Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-09-13

gone into the discard, and that they
have no right to impose their hide
bound restrictions on their daugh'
ters.
But when mother won't change
and a girl sees herself not only be-
ing cut out of a good time, but be-
ing done out of any chance to marry,
and being jockeyed into a drab, blind
alley that ends in a spinster's re-
treat, she is certainly justified in
rebelling against maternal restr!c-
tons and making a fight for her
right to happiness.
The over-strict mother is just as
bad mother as is the neglectful
mother who doesn't look after her
girls at all.
Dear Miss Dix am a girl fiji
teen years old. My mother died
when / was ten years old and my
father married again. My stepmoth-
er is very unkind to me and I am
asking you for advice about what
| to do.
A BROKEN HEARTED LITTLE
| GIRL.
| Answer:
When we are in a bad place, my
| dear, the brave thing and the wise
| thing is to fight out of it. We can
always do this if we have the grit
and courage to fight. By this /
do not mean for youSto fight your
| stepmother. That will get you no.
| where, and every time you have a
quarrel with her it simply makes
your lot worse and fills you with
| bitterness and hatred.
| So get along with her as we'll as
| you can Give it to her and save
all of your strength for fighting
the conditions that surround you
and fitting yourself to get away
from her as soon as possible.
Don't run away from home, for
that would only be jumping out of
the frying pan into the fire. A fiji
teen-y ear-o1d girl is like little lost
lamb when she is out in the world
alone, and there are thousands of
wolves in sleeps clothing just wait
ing to devour her.
And don't be foolish enough to get
married while you are still a child
in order to get away from a cruel
stepmother. You are too young to
| know what you want in a husband
and you might find yourself mar
ried to man from whom you could
not get away who would be even
unkinder to you than your step
mother is. And anyway, you would
! have all the burden of wifehood and
motherhood thrust on you while you
are nothing but a child yourself
and you'd miss all the fun of girl
hood.
The first thing for you to do is
to study very hard and try to ed
ucate yourself, because the more
you know and the better education
you have the better position you viii
be able to get when you start gu,
into the world to seek your for
tune. Put all of your mind anf
your thoughts on your books anc
you will be amazed to find how quick
ly the time goes and how much
happier you will be, for work is the
cure-all for every sorrow.
Don't spend any time plying your
self because you are a little, unfor
tunate stepchild. Whenever you are
tempted to dwell on that just rur
to your books and concentrate or
a history lesson, and you will forget
your own troubles in learning about
the sorrows of the great people VIII
had much more serious things thar
bad stepmothers to endure.
Then decide what you want to dc
to make your own living, what oc
cupation you want to follow, and fiji
yourself to do that SO thoroughly
that you will be able to command
high salary. And before yoI
know it you will not be a poor, lit
tie, prosecuted stepchild. You viii
be a happy, independent, ouccess
full woman.
DOROTHY DIX.