Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-14
Are you afraid of life?

are you dITdlu OI IlIe
That is are you afraid of love,
marriage and motherhood? Or, IL
not precisely that are you afraid
of the responsibilities and the often
tiresome duties that these other
great privileges are pretty sure to
entail?
Are you very proud of your inde-
pendence and security and THRIFT,
and do you value that weekly pay
envelope of yours almost more than
anything else in the world? And
somewhere in the back of your
mind, as black and heavy as an
| iron ball and chain, is there dread
of becoming a captive of the kitchen
and the motive power for a baby
carriage with no evenings out or
Sundays off and no pay envelope
whatever?
1 wish that / might personally
| persuade every girl who supports
herself and is justly proud of doing
so that there is Il larger way of
| looking at life than the way to which
she may have accustomed herself.
| l wish / could make her see that
| the ability that brings a market
| price is an asset that counts in
marriage and not a merely maid
emily attribute that fades out OF
sight with the slipping on of the
wedding ring.
Work by all means. if you can
and will, and somebody will enjoy
you. You will be wiser and more
practical woman for the experience.
But don't let this deprive you of
your woman's heritage. If a man
loves you and you love him, don't
let the thought of your present pay
envelope or of that future dish pan
| prevent you from marrying him.
/ What would become of the homes
and the children of the future IL the
strong, self-supporting girls avoid
ed marriage and it became the ref
uge of the weak incapables.
Every girls problem needs q
special solution. Nobody could be
wise enough to give advice which
would apply to all cases. But there
/ are some general considerations that
all girls will do we'll to remember
when they find that their lives have
reached a turning poiat, that there
is a decision to be made.
Danger of Cynicism.
First, don't let any job come tC
seem to you more important than Il
really is. You may have a remark
able talent for bookkeeping as wei
as for order and system and neat.
ness generally. 1t is quite likely
that all your superiors in the office
have assured you of this and tha'
you have come to feel pretty Ger.
tain that the work of the office
couldn't get on without you. This i!
very pleasant feeling and there
is something almost intoxicating
about it, too. You know yourself
. how it often leads you to worl
overtime and sometimes even Il
give up your Saturday afternoons
Then it may be that during you
childhood you shared a sordid fam
lily struggle with poverty and tina
you got bitterly tired of disorder
and overwrought nerves and o
there never being quite enough o.
anything to go around. And the or
der and independence that you have
achieved are so precious that
know you are often a little cynica
} about mere sentiment.
{ All this is quite natural. And one
admires the girl who respects her
self and likes her job and excelI
/ in it. Only, don't let it lead you t.
, despise love and lovers. Don't bt
afraid to let yourself love the mar
, who has chosen you and needs
!, | YOU All tHC BICdI ISdllNlco VI lli'
are within your reach. Perhaps yol
, could never love this particular
man, in which case you will have t.
let him go. But listen to your owl
heart and let that decide. AnC
have the courage and womanlines
to accept it's decision.
Now you have all along taken /
for granted, perhaps, that yol
couldn't work after marriage. Blu
don't let any old-fashioned coun
sellor, even your fiancee himself