The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-12-07
WOMEN CAN TELL
why THEY MARRY,
SAYS DOROTHY DIX
Can't Make Real Home
Without Man in
The House.
Bv DOROTHY DIX.

n a
bride-to-be each Of the women
present was invited to tell why she
married the man she did, or why
sbe wished to get married. or why
she married the second time, ac-
cording to whether she had one
husband. OF had had two husbands
or was looking for husband.
II the ladies' told the truth. and
really got down to brass tacks
about their individual cases. II must
have been a most interesting ex-
perfence meeting. particularly as
regarded the matrimonial repeater.
The question: why did l marry
the man I did," is one that every
woman asks herself with varying
infections. and to which she gives
a different answer according to the
state of the matrimonial barometer.
When the weather Is fair and sun
ny. and hubby is waiting hot air
in her direction she is sure she
married him because he was the
only man in the world for her.
But when the domestic skies are
lowering. when husband growls
over the bills. and is disgruntled.
and unreasonable. she opines that
the only explanation for her having
married that particular man was
because the fool killer was lOafing
on the job. and not attending to
business the day she two-stepped
with him to the altar.
Why anybody marries anybody
else Is 4 coEundrum that keeps
everybody guessing. as you may
learn by attending any wedding.
The strains of the bridal march are
never quite loud enough to drown
out the chorus that swells from
every throat of: For PHYS sake,
Is that the bridegroom? What in
the name Of heaven do you suppose
she ever saw In him to make her
want to marry him? Looks like a
scared rabbit trying to swallow his
Adams apple. while he steps on his
own feet. l know men are scarce.
but IT does seem as il she could
have shut her eyes. and run her
hand in the grab-bag and pulled
out something else than that"
And what do you suppose made
him pick out Mabel for a wife? My
dear. she is three years older than
he is and she is that made up l bet
she wouldn't recognize her own face
If she saw IL in a mirror after il
was washed clean. Worse still she
Is one OF the vivacious kind that
would give me nervous prostration
in two days Imagine having to
listen to her giggle. and exclaim.
and have Mysteries. and wonder.
and joy. and delight for the balance
Of your lifei Funny how people
marry. isn't it? Wonder what
makes them choose each other out
If a whole world full Of people
that look as if they would have
suited them so much better"
And the answer Is: Search me-"
The question. Why do women
marry a second time? was cvnically
answered a long time ago by Doc
tor Johnson who said that a second
marriage was the ultimate triumph
Of hope over experience.
When YOU look at the matter dis
passiOnateIy you wonder that any
human being has the nerve to dare
fate by making a second maria ge
Won would think that those who
had been happily married the first
time would feel that they had had
their portion Of good fortune In
life. and that they could not ex-
pect that lady Luck would again
bestOw upon them her choicest
favor. You would think that those
who had been unhappily married
would be like the burned child that
breads the fire. and that they would
no more enter again into the
matrimonial fold than the freed
soul would voluntarily plunge again
into purgatOrv.
Strangely enough neither OF
these contentious hold. Experience
sets Up no warning. and teaches no
lesson IN matrimony. Both the hap
PLY and the unhappily wed plunge