The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-04-17
Marriage Is
Too Late to
Reform Man
BY MARTHA LEE

Don't marry a man to reform him.
Il can't be done. II there Is any
reforming to do, better have it all
done before the organ booms with
Here Comes the Bride"
Because # men won't change their
WAYS Of living and their manner Of
doing things before the wedding,
YOU can put it in your hat for keeps
they'll never do it after the marriage
certificate has been framed and
hung on the wall.
That's one thing. There rarely is
an exception to this rule.
But another, quite another thing Is
marrying a man, thinking he is a
plaster saint, without fault, only
10 find he is a little too human and
errs a little too often for his own
good or any ones else.
There's a hard one. The wife who
finds herself in such a predicament
needs Houdini and all his assistants
10 solve the problem. He does
wrong. She forgives him. He goes
along quite all right for q time and
of he goes, on another tangent. It's
the same thing over again, until it
becomes too old a story.
He's like the little boy who hol-
Tered wolf" just for the fun Of
seeing the farmers run to his as
sistance. Then when the wolf
really did come, when the little boy
really did need help, the farmers
heard him call-and gave him the
raspberry.
Even wife. a good patient wife
will want little more proof that
times are going to be different, than
lust a promise that they will, after
the promise has been made and
broken about once a month for ten
consecutive years.
Sometimes the wife gets fed up
with the whole thing and walks out.
The husband is completely flabber-
gasted. He's f1oored. He can't
understand what she can mean. One
poor husband is so bewildered he
writes:
Dear Miss Lei am IN serious trouble
and want some advice. ] have a mighty
good wife and love her dearly. If
lose her. I love all there is in the world
for me.
have been bad and was taken away
from her four months ago. I just re-
turned and she will not live Wits me and
has sued for divorce. I have tried to
convince her that want to do right and
take care Of her. We have been married
fourteen years. She has had to work al
the time. although she is fran and unable
10 do so. When I tell her I want her
sadly and will be good to her and treat
her right. she says she wishes she could
believe me.
I know she loves me. never have
been unkind to her and my worst fault
was drinking I am whipped. Miss Lee.
have quit liquor. We have fairly good
home and have a good trade. She has
been a real pal all these years. She is
40 and I am ~. I realize have made
same bad mistakes but I want to make
things right. But she viii not believe
me- Is there anything I can do to win
her back. I honestly believe she cares
for me.
Your wife wants more than
are telling her the truth. She wants
you to show her you have changed,
that you are going to be steady
man and a temperate one. This is
one of the problems that depends
entirely upon you. You will have
to be patient, for it takes much
longer to build up lost faith than
it does to break a bad habit,
If you are sincere in your wish
to have your wife with you again,
convince her by your actions that
YOU mean what you have promised.
And don't forget it is just as inn
portant what you do when she is
not present as when she is
Good luck and success. With an
earnest desire to make up to your
wife all you have made her suffer,
your future life should be very
happy. You have learned, in your
troubles, a truth that should help
YOU win her back. Love and happi-
ness come from serving others.