Evening star., 1936-03-05

EAR MISS DIX: A young
woman with whom my hus-
band has been having an
- affair thinks I should di-
vorce him so that he and she might
marry. I have offered him his free
dom repeatedly. but he insists that he
loves only me and that If I will be
patient this young woman will eventu-
ally give him up. He tells me that he
would not marry her under any cir
cunstances. We both love our chill
dren and our home very much and
aside from this trouble we are quite
congenial, but our life together is far
from being peaceful. What would you
advise me to do? UNHAPPY.
Answer-Well, one Of the things I
would not do would be to turn over
my husband to the impudent hussy
who wants to marry him, although he
deserves some such drastic punish
ment for the way he has treated you.
For, believe me, nine times out OF
ten discarded wife could ask for no
more bitter revenge upon her husband
than the agony Of disillusionment and
loneliness he suffers when he finds
that he has exchanged his faithful
and devoted old wife for one whom
he cannot trust, one who has no af-
fection for him and whose only inter-
est in him is centered in his pocket
book. Many and many time bad
woman avengeS the wrongs Of good
woman.
NO OUTSIDER can tell you what
to do in the complicated situ-
alton in which you find yourself Your
own heart and conscience and COM
mon sense must be your guides. 1t is
folly even to advise you to take the
course that will make you happy, be-
cause whichever road you elect to fol-
low will be filled with thorns.
No woman married to a philanderer
can ever know any real peace of mind
because she is always smarting under
the indignity he puts upon her. If
she loves him, she is filled with jeal-
ousy. On the other hand, neither will
she find peace of mind and happiness
If she leaves him. Often a half loaf
Is better than no bread at all. At
least 1t keeps you from starving. And
many wife is happier keeping her
husbands house, ministering to him,
seeing him every day, even if most of
his time and attention are given to
other women, than she is if she puts
him altogether out Of her life.
Divorce isn't the panacea for hurt
heart that women believe it to be.
A decree absolute isn't sa:1e sort of
magic that changes love into in
difference, that blots out torturing
memories. that changes one into a
gay, carefree girl again. All that it
| does is to fill her with a sense Of
illustration and to break up her life,
wreck her home and throw her out
into the world to grapple with prob
lens for which she Is unframed and
unfit.
So think woman should think
long time before she gets a divorce,
even from a husband who Is far from
coming up to her ideal. For as
married woman she has at least many
consolation prizes where the divorce
has few.
~ X \
CONSIDER these in your own case.
You have your good home, a
comfortable living. your place in So
ciety, your pleasant circle of friends.
He is congenial and companionable;
in fact, a desirable husband, except
for his one fault. If you leave him
you leave all of these material COM
forts behind you and you must accept
a lower scale of living. For the money
that supports one family comfortably
will be meager income for two fam
lilies to live on. OF course, if you
divorce your husband, he will marry