acquiring a " constant companion and friend in old age" . The clincher that settled the argument was that a wife would be " better than a dog, anyhow. " Remarkably, (and leaving aside the thought of marrying your cousin!) Mr and Mrs Darwin continued on to have a strong and happy marriage. On