The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-10-08
Marriage Is
Too Serious
to Be HASty
BY MARTHA LEE

Nothing very much can De zone
for boys and girls who have married
too young and regret it. The thing
is consummated. The responsibilities
are there.
But if their troubles, hardships,
heartaches and tragedies can be
used in any way to persuade other
youngsters to hesitate before they
take the step, some good has come
from it.
Although I have no statistics on
hand I venture the statement that
three-fourths of the child marriages
fall fatter than a brides first angel
food cake. They terminate in the
divorce courts. And the last chapters
to such stories very often are too
sad and sordid to relate.
There are so many reasons why
boys and girls should not marry
young.
Old Modes Discarded
In the nineteenth century young
marriages not only were condoned
but were encouraged. When young
sters got into long trousers and
ankle length skirts they were con-
sidered ready for matrimony.
But we have discarded so many
nineteenth century modes and Gus
toms, there is no reason why we
should not have discarded early
marriage when we found it fitted i'll
with present day life.
Boys and girls have learned the
necessity of education. They have
become conscious of the fact that
successful marriage must have a
solid foundation, that men and
women entering marriage must have
more than a desultory idea what
they are doing.
Youth Impulsive
Usually the emotion which leads
10 early marriage is not a per-
1nanent one. 1t is impulsive, as be-
Its youth. And marriage requires
something more stable in order to
be successful and enduring.
I have two letters from girls who
married too young. One from Lou"
tells Of her runaway marriage at
the age of 18, its subsequent fail
ure and her utter disbursement at
the age of 20.
She still has ambitions matri-
monially, judging from her letter.
But she finds that being a grass
widow at 20, and an attractive one
at that, leaves her pretty much at
loose ends. All the boys who take
her out have the idea that she is a
big-time party gal.
Now Lou would love to have some
nice boy get serious with her. But
somehow either the nice boys do not
come her way, or when they do they
no longer are so nice.
Divorce Handicapped
Lou has given the invitations to
parties the cold shoulder. She has
given the boys advances the frigid-
aire. But still the rumor of her
having been married and divorced
follows her every place she goes, and
somehow the boys still think she's
only fooling and really is out for
big time. So they still ask her to
the parties, but that's all.
Being 20 and divorced has its
handicaps, of course, but it surely
does not brand girl as abandoned.
Seriously minded boys are very
apt to think the girl broke the mar
riage contract because she wanted
to be free. The girl is looked upon
as bad matrimonial bet because
she failed once. She has to get to
work and convince the boys that she
really did have an impossible bar
gain and that the best way to solve
the problem was 10 break away.
Joined Wrong Crowd
Purifying would help pass the eve
nings, but it never will get little Lou
a nice young man to propose an
other try at marriage with her.
From Louis letter I take it she
is, and has been for some time, in
with the wrong crowd. She doesn't
fit. Her divorce, for the time being,
has relegated her to the wrong
crowd. If in despair she takes up
with them, they will be hers from
now on in. She simply has to hold
out for something better.
And the right sort will require
proof that she belongs as one
of them. It's a tough row to hoe.
But Lou started herself on just such
a row when she got married at 10.
I'll tell you Thursday about the
other youngster whose life has been
wreck so far, because she married