The Washington herald., 1920-11-05
Dorothy Dixs Excellent Adoice
oop,risht. isso. wheeler syndiests. Iss

thank God for on her knees when
she says her prayers st night. the
one thought that should flavor her
sandwich at lunch and make it
taste like ambrosia, is that she does
not have 20 make the sacrifice OF
trading Of her youth for a meal
ticket. She does not have 20 marry
be martyrized the balance OF her
life by being married to some man
who is repulsive 10 her because she
had 10 get a bill payer.
No. she is free to follow the die
tates Of her heart. She does not
have to sell herself to any man for
a support. for she is perfectly well
able TO take care Of herself. and
she can wait until the right man
comes along.
And this is the first generation
4 of women that have ever enjoyed
that privilege. Up to now. when a
girl reached a certain age. IL she
had no fortune she had TO take any
| thing in the matrimonial line that
was offered. because the only sort
of work that was deemed respect
able for women was working men.
( What tragedies Of mismatement
there we're. what blooming youth
tied to scnile age, what spiritual
grace condemned TO live forever
with clods. what tenderness crush
ed and broken by brutality. what
revolt and blind futile hatred filled
the hearts OF the women doomed to
endure this earthly purgatory. we
can only imagine
Those days of martyrdom are
/. over for women now. and IL seems
almost incredible that any girl
should think Of opening the door
back into the torture chamber, and
voluntarily taking her place on the
rack. For that is what a loveless
marriage means to any woman. and
especially marriage between a
young girl and an old man
For let no girl deceive herself by
believing that there is any truth in
the old adage about its being bet
ter 10 be an old mans darling than
a young mans slave. There are In
truth. no other such grinding
tyrants on earth as the old. for age
brings with IL a curious conceit
that makes even a fool. IL h. has
lived a number Of years. believe
that he is a very Solomon for wis
dom. The old almost universally
lelieve that their Judgment is in
fallible, their outlook the only point
of view. their way the only correc,
method OF doing things. and 80 the
old husband forces his wife TO obey
him with A rigid discipline that M
young man would think Of impos-
ing on a woman.
And the old arc selfish. crasnipr
with greedy hands at the life that
rs Slipping from them, the young
wife finds that she is nothing but a
nurse, who must spend her daNs
, and nights ministering to an old
mans whims and crotchers, and
, coddling his rheumatism.
Every young girl who marries an
, old man thinks she is going to be
|. able to wrap him around her finger.
! and that he Will be SO pleased and
fattered at having a pretty wife to
show OF that he will trot around
/ with her to places Of amusement,
and deck her out like a Fifth ave-
rue show window, and that he'll be
satisfied TO stay put in the back
ground while she firts around. and
dances with chaps of her own age.
Alas for the foolish dream. What
she wakes up to is that grandma
7 after having trod a measure get
, ihg a young wife, retires to thu
: radiator. and nurses his equity feet
: OF an evening. where he expected
Young wife to bear him company
and listen TO the thrilling reminis-
=. ccnces of what he did forty years
ago. Also grandpa. knowing in his
: soul that he was married for his
n money. hangs or TO every cent with
: a death grip. and realizing that
: youth calls to youth. he does a
. watch-do act that keeps every
= Young man beyond telephoning dis
u tance.
. Perhaps there comes times when
!, the working girl gets tired earning
: her own living. when she wearies
:. OF her job. and her pay envelope
4 looks pretty thin. but. believe me,
: girls. there is no work on earth so
hard. no Job of which you can get
so weary, no pay so small as that
: OF the woman who has married for
:, living. For marriage is the no.
blest career on earth. or the worst
profession.
And remember this-thRt the Eirl
who marries without love. who
marrics for money. has no right 70
pull her skirts away from her sis
ter of the streets