The Washington herald., 1920-11-24
Dorothy Dix's
Excellent Aduice
EVERYBODY MUST HAVE A
PLAY TINE.
copyrisht. 1870. wbseier b
eyndieste. Inc.

ELAI TIAEs
A man Of IS In engaged to q girl
Of 20. and hef wishes her to marry
him At once. but she puts on the
wedding and tells him that she Is
having such a good time that she
wants to play around a little while
longer.
This makes the man feel that the
girl is of frivolous character, and
doubt whether she will make him
n desirable wife.
/ should take exactly the oppo-
site view. Ny opinion is that the
girl IL remarkably level-headed. and
that she shows an amazing amount
OF common sense in having her lit
tie fing before she IL married, in
stead Of waiting to do IL afterward,
when there would be ten times more
trouble with a jealous husband than
there Is even with a Jealous sweet
heart.
Doubtless this young woman has
been shrewd enough to observe two
things-the first is that the only
playtime the average woman ever
has il in the few years that lie be-
tween her school days and her mar
rfage day. In that brief space Of
time only has she any liberty. or
Is she care-free. 1t is the one pic
mic in her whole life. the one green
oasis in the arid desert of the years
that many a woman ever knows.
II a girl marries a poor man. her
marriage brings her life sentence at
hard labor. and such pinching econ
omies as wear the very soul to tat
81. l.
tyrannical. and grouchy, and cold.
and hard. then she kisses happiness
/ goodbye at the altar, and her life
is one long martyrdom.
Even when she makes a fortunate
marriage. when she marries a man
who csn make a comfortable living.
and who is ten Ter. and kind TO her.
\ she still is done with the light
| hearted enjoyment of girlhood. be-
| cause marriage brings responsible
| ties, and burdens. and the wife who
| has a husband to care for. and little
| children to look after, must think
of her duties before her pleasures.
The second thing that she has
noted is that IL a woman wants a
| man TO take her about TO places of
amusement. she'd better get IL done
before they are married. For the
man who can dance all night with
his sweetheart won't two-step
around the room with his wife, and
he who was a never-failing supply
/ of theater tickets as a beau. has to
be chloroformed before he will part
with the price of the movies as a
I, husband. Therefore. on all counts.
the girl who likes to play Is wise
to have her play time before she is
married. and when she has a play
| fellow.
their sex has a monopoly on good
times. They realize that a man
must have his fling. but IL never
| occurs to them that a woman must
have hers. And. anyway. the gen.
| eral masculine idea is that there Is
something so peculiarly thrilling to
{, a woman in just being married. and
I having a home of her own. no mat
ter how dull both are. that all the
fun she wants Is just sitting up
and gloating over her wedding
| ring.
1 Which is some mistake. I'll say.
y Therefore. man who has
danced. and frolicked. and who has
done all there was to do. and seen
all there was to see. and who Is
a little. young girl and expect heI
never to want to go anywhere. or
to have any amusement. He doesn't
even realize how selfish he is in
denying her the pleasure that he
has had.
II were a man, I would want 70
marry a girl who had been greatly
admired by men. and who had had
many men make love to her. And
/ should wish to marry a girl who
had had lots of pretty clothes. and
who had had her fill of theaters
and parties and restaurants.
! Then / would know that ! was
getting a wife whose head would
not be turned by the first glib
tongued palaverer who came along
and asked her IL she didn't believe
in love az first sight. and told heI
that the minute he saw her he had
= a strange feeling. as IL he had just
met his fate-alas, too late.
! And / would know that / was get
'Itiug a wife whose idea Of heaven
was just the shut-in solitude of two