The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-12-30
AMELIA Il. BARR, AUTHORIZES
SAYS GIRLS ARE FOOLISH
WHO WON'T MARRY.

WHO WON'T MARRY.
NEW YORK.-''A woman has no
right to a career until she has had
children. l know, for 1 have had
fifteen.
THE girl who doesn marry if she
has the right chance is a fool.
cat SIS or 60 a woman should find
herself at her brightest and best.
Genius is a luxury; it's the plain
citizens who keep the world going,
not the geniuses.
81 believe in the Bible from cover
to cover, but l declare 1 don't know
about the church and the ministers. !"
These gems from the wisdom or
experience were uttered today when
reporter dropped in to see Amelia
E. Barr, that promising young au-
thoress who wrote "a Bow of Orange
Ribbon" and now, though barely 80
years of age, has just published her
ffty-ninth successful novel. This is
not meant to be flippant, but she is
such a dear, gay, young old woman,
her full, rounded brow is so fair in
it's burrows of bitter and sweet eX-
perience, that somehow it seems
discourtesy to respect her lace cap
and glasses with undiluted serious
ness.
She was in her room at the Hoff-
man House.
Il am afraid said Mrs. Barr,
that we should find New Yorks
patriotism disappointing if it came
to a test in these days. Behind
patriotism lies principle, and behind
that lies the sense of reverence. And
the men of New York-and even of
the smaller places-have come to
reverence nothing-neither God nor
their fathers, nor the memory of
their fathers deeds.
Bible Is Not Read.
New York doesn't read it's Bible;
it has no God of righteousness, no
faith in the power of principle. Its
reverence is gone. Ana reverence is
the foundation of good citizenship.
You cannot have good citizens I'M
less you have good children; you
can't have good children unless they
revere their parents, and they won't
do that unless their parents are
worthy of it.
Now what sort of parents have
New Workers trained up in their
apartmenthouse life? The father is
flippant, slangy, irreligious and
laughingly tolerates all of these quail
tiles in his child. The mother has
her head full of theaters, shopping,
luncheons and society fol-de-rol.
Both are connoisseurs in cocktails.
Card playing for money is a COM
monplace of the evening at home.
Let me tell yOu," declared Mrs.
Barr, with a slap of her capable old
hand on the table, that when a
little child in its nightgown comes
to kiss its mother and father good
night and finds them playing poker,
with tumblers alongside of the chips,
you can't expect him to grow up into
a good citizen. If he doesn't rever-
ence his father and mother he won't
respect the law"
1IOW CbOuG Tic llCl IIACG SIIl
she was asked, with her stage idols,
her violets and soda water and her
Saturday promenade on Broadway?
Have the conditions you mention
given her a dangerous point of
view?"
NO" said Mrs. Barr emphatical-
ly. The matinee girl is all right
Her frivolity, or whatever you choose
to call it, is only the unthinking,
uniformed enthusiasm of youth.
Value of Marriage.
But let me tell you one thing"
continued Mrs. Barr earnestly, the
matinee girl has no future unless
some good man makes her fall in
love with him and makes her marry
him. The home girl is the only one
that is worth while, and the girl who
doesn't marry if she gets the right
| chance is a fool. Only that way
! lies happiness. And by the right
chance l don't mean money and au-
tOmObiles and the chance to be idle.
A salary of $500, $1,000 or even
4 81 600 a year is enough and more