The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-06-03
Fabper May
Face Attack
i'm Her Reign
BY Julia Blanshard,
NEA SerDice Writer

NEW YORK, June 3.AThere may
be a crusade launched soon for the
lost middle years of American wom-
anhood. And again, there may not!
One New York woman, at any
rate, has come out fiat-footedly to
advocate leaving Tapping to the
f1appers and urging middie-aged
women in quest Of their youth to
abandon the chase and return to
the age of reason.
Mrs. j. Lester Levine, lecturer
and clubwoman, is the knight Of
the Middle Years" Her dream is a
renaissance of middle-aged behavior
and middle-aged appearance for
women no longer young.
Some Criticism
Lecturing before clubwomen, Mrs.
Levine has received some sly COM
pliments from the tired youngish-
older woman who in her heart Of
hearts is pining to settle" But,
too, there have been singing criti-
cisms and scathing accusations that
she is a traitor to her sex.
ut is all right for grandma to
have her own latch-key now" Mrs.
Levine admits. But I wish we
could trust her to act her age while
using it."
1t is from a Arm conviction that
added years have their compensa-
tons that her enthusiasm for her
cause springs. They have-to Mrs.
Levine. She is an admirable exam
ple Of the grace, dignity and useful
ness of those driving, striving, mid.
die years."
Varied Interest
As mother of daughter who stud
les art and Of a son at Yale, as wire
to a professional man who is fem
mist enough to expect to find his
wife interesting and does, and as
lecturer and busy clubwoman, life
holds for her fully as much inter
est now as it did in the thrilling
politician father run his campaign
in Montana and her pioneer mother
organize women of the town for
this and that.
Mob-mindedness has run away
with grandma's reason" is Mrs. Lee
vines statement Just because
some light headed women started
vogue of youth, most of older Amer
lea has to rush pell-mell, like sheep,
after them.
"Silver threads among the gold
are not only being bobbed every
where, but hennaed. 1t is one thing
to stay young by keeping tthe facul-
ties alert and being interested. 1t is
another to devote life to gaining
pseudo-youthful appearance. Mis-
placed youth is positively hard to
look upon and women should be
honest about it.
Eyes Of Sixty
s"Sixty can have her hair dyed, her
face lifted, her legs shaped. But the
eyes that look out of the remade face
are the eyes Of sixty, not sixteen.
If they are the eyes of sixteen, the
womans a moron.
Freedom from long skirts is a
blessing. But the freedom has been
turned to license to show collec-
ton of bullying knees and bowed
legs that any normal impulse would
hide. AS a club president I will say
I've seen peculiar sights these last
few years.
1T Is deplorable, If a half-century
of life, has contributed no mental
content to woman and if the only
thing 1nNall her years that has been
worth while was her youth and her
youthful appeal" she says.
"It is not only unfortunate for
middle age to be wasting itself aping
youth-it is immoral. For it breaks
down all the barriers of conventional
life. If mother kicks over the
traces all along tbs line-no wonder
children run away with life. The
present unrestrained and devastating
abandon of youth to the jazz-mad
age is due to mothers who<let down
all the floodgates Of behavior.
I'D be ashamed to say I had
lived as long as I have and had
nothing to teach my children" she
said. "Of course, mothers can make
no contribution to their youngsters
if all they do is ape them. They
can hardly expect, at their age, to
beat children at their own game
youth.
An Army Needed
What the world needs is an
army of women who are brave
enough to face life squarely and
find the richness, beauty, gracious
ness and dignity that added years of
experience give.
"They could put middle-age on
the map again. They could make so
something to be looked forward to.
They could bring saneness and or
der to youth-mad age and restore
a reign of sense"