San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-09-19
Losing Faith
in Men
BY Beatrice Fairfax.

Our ideas as to what constitutes
youth and old age change as the years
fly by. ! can remember when thirty
seemed hoary old age TO me.
l also well remember. a certain
conversation. which once took place
between friends of mine-both six.
teen.
The best of life is over at twenty
five" affirmed Alice, positively. AT
twenty-five l shall have seen and ex-
pcrienced all that's worth while. And
| shall hope to die then rather than
grow older"
Betty agreed with Alice that at
twenty-five you have left romance,
youth and love far back of you, but
she disagreed as to the desirability
of continuing to carry on"
"Of course" concluded Betty, "if
at twenty-five I'm not married, I'll
give up all hope of ever marrying.
But from tina time on I'll be a jolly
bachelor girl and devote all my days
to thrilling adventures such as travel
in strange lands and writing books"
Miss Sixteen proposed. fate dis
posed. Today at forty Alice is light.
Nr-heartcd, infinitely less sure in her
philosophy of life and really much
more youthful than she was at six
teen.
Betty married happily at twenty
eight years of age. Her own Betty
will soon be approaching the blasc
and pcssimistic teens. -
My correspondent who signs herself
"Old Maid" is Il young woman who
feels very aged and disillusioned. Let's
hope she'll also grow younger.
Dear Miss Fairfax" writes "Old
Maid" in one weeks time | shall
have another birthday, making me
the horrible age of twenty-four. l
could just cry when / think how old
I am getting, with no future and quite
a past.
when ] was eighteen I fell in
love, but my love was not returned.
This affair made me look on the world
in a different light. lost faith in
men. ! thought the reason my love
was not returned was because l was
too good.
II decided to be n flapper and sure
enough, after that l had plenty OF
dates, petting parties, etc. Now, how
ever, l am tired of this sort of life
and l want to be myself again.
Il find ! still love my first beau.
I have never been employed and
hav.S't any business experience, so l
hav. nothing TO take my mind off
the fact that l am growing old all
by myself.
please help me.
"OLD MAID"
Wake up. my dear. You are not
a poor little mid-Victorian maiden.
doomed to grow old in idle useless
uesS while in your twenties. Don't
you know women nowadays arc too
busy and happy and far too clever
to grow old? Your attitude toward
torianism which declared a woman's
chief charm lay in exctremc ignorance
and extreme youth. You are not dcs.
tined when your twcntics are over
TO sit alone in a chimney corner and
knit.
Most of the women internationally
famous today for beauty and youth
full fascination are in their thirties,
some are in their forties. Only one
thing can make you old at twenty
four; thinking yourself old, resigning
yourself to unhappy, lonely years.
If | were you would snap out
of this futile mood. Get busy. That
will help you TO keep happy.
Take up charitable work and de.
vote considerable time and careful eff
fn 20 hn1Y fVnnr
as child welfare, prevention of cruelty
to animals or cheering and aiding
the blind or aged.
Cultivate whatever talent or taste
you have.
Moreover, you'll have made so many
pleasant friendships that you will real
ize you were not in love with that
young man who seemed so marvellous
to you at eighteen. but merely in love
with love and your idea of what he
was.
Lose faith in men because one man
didn't happen to prefer you to all
other women? My dear, you have
too good sense for such absurdity.
Men are not perfect-ncither are
women. But if you are fair in your
attitude, ready to acknowledge and
bring out the best traits in the peo-
pie you meet, you'll not lack trust
worthy friends. either men or women.
Certainly the road to happiness
and love does not lie in deliberately
trying to be your less worthy self.
I'm glad you've given up that idea.
You are twenty-fcur. Please write
me again at forty-two, if you can,
and tell me how much younger you
are, how much happier and better be
loved than when you felt yourself mis-
erably aged at twenty-four. The
chances are you will also tell me how
happy you are in the love of the good
husband who discovered you when
you had regained your faith in men.