The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-10
DOROTHY DIX TALKS
Clinxtng Vine VS.. Bean Pole.

CHngtng Vino VS.. Bean POle.-1.
Della O'Grady is as pretty and clev-
er little milliner as ever twisted
: wisp of ribbon and tinsel into a
hat, stuck a gold rose on the outside
OF it and a Paris label on the inside,
and sold it for an imported French
CONNECTION.
Ordinarily Della is as gay and smil-
ing as n spring morning, but the other
Gay found her with her white young
brow corrugated with thought wrin-
kles, and her blithe spirits registering
deep dark gloom. So asked her
what vas the matter.
Oh, she replied pessimistically. II
am wrestling with the new woman
problem of whether it is better for a
wife who really loves her husband
ara wants to help him to be a cling
ing vine or bean pole-whether she
helps hin most by Tightening his bur
den, or by dumping such a load on
him he's got to fight for his life or
be crushed, and I've about reached
the conclusion that you can't be good
to your husband without running him.
And my hearts hurt, and my
pride.s hurt, for 1 thought in my van
lty that 1 had solved three of the
biggest ,onundrums of our day-first,
now poor yourg people could afford
! to marry while they are stfll Young
| enough TO really love. and before their
romance gets all the gilt rubbed off
H.
And, secondly, how to prevent the
economic waste of putting a girl in
| the kitchen who has trained herself
to folio " profitable. gainful occupa-
ton when she mafries which is as
SHY as IT would be to put a hundred
horsepower engine to doing a two
| horsepower job.
| And, thirdly, how to open up a
| career of usefulness and profit for
middle aged and elderly women who
are now idle and dependent
Ihats pretty good handful of
problems for anybody to tackle" went
on Della, but I thought that I had
worked them all out successfully in
my own case, and now / find that
my solution doesn't stand the acid
test OF actual experience. and am up
| in the air like everybody else.
| >"YOu know before 1 rarried Tom T
had this nice little business that Is
| making me a good living. It's work
| that L like to do for I teel that I
am an artist creating beautiful things
| in silks and laces instead of paints
and marble, and. moreover, that I am
a philanthropist who softens the
| home Hness of MANY a. woman and
makes her easier On. the eyes that
have to look at her by giving her a
| good hat.
We'll, when Tom and were going
| to get married of confse he said the
usual masculine thing of protecting
| me from the hardships of life, and
about my giving up the shop and do
| ing no more work except in my own
| little home I declined on the ground
that making hats was joy nd play
| to me. and l loathe cooking and wash
| ing pots
| Il also explained to him that there
| is no truth in the old saying that two
can live as cheaply as one, but that
there was no gainsaying the truth that
| two people, working at their trades.
can earn more than one showed
him that if V e both kept on working
for a few years we could not only
| live in much greater comfort than we
could if we had to pinch along on
his small salary, but that we could
save up enough money to buy home.
| or for him to start in business. and
to give our children. if we lad any.
better education and a better
start in life than either of us had