The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-02-28
Dorothy Dix Talks
How to Break Off a Match.

How TO Break Off a Match.
A woman writes me that her daugh-
ter is in love with man of whom she
highly disapproves, and she wants TO
know how she can break off the
match, for the girl is determined to
marry her unsuitable sutton.
OF course the only reliable method
of preventing an undesirable marriage
| is to forestall Cupid. and prevent
young people from falling in love with
the wrong parties. It's ease where
ans ounce of prevention is worth
pound of cure, and if parents fore
sight was only as good as their hind
sight in sentimental matters they
bcould save themselves and their chill
dren many heartaches
Quarantine your house as 'rigidly
against beautiful girls, and fascinating
young men that YOU do not wish your
sons and daughters to marry as you
would against smallpox. Keep your
young people as far as possible from
associating with those whom you
would not welcome as sons and
daughters-in-law. Follow these rules,
and You are reasonably safe from
! having to interfere in your children's
love affairs.
But there are times when all rule,
fail, and all precautions are in vain.
and when fathers and mothers are
forced to nip some youthful fancy in
the bud, to save their children from
the folly of wrecking their lives by
making disastrous marriages.
The great difficulty about doing this
is that when boys and girls are in love,
or think they are in love, they are
temporarily insane and beyond the
reach of reason. They cannot be ar
| gued with because they have lost
all Judgment. and all perspective
on life. They may admit that the
argument you advance against their
marrying the individuals they want
to- marry would be cogent in other
cases, but they are convinced that
their own cases are exceptions
John will agree that for an edu-
Gated, cultivated gentleman to marry
| a frowsy, iliiterate woman is TO court
misfortune, but he is sure that in his
case marriage will Immediately turn Il
coarsely pretty servant girl into an
accomplished women of the world.
Mary may agree that for any other
girl to marry drunkard and roue
with hectic past is sure to end in
disaster but she is certain her mar
riage to such one will bring her
nothing but domestic bliss.
still further difficulty is that love
thrives on difficulties, and there is no
surer way to make match than to
oppose it, and in their anxiety, and
their panic at the danger that threat
ems their beloved child, parents are
| nearly Always DelIdyeu INTO the Iatdl
step of asserting their authority. and
forbidden the bans which precipitate
the calamity they dread.
If. therefore. you wish to break off
a match, never openly oppose it, for
that puts the youngsters backs up and
makes them determined to assert their
independence, and show that they are
not children to be dictated to. Neither
be guilty of the folly of continually
harping upon the undesired sweet
hearts shortcomings This makes the
lover rush to the defence of the one
of whom he is enamouredI and not
only marshal his or her every charm
and good quality, but manufacture
additional ones to justify his choice
Copyright. 1919, by the wheeler Syndicate
Inc.)