The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-03-01
Is Thirty the
LOUe DeadHne?
Fannie Ward Takes Issue
With Will Durant on
Early Marriage.
BY FANNIE WARD
The psychologist. William Durant.
SAYS maturity love is all cant,
That a man over thirty
Is Just fight and fiirty.
o. william Durant, you do rant.

l. nent doctor, when he made the
statement quoted in the above linn
erick, came to that extraordinary
conclusion.
To be sure, in many Oriental
countries, marriage is solemnized at
the natural age. And to make its
success assured, they lock up the
wife and let the man have as many
more wives as he financially is able
to take care OF, and by this ar
rangement he usually is incapable of
loving devotion after the age Of 30,
if we are to believe Katherine
Mayo'S "Mother India"
Youth-and when 1 say youth
I mean the period Of years previous
to 30-generally is recognized as a
season to enjoy life in rather an in
discriminate manner.
The peculiar privilege Of youth is
to not think too much of conse-
quences. AS tar as love is con-
cerned, youth does not think at all
in its adolescent years of psyche
logical ignorance of sex life and its
laws.
r DO not scott at youthful love,
L Far from it. But do contend,
as the years pass, we acquire dill
ferent outlook on people, and on lie
and its problems, and what may
seem purest gold to the eyes oil
youth, is so often apt TO appear to
maturer judgment as rather tar
nished tinsel
Much has been written regarding
the expediency or the ineXpediency
of early marriage, and the psy-
biologists are about equally divided
in their opinions.
The opposers Of early marriage
are almost unanimous in their chief
objection, and that is that the off,
spring of youthful parents are not
so strong, either physically or men
tally, as the children of those OF
more mature age. And they claim
that the perusal Of the names Of
distinguished statesmen, writer's and
scientists proves their contention,
although they admit that many
great men are eldest children.
The supporters of early marriage
answer this assertion by claiming
that this is because of the ignorance
that the average modern civilized
child is brought up in regarding sex
matters and everything related TO
the intimate relationship between
man and woman in the marriage
state, and the procreation and rear
ing Of their offspring.
TINE modern youthful man and
l. wife are forced to learn the
fundamental laws of life by bungling
experience and mistakes, coupled
with over indulgences under the
spell and glamour Of their new re-
lationShip
OF course this ignorance can be
overcome by the abolition Of prudery
and the correct education Of the
young in the natural laws of sex
life and health, but until this is
done, in my opinion. very early
marriage is ill-advised, to say the
least
Doctor Durant counsels parents
to encourage children to wed at tht
natural age. rather than at the
financial age.
That might be splendid advice il
we we're living natural lives like
the birds of the air, but can it bt
universally and sensibly applied u
conditions as they exist in modern
civilized communities?
On married life's journey the
rocks and torn-up places are mucf
more frequently met with. That i!
the smooth asphalt roadway. ans
the high cost of modern living has
in no way reduced the problems Of
Mr.. and Mrs. Newlywed.
r
WHAT are the chances for the
w modern girl and boy in their
"nicoteens" to make a success out
of bread and kisses marriage il
they haven't the dough" for the
bread?
What about these chndren's chill
dren?
1t is far greater responsibility
to create human life than to take ii
and any couple entering the mar
riage state. with its financial as
we'll as its moral responsibilities
with no thought of the little ones
that may come or the mouths to be
fed, is embarking on a sea OF
trouble for whose buffeting the
parents are not likely to be the
only, or chief, sufferers.
Some people have advocated mar
riage at the natural" age with a
restriction on child bearing until
the age of 25 or 30 years.
This would be living a two-part
married life. The first part woulc'
be to study and learn life and tho
second to produce and direct it.
n n
DUT if a man. as DR.. Durant as
Id serts, has this strange change
in his nature around the age Of so
or over, how are we women going
to protect ourselves against it.
whether we are married to him al
ready or about to be sacrificed on
the hymeneal altar to his chame-
leon-like affections?
And we, in the future, to hear a
wife say in the divorce court. Your
Honor. on his thirty-first birthday
he said he loved me no longer" and
I said to him, why, Egbert, last
year you Swore you loved me de-
votedly, and he replied, "Ah, ha
last year I was only 80. Don't you
know that Will Durant says that