The Washington herald., 1921-12-24
RICH CIRLSAFRAID.
TO GET MARRIED,
. AYSDOROTHY DIX
Fear of Fortune Hunters
Keeps Most of Them
Old Maids.
By DOROTHY DIX.

A young woman who was born
with not only the traditional gold
spoon in her mouth. but with whole
sets of them. said to me the other
day that she was beset with a
double fear the fear that she
would be an old maid because of
her fear of being married for her
money.
The price that we rich girls pay
for our fortunes" she said, rs that
We never have the Joy of knowing
that We are loved for ourselves
alone From the time We are ba-
bies we have IL drilled into US that
men will try to marry us for our
money. and we grow so suspicious
that We see a fortune-hunter in
everyone whoNapproaches u.s.
Il look at myself in the mirror,
and ] see a woman who is certainly
as good looking and attractive as
the ordinary. l have been well edu-
Gated. i have travelled widely, and
l am sure l am quite as interest
ing a companion as the average
girl. l dance well. l play a good
game of tennis. and golf. and
bridge. / ride. and swim, and sail
a boat. and drive a car. and i know
that ] am fitted to make a good
pal and meet almost any man on
his own ground; and so l do not
see why a man should not fall in
love with me, despite my money
bags.
Probably a man might love me
for myself. but / would never trust
him Every particle OF vanity in
me has been killed by the warn
ings / have had against the men
who would try to marry me for
what / have instead of what l am,
50 / never see myself as the angel
Of some mans dreams, but only as
his meal ticket.
las a matter of fact, no girls in
the world have as poor a chance to
make a happy marriage, or to mar
~ Worthwhile men, as We rich
girls For one thing, we have no
chance to get acquainted with the
young chaps who are going to do
the great things. and be the big
men of tomorrow. They are hard
at work in Offices, and shops, and
roughing il in far places. They
are not hanging around the gilded
resorts where we go. and so nearly
all OF the men We know are the
whose only accomplishments con-
sist in wasting and spending the
hard-earned dollars Of their dad
dies. They are purposeless in life,
spoiled, blase, always on the look
out for a new sensation, and so
it's no wonder that when We marry
them there's generally a divorce
coupon attached to the marriage
license.
"A poor young man Of the right
sort seldom pays any attention to
r rich girl because, for ono thing.
he doesn't want to be dependent on
his wife-a sort of a household pet
that she sets up as she would a
new and expensive lap dog. Also,
he knows that, whether it is true
or not. he will be accused of being
a fortune-hunter. and his pride will
not suffer that.
SO there we rich girls are We
want TO be loved. we want the sort
Of husbands who do things. and of
whom we can be proud. We want
real homes. with men in them
whose whole hearts are ours, and
we find that not the richest of us
has got money enough to buy that
For you can't purchase the great
est thing in the world over the
counter. and many and many a poor
woman who hasn't a second dress
to her back has got something that
dozens of millionairesses would
give their all to have, and that is
the absolute certainty that she is
loved for herself alone. and that
the man who married her wanted
Just her-and not her bank &C
count.
Have YOU ever wondered why
there are so many rich old maids?
II is because the woman with money
is afraid to marry?
Il think YOU exaggerate the dan
ger" replied the woman with whom
the rich girl was speaking. for one
thing American men are not fortune
hunters as a rule There are too
many opportunities in this country
for a man to make money for him
self. for him to be tempted to cell
his birthright for mess OF pottage.
The man who marries for liv-
ing pays the highest board on earth,
and there are mighty few American
men who wouldn't rather work at
some less nerve-wearing job than
being the poor husband OF wealthy
wife So generally are men Of this
opinion that I have never known a
very wealthy girl who was belle
not even with all the chromos in the
shape OF feeds. and theater tickets.
and automobiles. that her family
handed out with every ticket of ad-
mission.
But suppose man Is Influenced
in marrying you for your fortune?
Every woman is married because
of some particular charm that at
tracts a man. One woman is mar
ried because of her beauty. In
few years she is bound to lose that.
Another allures a man by her WILL
lowy figure. In ten years II Is gone,
and she is either a feather bed OF
a living skeleton
"a man is Iured into ratrimony
nv a girls vivacity and Eaiety.
Life sobers and saddens the most
Joyous Of us. A girl may be mar
ricd for any one of a thousand
fugitive charms that are bound 70
fade away in the stress OF matri-
mony.
But IL a man married a girl De-
cause Of her money. she has got
charm for him that age cannot
wither. nor custom stale. She's got
something to conjure with. for the
time will never come when he VIII
grow weary of the things that
money buys. and as long as she
keeps her money in her own hands
she il sure OF holding her husbands
interest and keeping him always on
his best behavior toward her.
so marry your man and keep q
strangle hold on your pocketbooN.
and while you never know for GER
tain that your husband loves YOU