El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-05-07
MAN asks me what think about
the advisability of marriages
between Americans and the men

between Americans and the men
and women Of other nationalities.
There is no general rule by which
the likelihood OF the SUCCESS or ran
ure of any marriages may be deter
mined beforehand. It depends upon the
individual It IS purely personal mat
ter, and whether a marriage between
an American and a foreigner results IN
happiness or in misery rests with the
character and temperament Of the man
end woman who undertake to work
out their life problem together
Conceding tnat all marriage IS a lot
terry. and full of risks and dangers, 1
should say that when Americans marry
foreigners they take an added risk and
run a greater danger. and that there
are more chances against them in the
an American he or she has, at least a
sporting Cnance at domestic felicity,
but when an American marries a for
eigner he or she takes a hundred to
one shot at happiness
This is no reflection upon the men
and women Of other nations, or upon
their desirability as husbands or wives.
1t is merely a reiteratlOn Of the old
truth that we find those people most
cOngenial and easiest to get along with
who have the same tastes and habits
as we have, who have been bred to
the same ideals, and have the same
point Of-view.
Heaven knows, the average husband
and wife find enough to argue over
and enough points OF conflict without
throwing IN different nationality, diff
ferent religion, different traditions, and
a different style in cooking! Hence
those who wish peace in the. household
do well TO espOuse those Of their own
race, faith and color, and who think
as they do, from politics to pie.
Only Statistics Available show Matches
Brought Titled Misery.
The only statistics that are obtain
able regarding international marriages
are those that deal with great matches
where American heiresses have married
men Of title. With scarcely an eXcep-
ton, these have turned out disastrous
", but as IN these cases the man sold
himself for money and the woman sold
herself for social position, they prove
nothing IN regard to the wisdom or
folly OF Americans marrying foreign
ers. ANY marriage entered into 18th
the same motives would bring nothing
but misery.
Indisputably there are many happy
and successful marriages. inspired by
love alone. IN which one of the parties
is an American and the other for
eigner, the marriage Of Americans and
English and Americans and Germans
being particularly apt to be harmOni-
Cds, and 70 produce splendid children.
I he marriage Of an American man
With foreign woman stands better
chance OF success than thai OF an
American woman with a foreign man,
and Vet. EaTadOXicallV enough this
marriage takes place far less frequent
" than that of the American woman
TO the foreign man. It is undeniable
that, as a rule. the foreign woman does
not attract the American man. while
the foreign man has an almost ire
sistible attraction for the American
woman.
The explanation of this psychic phe-
nomenon shows why the international
match is seldom a happy one. The
men Of every nation. through many
generations. have trained their women
TO be the kind Of wives that they want
the kind Of wives that suit their tastes.
Each Nation Has Evolved an Ideal OF
What a Wife should Be.
The Englishman has evolved the
splendid. sturdy pattern of all the viz
tues-the British matrOn. who has
been taught to take a back seat and
amuse herself by bearing children and
burning incense before her lord and
master
The German has trained up the haus-
frau, whose sole business in life is TO