The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-30
DOROTHY DIX TALKS
By DOROTHY DIX
WoYid's Highest Paid Woman Writer.
Forewarncd Is Forearmcd.-2.

Forewarncd Is Forearmcd.-2.
Therefore, a father and a mother see
no harm in letting their children play
around with I'll sorts of girls and boys
whom they would never let them
think of marrying.
There is Billy Smith. Such low
able kind of a scapegrace. but abso-
lutely not worth the powder and lead
it would take to kill him. Never sticks
to job two consecutive months at
time. Sits around home and strums
a ukulele while his poor old mother
takes in boarders to support him. No
particular harm in him, but just
worthless, the kind of man who will
be a worse curse to his wife than an
energetic porch climber would be. But
handsome picture, and with a
fascination about him that makes ev-
erybody have a surface liking for him
no matter how much they inwardly
d. :. him.
Father and mother give him the run
of their house. He is there morning.
noon and night, and he and Mary read
together and dance together, and he
helps her drive her car. for he Is
handy in all sorts of non essential
ways. Father and mother raise no
objection because it seems to them
that no girl could be fool enough to
want to marry him, and then comes
a day when he and Mary appear be-
that they have decided to get married.
Father and mother have fits all
over the place. but it avails them
nothing. Mary goes on and marries
the man she has fallen in love with.
but whom she never would have fallen
in love with, if her parents had kept
her from association with such an I'M
desirable partner.
Perhaps father and mother are con-
scientiously opposed to the marriage
of cousins. but they invite beautiful
and alluring young girl to come ana
make her home with them. Their soa
is thrown continually in her society in
dangerous intimacy that gives her all
the right to the tenderness and famil-
| iarity a man bestows on his sister, vet
with the added element of sex attrac-
ton in it
Son and cousin go about unchap-
eroned. Cousin pours sons coffee for
him of morning and dimples at him
across the breakfast table. Cousin no.
tees when son comes home tired at
night, fetches a pillow for his head
and poor things him. Son begins to
think how dreadful it would be if he
didn't have cousin always across the
breakfast table. and cousin feels that
life would be empty without him to do
things for. so they announced to the
scandaliZed parents that they are 70
ing to be married.
And the scandalized parents say
they never thought Of such a thing
when they brought the girl to live
there. Why didn't they? They have
brought two young people together in
the most favorable situation for love-
making that human ingenuity can
suggest Practically any woman who
is not bunch back can win any man
II she can get him at close range. Ger
tainly any woman can imagine her
self in love with any man whose
physical comfort she looks out for.
Put two people OF opposite sex to-
gether in the same house, and you in
evitably set them to thinking of hav-
ing a home of their own. They be-
come a habit and a necessity to each
other. and that is the strongest bond
that nature can forge
If parents wish to prevent unsuita-
BILE marriages of their children they.
will have TO learn to look the stable
door before the horse is stolen. not
walt until after the horse is gone
Then it is too late. The only way to
break up an undesirabl match is to
keep young people from falling in
love with the wrong people.
Fathers and mothers should look
upon every young man who comes to
their house as possible husband for
woman their sons know as a poten-
tial wife. Parents should let no young
man visit regularly at their house,
whom they would not be willing to
see Mary or Sailie marry, If Mary or
Sallie should desire. Whenever a
young man begins to hang around
Mary or Sadie with any degree of
steadiness, 1t is fathers bounden duty
| to hunt up his record and find out
whether he would make a welcome
son-in-law or not not to wait until