The Indianapolis times., 1929-08-16
W0r7yAbOut
"OZd Maid"
Stigma Gone
BY MARTHA LEE

n lELAEE HUH d ltAAulLC- NOtAA-
an wants to know why it is the young
folks Of today are marrying so much
later in life tran they did when she
was a girl. In her day, she says, a
girl who was not at least engaged
when she was 20 was practically an
old maid. The chances for her rot
being an old maid we're about ten to
one.
There are so many reasons why
young people OF today postpone their
trips to the altar. In the first place
young girls more often pursue high
er education than they did in the
davs of the woman who asked the
question. Their time is taken up
with study until after they are 20.
In the second place, they have be-
come financially independent OF
men, and, say what you will, I con-
tend that marriages in those days
we're made rot primarily for the
purpose of a girl having a roof over
her head and three squares a day,
but that did enter into it. She was
almost without exception dependent,
first upon her father, and then upon
he man who became her husband.
That status has changed.
No Hurry Now
In the third place, girls are not
in such hurry to marry. They
have come to realize that irdepend-
ence, until they have reached the
ace of choosing their husbands
wisely, is very essential. They have
seen too many young marriages
turn out to be fiops to take the
step so rashly.
You might bring up the fact that
our mothers married earlier and
still there we're not SO many divorces
as there are now, when girls are
postponing the fatal step until they
are old enough to know their own
minds.
That isn't because the marriages
were less unhappy in the days of
our parents, but because divorce
was less frequent. 1t was too much
of stigma on the family 'Scutcheon
for many to brave. But men and
women have come to the realiZa-
ton that when a marriage becomes
impossible it is much more sensible
to discontinue the contract.
All of these, however, are side
issues. The real reason why boys
and girls nowadays do not marry so
young is a very materialiStic one.
Finances. No longer is the fairy tale
that young people can live on love
an accepted fact.
Living Costs More
And the increased cost of exist
ence and the more noticeable in
crease of the need for a certain
standard of living has put pedal
on the early marriages.
Take this young man for example:
Dear Miss Lee-I am 81 years old.
arm very much in love with girl of "a
We want to be married, and she has
promised to be my wife. But here's the
rub. Money!
I earn s45 week, which would be SUI
ficient for us. because my sweetheart is
not extrayagant and she is a marvellous
manager. But my other is dependent
upon me for her support. She does not
want TO live with us. and I would rather
not have her Not that I don't love her.
but I am firmly convinced that no home
is big enough for two families.
Now what do you think We should do?
I can not keep up two establishments,
however meager. on my salary. But We
co want to get married so badly.
PUZZLED.
That is a problem. No matter
how you figure. there still is just the
S45 to work with. Apparently yo1r
mother has no source of income, but
what you give her.
Might Help Her Out
If she is not too old she might be
able to get a position as houSekeeper,
which would provide her with
room and her meals. Then you could
afford to give her a sum each week
with which to buy her clothes.
And then of course you might pre-
tend to yourself that you we're only
earning, say $50 a week, and put the
remainder in the bank as though 1t
were not yours. After a years time
you would have enough to get a
pretty good start on furniture and
those things which cost so much
when young people just are starting
out.
Your problem is more a problem of
mathematics than anything else,
and you know your standard OF
living well enough to know just
about what you can do on that sum
of money.