This is the excerpt from the HR, Volume 4-6, page-399. This is Josei Toda’s guidance to Shinichi and Mineko (President Ikeda and Mrs Ikeda) on the start of their married life:
Life is not a dream. The true aspect of life takes shape on the basis of steady activities without a day’s respite. At the Wedding reception Toda had called Mineko aside and seriously instructed her on how to lead flawless daily life.
“From today you are going to play a very important role”, he said, “I want you to remember two things. First, keep your household accounts in order everyday. A housewife who can not do this is not fit for homemaking. Second, however badly you may feel, wear a smile on your face when your husband leaves for work in the morning and when he returns in the evening. I want you to obey these two rules under any circumstances.
“A man is foolish animal, you know. When he is confident that he has a good wife and doesn’t have to worry about his home, he is only too wiling to work frantically. All this depends on whether or not you can observe these two rules. Please take good care of Shin’ichi.”
This sympathetic advice from Toda established a solid foundation from Shinichi’s new home life. Marriage is the celebration of one’s start on a new journey. It must also be the beginning of a period of construction. By setting down these guiding principles, Toda taught Mineko to create the kind of home that forms the cornerstone of a life devoted to kosen-rufu. At first glance these guiding principles appear to be simply common sense. As one sets to put them out in to practice, however, they suddenly seem more and more difficult. Toda knew all about this difficulty, and yet he urged Mineko to adhere strictly to his instructions. In this lay the rarity of his personality and the profundity of his love.
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