San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-16

evening with just Jack for company
Her life is entirely outside of herself
she must be excited, amused. An,
everyone knows that to be excited
and amused one must keep scaling
higher and higher. IL you go to 1
hundred cinema shows year, it mus
be a phenomenally good one that in
lterests you. If you live two years
in a hotel, with what apathy do yo,
study the wearisome printed words o
the menu-the en- cocottes and per
siilades.
/ have known hundreds OF girls ant
boys brought up by foolish, anxious
mothers, whose one idea was to DC
their very best for them. have seer
what money. idleness, excitement. ey'
travagance, pretense, display hav.
done for them. And l have seen tho
other side % the shield.
There are mothers-not many, not
half enough but there are mothers
who quite simply believe that love
and service and quiet Zone life may
constitute happiness. There are motif
ers brave enough. to say definitely
1--WE cannot afford it,"
There are mothers who not only
say, but who mean it, when they say
THAT sort Of giddiness and extrava-
gance doesn't make for happiness.
Mary. can't let you go to thar
house party. dear, we have nothing III
common with those rich people. 1t is
simple enough for Elmer now. and !;
is hard for you. dear. TO see her hav-
ing SO much, when You have so little.
But you have your twenties. you:
thirties, in which to enjoy all those
things. We want TO build you into
a wise, good woman first: sensible,
useful, loving woman, who can sec
even now, at sixteen. that it is the
spirit always that gives joy, and the
letter-tbat material, tangible thing !,
has nothing to do with it,
Mary's heart may ache now; but
a certain amount of ache is good for
a sixteen-year-old heart.
Will Mary remember this talk, ard
how hard it. was to walk to the IL
brary for book. to IGeet Dad and
walk home with him. tc play Lolita
that evening-will she remember it
twenty years later?
Perhaps she and her sister. Susan.
and their children will have taken a
beach cottage then. for the ehildren's
school vacation. Perhaps Susan will
ask idly:
Did you see that Elinor Strict
land is divorced?"
"What, again." Mary will say. but
toning a small bathing suit. SWELL"
she will add. dreamily, II wouldn't
want my girls to be brought up as she
was-money, and extravagancc-she
was utterly spoiled. Sue. isn't this
like dream. you and | and our chill
dren here having this wonderful,
time:"
"And perhaps you and George hav-
ing TO go abroad this fall -
"Oh, don't. / can't believe it. Here
I am thirty-five. and with four gray
hairs. and life never seemed to me so
delicious and so exciting"
That's what Mother and Dad, with
their talks and walks and books and
duties did for Mary, ami that is what
any father and mother can do Tor
Mary. To teach the children that
quarreling and complaining are sim
ply bad habits. like biting their nails
or being late for meals, TO teach them
that love is dignified and constructive,
and that hate is vulgar and corrosive.
to help them to love books. nature
music. to make them resourceful and
sclf-reliant, to prove 20 Their, that he
valuable things of life are not to be
bought with money, in word to make
them real persons. instead. of helpless
puppets whirled hither and thither by