The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1919-05-09
Parents Who Give Away
Property to Children Are
Foolish, |njuring Them
selves.
By Dorothy Dix,
Worlds Highest Paid Woman Writer.

WOfIub nl4hest fAiu woman WTitei, /,
The only inevitable misfortune OF
life is age. Only by dying young can
we escape that. II we live we are
bound TO come, every one OF us, to
the time OF the sere and yellow leaf
Our mental powers fail, our strength
goes from us. We can no longer
hold our own with the lusty youth and
we become helpless and useless, mere
cumberers OF the ground.
The most pathetic thing on earth is
the poor and dependent old age. There
are two specatoles that wiring the
heart of every observer. One is the
old man and woman. weak and feeble.
but forced by dire necessity TO toll
beyond their strength at some mcnial
task in what should be the rest time
OF their lives.
The old, gray, bent clerk, working
far into the night over his ledger be
cause his dulling faculties make him
slow and inaccurate; the old totter-
ing man, pushing his little peddler's
cart with few poor wares he is try
ing to sell; the bent and crippled old
woman down on her rheumatic knees
scrubblng office floors: the wind and
weather beaten ,oothlcss old woman
at the corner with her little bundle OF
papers, There is not one OF us
whose eyes have not stung with tears
at the sight Of these.
The Charity Dependents.
And not less ptiiul are the old men
and women who live on the grudglng
charity OF others, who feel themselves
burdens even on their own children,
who are sighted and Scorned, and tie
bread OF whose dependence is bitter
III their mouths
These are not new thoughts. The
dread of age is ever present with US.
The tragedy OF poor, dependent age is
sight that is continually before our
eyes, and this makes it the most
amazing thing in the world that so
many people take no step to try 10
protect themselves from the greatest
catastrophe that can possibly happen !
TO them.
There is. of course. no way in
which We can ward off age but we
can keep the end of our day from
being a cold and bitter closing in OF
night, and turn it into a beautiful and
res,iul and ploriou, twilight il only
We have enough intelligence and cour-
age TO take council of facts as they
are, instead OF as we wish they were.
Money Only Safeguard.
To do this we must realize in our
youth that the one. and only thing.
that takes the curse oil of age is
money. We mus, realize that tho only
staff upon which we can lean in our
age with any certainty that it will
not break under us. is a bank account
We must realize that the respect with |
which we are treated, the considera-
ton that is shown us, even the af-
feciion of our children, is in direct
ratio TO what we have to leave in our
Wills
This may sound cynical but no one
will dare dispute its truth Between
grandpa and without a penny. grand.
pa who must be fed and clothed and
housed, and grandma with a fat wal.
let grandpa from whom a stream Of
presents continually flows there !, q
grea, gulf fixed
Nor is this difference between the
way in which poor old people and
PROSPEROUS. old pcople are treated a.
altogether outrageous as il seems AZ
a mere matter Of fac, we had as well
admit that old neonIe ar, seldom
either interesting or attractive q,
Themselves Az I'VE GROW old w. ,osc
our charm. We grow uOlv N look
upor We grow dull n ,aIk IN W.
become bores who te,, over and over
the same ,edions ,,ot;ce W. 90, IL.
,le w,vs md L,L;,s d., n.,,s s ,,nn,