The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-02-26
Reliance ON
Self Builds
Character
BY MARTHA LEE


Grafton of young men and women
Is the result of today's grown-ups, it
is true also that their attitude to-
ward life in general, and their own
lives in particular, is the indirect
result of what they have learned.
not so much through actual expert
ence as through observation.
II these young men and women,
who soon are to be husbands and
wives, mothers and fathers, have
seen nothing all their lives but the
struggle to satisfy material whims,
they are going to understand that
to be the ultimate aim of all life.
If they have been educated to the
idea that nothing in. the world
counts quite so much as having
plenty of money to buy and see and
do all the things they want, that is
what their souls and minds and
bodies will seek above all else.
And the results are disastrous.
Don't delude yourselves that they
are not.
Mothers and fathers Of these
young hopefuls just now are begin
ming to realize the folly of this ma
terialistic attitude. Because their
children just now are reaching the
age where they show direct results
of the training that has been
pounded into their heads ever since
they were old enough to understand
words and look around and see
things.
Semblance of Balance
The mothers and fathers had at
least a semblance of a balance in
their attitudes. They did not seem
to reckon with the idea that per-
haps the children, when they grew
old enough to dope things out for
themselves, might carry all these
ideas bit farther. The parents are
the days between. They are the re-
suits of some good solid mid-Victor-
ian policies, tempered with enough
modernism to make them practical
But their young offspring. whom
they wished to be SO capable, so we'll
armed for the battle of life, so &C
quainted with the ways of the world
has OF hurting us that they would
be completely armed to battle those
things, have turned around and
thrown down the weapons and said
they do not need the weapons be-
cause they do not believe in the
same things their poor misguided
parents do anyway, and that things
they do not believe can not possibly
hurt them.
And the parents come crying.
Dear Miss Lee-We have given our son
every educational advantage. We have
equipped him with an education that
makes it possible for him to go into the
business world as a professional man. We
have sacrificed great deal to do this be-
cause we did not want him to go through
the struggle of getting on his financial
feet that his father and went through.
Dislikes Profession
And now he says he does not like the
profession. He is indolent and lazy. He
lives off what we give him. and he has
done so all his life. We had planned on
establishing him. SO that he could marry
and have home and the happiness that
marriage brings. without the worry of
money matters. and he says he never in
tends to marry.
He has the idea that marriage is not
a way TO happiness at ALL but to misery.
That intelligent people do not marry be-
cause they are capable of making their
own happiness. That intelligent men
must be free. That is his excuse for not
working He says he can not bear the
thought of being shackled to q desk for
the rest OF his life. And yet his standard
Of living requires that he have a great
deal Of money.
The same thing is true Of his friends,
both boys and girls. They want every
thing for nothing. They want no respon-
sibilities. and yet they want all the good
ness and pleasure there is in life.
WORRIED MOTHER.
You're realizing rather late that
the training you and your husband
have given your boy is the wrong
thing altogether. How strange that
you so completely should have for
gotten the happiness that comes |
from working for things. How I'M
fair of both of you to deny your
boy the strength of character that |
is to be found in getting things for
himself.
About the only thing you can do
now is to throw the boy completely
on his own Make him earn every
thing he has, even his room rent
and food. It's the only thing that
will save him from complete ennui.
And don't soften the first time he
hasn't any spending money or needs
a new suit.