The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-06-04
Dorothy Dix Says
HELPING THE WORLD TO HAPPINESS

I J is a bromide to say that happy
marriage is Paradise regained. and
that an unhappy marriage is a hell
on earth There is no other sorrow to
the misery experienced by the mismated.
lust as there IS no other JOY equal 10
that serene happiness OF the men and
woman who find IN each other perfect
sympathy and couipanonship.
II makes no difference to a man how
hard he works. il he labors for wife
who gives him love and gratitude in ~
turn loo il. Ii makes no difference how
poor the home is, il peace and-aiieciion
gloriiy II. II makes no difference to a
woman II she wears $40 hand.me
down suit il she knows that her husband
grievcs because he cannot buy her the
finest imported gown on Fifth avenue.
And il makes no difference how many
palaces couple own, how many linn
cuisines they ride in, how many quarts OF
pearls and diamonds man bestows on
his wife. il one or the other is selfish
and sharp-tongued and tyrannical. and
Il their home is place OF strife and
pickering.
When we are married our happiness
depends absolutely on our home life and
the kind Of husband or wife we have.
We cannot get away from that II is
the thing that is ever present with US.
II is our own crown OF glory, or our
hidden torment, and the individual who
would be the greatest benefactor that
humanity could possibly have would be
the ono who could insure that every
man would get a good wife and eveyy
woman a good husband
There IS one such individual. an in
diysual who holds the happiness Of hu-
manity in her hands. She could wipe
the tears from millions of eyes. She
could save millions of hearts from being
broken, She could stop divorce and pre-
ven. the breaking up of r,illic',s of
homes, and the orphaning OF millions OF
helpless little children, and she is so
selfish that she will not do il,
This individual, who oallously refuses
to use her power for good IS called
Mother, and there is no other fact so
strange and so sinister as that she re-
fuses to even recognize her responsible
ity for wrong that devastates the
world and Strews II with broken lives.
She doesn't even see that. with fearful
revenge, her slp reacts on herself, and
that the pitilesS cruelty she shows to
others comes back TO slay her own.
Observation and experience have
taught us To speak Of marriage as the
greatest OF all lotteries, aud to say that
no one is enough OF prophet TO fore
tell how n wedding is going to turn ont
nor what sort OF husband or wife d
man or woman will be.
Yet il is within the ability Of every
mother 10 change marriage from being 4
lottery into being certainty. and 20 as.
sure every man and women who gets
married Of getting a good wife or hus.
band II is strictly within the power OF
the mothers who arc raising up children
TO stop divorce within one generation
and blot domestic misery out Of the uni
verse
There is no mystery in what cons,i.
,u,es a good husband or wife. II re.
auires no marvellous gifts nor superna
qualifications. Nobody wants TO be mar
ried to an nigel The most that any o
us ask in our helpmeets is jus, a reason.
able amount OF self control and unself
ishness aud justice and common fat
play, And II added to this we could ge
some real sympathy aud tenderness an,
appreciation. We should consider our
selves among the most blessed OF al
mortals.
Suppose. for instance. mother starte,
out with the bs,evolen, intention o
raising her son up 10 he a good husban,
for some unknown little girl. She eoul'
teach him the elemental moraIites. an,
that a stan is a bastard who deliberatel
wrecks a woman's life by marrying he
II he Is drunken or diseased.
She could teach her son the ehival
rous attitude towards women. Sh
could teach him to be generous an
unselfish 10 his wife. She could teacl
him all the little things. the little a,
teniions and ecurtcs,es ,ha, wome
love. end she could make him such