Evening star., 1935-04-16

certainly stand a great deal better
chance of making a success of mar
riage than those who marry on q
shoestring, or no string at all. For
starving together doesn't seem so ro-
mantle an adventure after marriage
as 1t does before. Love is mighty apt
to fly out of the window when the
bill collector is forever hammering on
the door, and bread and cheese and
kisses pail on the appetites of those
accustomed to three square meals q
day. All Of which adds up saying
that marriage, like all other good
things, is worth waiting for and work.
ing for. DOROTHY DIX.
DEAR DOROTHY DIX: am a
widower of 36. I have a little
boy Of and have been advised by
well-meaning friends that I should
remarry for the sake of the boy, as
he is at an age when he especially
needs mother. am hopelessly and
helplessly in love with a girl of %.
Do you think that the difference in
our ages is too great for her happi-
ness? I love her so unselfshly that I
put her good before my own. There
is a woman Of my own age who
feel sure would marry me if I asked
her, but the only reason could see
for marrying her would be that she
would make a good mother for my
boy. S. o. S.
Answer-Whether IA years is too
great a difference between the ages
Of husband and wife depends alto
gether upon the temperament of the
man and woman. If you are young
for your age; if you enjoy going about
and doing things, and if the girl is
old for her age; if she is Sedate and
serious minded, then the matter OF
years is not to be considered.
RUT if you are old and settled in all
~ of your habits; if you want to
spend all of your evenings slumped
down in chair listening to a radio,
and if the girl is gay and high-spir-
tied and pleasure-loving then the
difference between your ages is en-
tirely too great. You should marry
somebody who is as elderly as you are
and she should marry playboy.
There is nothing more important
! than that people should marry in
| their own age class, but this does not
mean that they should marry those
who have had the same number of
birthdays they have. 1t means people
who are spiritually their age, men
tally their age. There are men and
| women who are old in the cradle and
others who are boys and girls at 30.
OF COURSE, in marrying, q Wild
over should primarily consider
his child'S advantage. but the fact
| that a woman is So does not neces-
Sarily insure her being better STEP
| mother than the one of %. Not
every middle-aged woman has the
maternal instinct and an under
standing and sympathy with children
any more than she has naturally
wavy hair or blue eyes. There again
you have to judge the woman on her
own merits.
Is this girl fond of children? I
don't mean does she make play at
yours with one eye on papa, but do
kids just flock around her wherever
/ she goes? Does the child take to her?
Because children, like dogs, have a
sure intsinct about those who really
love them. Is she domestic? Will she
be willing to stay at home and make
a home for him instead of always
gadding about? Watch how she han
dies the child and you can get a
line on her qualifications for a STEP
mother. But, anyway, don't marry
the middle-aged woman whom you
don't love, under any condition. That
will make all three of you miserable.
DOROTHY DIX.
(CopyriRht 1913