The Washington herald., 1921-04-29
DIsAGREEs WITH DOROTHY DIX

DISAGREES WITH DOROTHY DIX
To the Editor, The Washington Herald:
Please grant me enough space in
your paper for the publication OF
this article. as a reply to Miss Dor
othy Dix's, The Girl Of Today and
Yesterday"
am a daily reader Of The Herald
and search each day for Miss Dix's
articles. She is a good writer, most
of her advice being excellent. Some
years ago wrote for a certain
magazine on "Love'Lorn-Advice to
Young Women" In reading what
Miss Dix has said, though in a way
tits true, l am moved to take issue
with her, when she intimates her
approval, apparently enstamping
her o. X. on the girls OF today.
Miss Dix draws an imaginary
good picture. exhibiting a father
husband criticising the girls OF to-
day with thanks to God that he has
no daughters and wondering what
will he do with his son when he
thinks Of him and his day to marry
To the rescue. Miss Dix shows the
mother-wife defending the girls of
lOudy up
powder and paint and theirs-or
Yesterday-the difference of two
generations. A pretty good picture
foundation. but l am of the opinion
that the premise is bad. and still I
do not mean to infer-"There is
none good"
Now, for example: A few Satur-
day nights ago took another night
off. I dropped in at a dance recep-
ton: there l found many of our
young women of today, both mar
ried and sinEle-they were pow
dered and painted and some Of
them had on just enough to proper-
ly and comfortably clothe a hum
ming bird. watched them.
saw them dance the "Shimmy.'
"Cootie" and many other modesty-
shocking dances. Overheafing and
in conversation with many OF the
men, / heard them remark IL their
wife, sister or sweetheart would
submit or commit herself to such
what they would do. or course
quickly sensed their meaning, that
no such relation was present. One
other remark I overheard was: Il
would have none of these powdered
painted rats for a wife" I. like
the father-husband. felt the blow
the sting, the shame the disgrace
of our young generation. confess
had some one there-yes, there.
dancing, whether they "Shimmied''
or "Cootied." they were there and
dancing and the shot from the
GUN struck and hit all, for they all
are members of the human family.
'Tis true that no man desires an
ugly woman for a wife. nor does .ne
want a dead one" but, when he
begins to select and elect-though
rough and bad he may be-he seeks
! the very best. One great mistake
often made by women is: Making
herself attractive, becoming un-
natural. by the use of paint, lip
stick and the exposition of her body
and limbs. or course, she at the
time may be making a hit" but.
way down the line of TINE, she
finds that such a hit was but a
strike out" Man takes to thfs
sort Of stuff" but when he seeks
WIFE he forgets-yes, makes
himself forget-he had ever met
her. The old adage is: "He who
laughs last, laughs best" The girl
may go home and laugh and think
the man a fool. but at the end or
the play. she will know who's the
fool-shern need help and the man
will be gone.
I refuse to accept or entertain the
argument that the girl OF today
knows more about cooking. pur-
chase, ct cetra. than the woman OF
yesterday, even though she, the girl
of today. Is taught cooking. book
keeping. millinery, bank discount,
etc. in school. I'll admit that they
know more about purchasing of
fine, expensive. clothes (fne birds
make fine feathers), but the truth
in many of these cases. where the
girl stretches the dollar and causes
II to go twice the distance, and the
mother can't, ofttimes kills the
mother when she hnds how II was
and had been done. Miss Dix Is
right about the girl of today and
her ability to stretch the dollar
dollar twice as far as the mother