Omaha daily bee., 1921-05-07
Why Are Young
Men Not in
Homes?
BY BEATRICE FAIRFAX.

fair salaries live in hall bedrooms in
stead of in homes! Why do so man!
girls have to futter in groups to th'
movies or sit at home bewailinl
their fate because Prince Charming
seems to have no intention of fut
tering up over the horizon!
Don't men and women want tC
marry nowadays.
I've been pondering this question
ever since an evening not far gon'
by when l sat In a quiet littl'
restaurant with group OF pretty
girls whose Sunday evening diversion
this manless meal had to be. Al
nearby tables sat young men ii
groups OF two or three or even alone
Now and then they glanced over al
my girls with something ! inter
preted as longing. But there were
the men and the girls divided after
the fashion of a Quaker meeting
house. I've seen this happen over
and over again. Why1
Not the entire situation can be dis
missed as one of the girls sought to
do:
we don't know any men," said
she. "Who gets chance to meet
men--the sort of mei she'd like? |
mean? Ii could meet the sort OF
men l like"
Do you take any time to dis
cover whether or not you like the
men YOU meet?" | ventured.
II know l DON'T" replied the girl
with an air of finality.
Perhaps if I'd gone about inquir-
ing of the lonely men, they'd have
summed up the situation as coldly
and with equal air OF fnality.
But no one can persuade me that
in normal world, run on normal,
human lines, men prefer dining in
restaurants of Sunday night to get
ting smack" in the kitchen at
home.
The high cost of living doesn't ex-
plain away human nature. Neither
does the difficulty OF meeting "the
right sort of people," What does1
Read bit of Robert Lcuis Stew
enson with me and sec if it helps us
toward a solution:
''They are taught to follow diff
ferent virtues, to- hate different vices,
to place their ideal, even for each
other in different achievements.
When horse has run away and two
fustered people in the gig have each
possessed themselves OF rein, we
know the end of that conveyance will
be in the ditch"
The great fault in Our social
scheme today is that we train our
boys and girls so differently. We
magnify the differences which exist
naturally and in Natures scheme
until we've practically taught our
young folks to speak different lam
guages. We've made them so con-
scious OF their dissimilarity that they
can't look over the wall it builds and
get square view of each other.
That makes modern social exist
ence comparable to Stevenson's gig
in ditch"
Girls are shown a small field of
experience and taught very strict
code OF judgment for all action.
Their brothers are permitted to
view a far broader cross-section OF
lliC duu dliOWCu d
wider code of morals.
Girls are taught to believe that
an action which condemns them to
the outer pale of society is permis-
sble--almost desirable-in "real.
rcd-blooded man."
What is more natural than that
two young people looking at each
other across gulf of over-self-con-
scious natural differences. with
many addenda in the line of culti-
waited customs and morals, should
fail to understand each other.
That's what our lopsided social
scheme has done to us. But what
do we ourselves do TO direct our
selves from the happy haven OF
home-cvery man and woman's
normal desire?
Girls take far too much interest
in a mans ability to spend. dance
and show them a good time. A
handsome, amusing good-for-noth-
ing is likely to be far more of a
''tavoritc with the ladies" than the
plain, honest chap who's twice as
good and unselfsh and kind be-
cause he is not spending his life's
energies on the little social things
that charm but don't support.
Since tinsel virtues appear to ap-
peal to women. what is more natural
than that a fine man should con-
clude that girls don't like him and
so turn from them to the other fel-
lows who are in like case?
How many girls would be salts |
fed to dine with a man in the same
Quiet restaurant where they go with
other girls? Or on the 75-cent
Combination dinner" they take
when they're paying the check them
selves?
How many men, on the other |
hand, are willing to dig below re-
serve and shyness and quiet sim
plicity to find companionship and
charm? Don't most men try to
meet the pretty doll'' who gives
them nothing but the thrill OF hav-
ing the other boys say:
"Some pippin you were out with
last night, Charlie. All there with
the looks. I'll say so.'
Charlie didn't get one wafm hui
man thrill out Of the evening with
the pippin, nor one nice. human
cozy Bit of talk. But he spent on
her the whole amount of his weekly
pay envelope he can afford under
the head OF pleasure" and so he
has tc eat with the boys while he's
rccuperating. The worst of it is
that he'll take his gaudy companion
out again to impress other men. And
all the while he's craving the SIM
pIicity and sweetness and modesty
that are sitting right at the next ia
LA hecause the ri1hf men aren't