Evening star., 1932-04-10

YOUNG woman named Mary
" has perhaps studied modern
II methods Of supersaleSmanship to
4 4 good effect. Mary is a waitress
81 years old, and is described
as pretty enough for a show. She re-
Gently broadcast an offer in the news
papers for the right man" who will
advance $4,000 for the support of her
old parents and who will receive as a
part of this transaction her own hand
in marriage.
After we women who were born in
the decorous eighties have time to catch
our breath over this performance. it is
highly possible that quite a few of us
are going to say in simple admiration,
Good for you, Mary! All good luck to
you!"
Good luck isn't the phrase. Happy
marriage isn't matter of luck, except
in unusual cases Character counts here
as everywhere else, and Mary has al
ready demonstrated herself to be a girl
of courage, imagination and humor.
For humor isn't only a question of
laughing when somebody sits down
where there isn't any chair. Humor is
best defined as sense of proportion,
and the keener and more exquisite ones
looks.
MARY sees life humorously. one is
A'A sure Of that. She knows that
there are scores of men, hundreds of
them, who really want pretty, young,
clever, willing wives, but who are too
shy, or too slow, or too far away, or
too much out of things generally, to
L1 20 oTr-fo rrfYl
She's had $50 offers already, by the
way. And note-these are not from
fortune hunters. Every one of these
$50 aspirant husbands knows that Mary
hasn't a penny, that, on the contrary,
he himself will have to put up $4,000
as a guarantee of good faith.
Well, why not? Mary doesn't have
to marry any one of them If she doesn't
want to- She doesn't have to judge by
letter. She has picked two as the most
attractive, but even after she has met
them she only has to say NO" She
has already extended her acquaintance
with marriageable men by l50-it may
be a thousand by this time-and no
harm done.
IN France Mama and Papa look over
the field of eligibles, and even when
the one they select isn't particularly
attractive to Marie, she has been edu-
Gated to realize that he is suitable In
rank, fortune, social standing, family
And she marrieS him.
In Ireland, when a lad is starting of
to make his fortune In America, it is
not at all uncommon for him to an
nounce that he will take a wife with
him, and to have one Of the laughing
courageous neighborhood girls who is
attending his farewell party volunteer
for the job. She may only have met
him that evening, but she knows all
about him-his cousins, his county, his
faith, his fortune, or rather lack of
fortune. And many of these marriages
are happy.
f1nitely greater chances Of happiness
than Mary took, Is taking. Why
shouldn't men and women take a lit
tie trouble to meet each other, when
both frankly admit that they hope
some day to find mates?
WHENEVER nice girls write me that
w they want to marry, and know
themselves capable of happy and sue
ceSsful wifehood and motherhood and
home making, and whenever I quote
them in these columns, hundreds of
men-no, don't mean a few men, or
10 men, but hundreds of men-write
me, asking for the chance to meet
them. Naturally it is out of the Ques-
ton for me to answer such appeals,
and the boys letters are burned un-
answered, as those of the girls already
have been. But it is pitiful not to do
anything about it; so often the girls
sound fine and honest, and the men
are so capable of taking care of them
and want the chance so badly
For instance, there are two young
women doing social work in a MaSSa-
chuSettS factory town. One is 81 and
the other 25. they are sisters, and the
snapshot they sent me was of two pref
ty girls, in broad Summer hats anC
white frockS, standing in a field OF
wheat. There are two men in the
world who would be very rich to gel
these sisters; they cook, they ride, they
drive car, they read, and best of all
they have warm hearts.
* 4 4
THE proof of the last statement i.
that they gave up good position.
in Boston insurance office last year
to go into work that was more per.
sonal and serviceable. One is nov
devoting her time to dietetic work
under Settlement House doctors. Sht
goes from one slum home to another
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