Evening star., 1935-07-20

beautiful girl and she is still
beautiful. We have been
married 20 years. There is no jeal-
ousy on either side, but we do not seem
able to agree on anything. She as
sumes q dictatorial attitude about all
Of our plans or doings and. Of course,
will not stand for 1t. I have tried
time and again to be as loving as q
man can possibly be and things would
be peaceful for a few days. Then
words between US that would kill all
the affection that had been rekindled.
Now 1t has got to the place where she
Is repulsive to me. We have two fine
children, Is and 10. and still think
of their welfare, but it is hard to miss
the romance that should continue
throughout life. Am I justified in
seeking romance elsewhere that miss
with my wife?-J. a. r.
Answer-what price romance? Did
you ever consider that the middle-aged
married man has TO pay q price for
romance that almost invariably bank
rupts him in purse as well as heart?
Let's add up the cost, Let's begin with
the business end. You are not rich,
but you make enough money to provide
comfortably for ypur family. You are
not harassed with debts and bills and
you do not have 70 lie awake at night
worrying about where you are to get
the money 10 meet your obligations.
You hold a responsible position with q
good firm. And you are respected as
a good citizen. a dependable man. by
all who know you.
Well. you are sitting rather pretty,
even If your wife has got on your
nerves and is hard to get along with.
You don't realize II. but financial Sc.
curity goes q longer way than you
think it does toward securing happi-
ness. But you are not satisfied and
you start out on your search for ro-
nance, which is one Of the most ex-
pensive expeditions that any man can
ever undertake.
Perhaps the soul mate you discover
is a gold-digger, in which case you viii
be plucked to the last feather. Even
if she loves you for yourself alone you
will ind that 1t costs three times as
much to support two establishments as
one, and by the time you are paying
for that and the wife's alimony and
for the support Of the children your
pccketbOok will be aS nat as If an
elephant had trodden on 1t, and you
will be wondering which one of your
friends you can touch for loan.
Nor will your romance enhance your
standing in the business world. The
good reliable family man, not the gay
L.othario, is the one who Is on the up
and-up in the ONCE. People generally
lose faith in the midle-aged man who
throws over his wife and children for
a siren. They feel he lacks Judgment
and N untrustworthy.
- - =
THINK over the men you have
l. known, prosperous, successful
business men or professional men, who
got bitten by the romance bug In their
forties or early hfties and took TO the
primrose path. Check 'em over and
you will see that almost every one Of
them began to slip financially the min
ute he went wrong morally, and that
most of them have tobogganed down
from Easy Street to Poverty Row.
Mavbe It is because man can't keep
his mind on his work when he Is sick
with longing for the children he has
forfeited and crazy with being
badrered by his divorced wife for ah-
mony and trying TO keep his new wife
vanped. Or maybe 1t is judgment
ON him. Or something. Anyway, it
happens.
And do you think any romance Is
worth giving up your two fine children
for? Do you think the affection Of
sny stray woman is going to atone to
YOU for the loss Of their love and re-
spect? Do you think that You can
ever have the interest In any woman
that you have In them? Do you think
you can ever look yourself In the face
and not see yourself as gutter and
coward because you have failed them
at the most critical time Of their hvess
It's bad enough for . married man
with children to fall In love with an
other woman when he can't help him.
self. But for man Like you who isn't
IA love with n woman TO no deliberate.