The Washington herald., 1921-07-15

and that they are planning to elope
as their hard-hearted parents refuse
to let them be married, in the con-
ventional manner. And she wants
to know If , think she will be
happy.
Not a chance Of il. my dear! 1t
needs no prophet to foretell that IL
you marry at Is you will be d.
voreed at 20. and just about time
when the other girls Of your age
are having their coming-out parties.
you will be crawling in, broken
hearted and ashamed, to the home
you are so eager now to leave!
The only certain thing about q
child marriage is that II Is hound
to end in disaster. and bring life
long regrets to the two poor, silly
Young creatures. who gambled with
their lives before they were OLD
enocr rh, and wise enough, to realize
the risks they took, or how hazard
ous is the matrimonial game. and
what skill and finesse ii takes TO
play a winning hand in II.
OF all the follies that any human
being, male or female, can commit,
none equals the supreme idiocy OF
a very youthful marriage because
Il lacks every single. solitary thing
upon which il is possible to build
a house Of happiness. or out or
which you can construct a binding
tie between a man and woman.
1t lacks love. 1t lacks money. II
lacks congeniality and suitability.
IT lacks self-control and experience
OF the world. 1t lacks safety of the
pleasures of youth. 1t lacks the de-
sire to settle down and be about
the business of life that is the real
bed rock of domesticity.
OF course any young girl VINO
thinks she is in love will scorn me
when / tell her that chicken love Is
the most ephemeral thing In the
world, and that like the dew on the
rose bud. IL vanishes while we are
still looking at il. Nevertheless II
Is true, and because you like to
dance with some boy whose step
matches your own, or you dream
about the way he slicks his hair
back. or you thrill when he kisses
you good night and holds your hand
at the movies, Is no sign you enter
Consider. my dear. the things you
raved over last summer. Recall the
boy at the beach that you thought
Just too cute for anything. Remem-
Der the sundaes you dotted on. the
frocks you were crazy about. How
Won despise them now. You smile
with pity at the unsophisticated
girl you were then. How your
1h trnnrnuadN And
how you would be bored to tears II
you had to do the things. and wear
the things you adored only a
twelve-month ago.
Well, a husband isn't like a frock.
You can't throw him into the dis
card. or wish him on a country
cousin like you can a dress you
have vearied Of Yet you can grow
sick of the sight OF the man to
whom you are married as you can
nf . year-before-last faded muslin.
And believe me. little girl, life has
NJ greater tragedy than to be tied
70 = husband who has nothing the
ma rter with him except that you
Rave Just lost your taste for him.
So wait until you know what you
want in a man, before you make
vou- life selection. You don't know
what YOU are going to be yourself
vel. There Is risk enough in matri-
srsuv.- Heaven knows. without TAX
in- any chances on yourself.
Furthermore. my child. II takes
money to Enance a marriage, and
no very young man makes enough
N these days to keep the wolf
away from the door. All OF this
poetic buncome about love being
enough andl living on kisses, is pif-
fie You will crave three square
rIea4s a day after marriage as much
as you do before ma rriage. ana take
tho same heart interest in clothes.
and love the creature comforts just
: much.
So will the lad you marry. and
when you can't have them, and the
BIZ collector begins hammering on
the door. and you are shabby. and
haraSsed with debts. you will quar-
rel. and wish to Heaven you had
had enough sense to stay single un-
tiF YOU really had the price OF a
marriage license.
Ard unless a man Is a superman.
gifted with actual financial genius,
and On early marriage Is a handi-
cap that keeps him at the foot OF
the ladder all his days Every cent
re can make, and more. is needed
TO run the home. He has no chance
10 get ahead. and soon his spirit and
his ambition are broken, and he
sinks into the drudge class. So, II
you really love your boy sweetheart.
give him a chance to win out. Let
him get a start before you put the
burden Of a family on his back.
Don't marry until you have had
your playtime of life. The only
eare-free time in a woman's whole
existence Is the little span between
her school days and her wedding
day. After that. no matter how
good and kind a man she marries
she is bound. There is always some
one whose wishes she must consult
before her own. someone whose hap
piness she must prefer before her
own.
Don't marry until you have had
all the idle flirtations you want, all
the admiration from casual men
you desire, all the dancing and CAD
ding you crave. Have your fling
before marriage instead of after
wards. That's only fair to the man.
to yourself. and the general public.
When you see a married woman
who Is giddy and flighty. who car
rIes on clandestine affairs with
men, who IL flattered out of her
wits by any attention from men
and who negIects her husband and
her children. and her home to tear
around madiy too every party she is
invited to. set 1t down that she
married early. She didn't have Ter
zirl-time at the proper time of hfe