Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-01-01
DOROTHY DIX TALKS
BY DOROTHY DIX
The Value of Appearances
Copyright, 1920, by the Wheeler Syndi-
cate, Inc.

No sane person underestimates the value
of appearances. Not being mind readers or
seers, we cannot know what secret talents,
what hidden graces of mind and character
our fellow creatures possess. All that we can
see is the outside, and so we form our opin-
ion of others on the front they put up.
We take note of their dress, of the style
in which they live, of the company they fire.
quent, and how much money they spend, and
we rate them accordingly. Without direct
evidence to the contrary, we assume that the
man who is we'll dressed ana prosperous
looking is clever, and more fOrceful, and or
higher order of ability than the man who
is shabby, and seedy, and down at the heels.
So true is the adage that nothing succeeds
like success that there is wisdom IN comou-
lflaging it on many occasions young DOCTOR
for instance, who hires good office in de-
sirable location, who wears good clothes, ana
who appears to be rushed to death with work,
undoubtedly has a better chance OF getting
patients than the young physician whose OF
flee is mere hole in the wall, and who sits
all day rubbing his shiny elbows on his table,
waiting for the patients that do not come.
People are like sheep, they go in droves and
follow where someone else leads, and the
more they think you don't need their money.
the more anxious they are to give it to you.
Women have been quicker to grasp the
full significance of the value OF appearances
than men have. Nat is why tEey. are dress
mad. They know that fine fct.thers make
fine birds, and that homey woman in beau
tiful clothes makes more impression than
living picture does in dowdy frock.
| Also they know that a mans success de-
Ponds largely upon the sort Of appearance his
wife presents, for mans wife is the show
window in which he makes Visible display
of the degree of prosperity he has achieved.
Hence, a clever woman who wishes to help
her husband is justified in having house
that is Queen Anne in front and Mary Ann
in the back, and in economizing on the fam
| ily's stomach in order to put the money ON
the familys back until they make their title
good to residence on Easy street.
| There are, however, two sides to this mat
| ter of keeping up appearances, and while It
| is without doubt highly desirable for poor
and ambitious people to look prosperous
nothing is more disastrous 20 their prospects
| than to overdo the prosperity stunt. they
must look good, but not too good. For It
doesn't do to everyday even a virtue.
| Girls often make the mistake of doing this
poor girl who is genius with her needle.
and a shark for hunting out remnants at
bargain sales, will dress so that she looks
like daily hint from Paris. Instead of be-
| ing clever enough to tell how she does it, and
| thereby win the admiration of all who know
her, she will yawn 1anguidly wnen anyone
compliments her hat or gown, and say: ooh,
yes. This is a simple little thing rnat got
|
Victorine's prices will begin to look at her
slantwise and wonder where sne got the
money.
| Many a good girls reputation has been
ruined in this way, because sne dressed too
we'll for her station in life. Many girl has
missed good husband because she wore
such expensive-lookjng clothes that no poor
young man. with his own way make, dared
tackle her dress bill. So the poor girl, who
wants to look like million dollars, should
0F h. Non
! fifty cents, or else her bluff at putting up
the appearance of Miss Million Bucks will be
her undOing. =
1t is equally important that young man
should appear to be the thing he wishes to
| be- Among my acquaintance is young
man who really has plenty Of ability, snd IN
dustry and ambition. He has no money, ana
very poor job that pays him an fnsfgn1fi-
cant salary, but he is handsome and agree
able and we'll bred, and good dancer, and ne
is in much demand among hostesses VINO
need that sort of a man to fill in Their parties.
| The result is that this chap is seen out
night after night at theaters and Dances ana
running with a gay, rich crowd, AID mes got
the reputation of being lounge lizard, anu
business men think he is no good.
| And you can't blame them. There are no
records of eminent financfers or merchant
princes who were conspicuous for their So
cial success in their youth. The men VINO are
at the head of things, and ndd the money
| bags now, were not hopping arouhu pdHIooM
| floors and pursuing the elusive golf ball, even
at somebody elses expense 80 years ago.
They were putting up life@1ke appearances
of industry, and frugality that attracted the
favorable attentions of employers who had
good Jobs to hand out, and OF people VINO
wanted to deal with merchants VINO "ero
looking after their business.
Nothing uueers q mans chances or success
quicker than to live beyond his means. The
house a. little better than he ought to live In;
the automobile he is paying for on the IN
stallment plan the country Grub with the
sporty set whose pace he hadn't the money
to keep; these have been the stop to many
promising career.
For once let people commence ASKING Inc
fatal question: How can he afford 1t? And IL
is all over with man. de is under suspicion
of either being crooked or FOOL ana wnen
men begin to discount another mans nom
estv or his intelligence, he is done for so far
as getting along is concerned.
| On the other hand, when young coup!s
registers industry and thrift and 1ndepend-
ence: when they dress within their means.
when both of them work, and save and show
that thew have an eye to the future, every
hodv gives them hand up.
After all, il is quite impossible to over
, estimate the value Of appearances Right or
wrong.