The Washington times., 1937-01-22

lie marriage on Ine grOunuS
no place to spend his evening
This is not joke stuff; it's fact,
and only too true. about a good
many men here in these United
States. They become engaged,
something prevents an immediate
marriage, and they keep on having
all of the privileges of a finance,
which include keeping every other
eligible man away. And yet the
marriage IS as far off as ever.
Take this letter for example:
"Dear Miss Fairfax:
when we first became en-.
gagged, there were definite reasons
why we couldn't be married. Each
Of us had obligations in the way
Of relatives to be helped, and our
marriage seemed a distant bless
ing. But after two years these OBJ
stacleS were removed, yet now
we're no nearer being married.
FORMED HABIT
"My fiance seems to have drifted
into the habit of being AN engaged
man. We spend every evening to-
gether. Sometimes we go to the
movies or a dance; again we stay
home. When l talk of our being
married, he always puts the ques-
tiOn off.
cat 30 years Of age, am begin
ming to wonder If we are ever 60
ing to be married. My mother had
a friend who was engaged to q
man for Is years; then he mar
ried younger woman.
'WilI that be my fate? / want
to be loyal, but / must confess /
am uncertain what to do next"
"ANNA MAY"
You are not the first girl who
has written to me about drifting
into the doldrums of an intermin-
able engagement, with Scant pros
poets of marriage ahead. A girl
in your state merely holds a mort
gage, and the debt is likely to be-
come outlawed.
One thing to be considered about
a lover of this type: Is it wise to
enter into a waiting contract that
seems to have no time limit, with
a man who appears unwilling to
see his name on the dotted line
Of marriage certificate?
TOO WELL ACQUAINTED
Putting aside the argument
which always comes up in favor
Of long engagements-that it gives
a couple really a chance to become
acquainted before the final VOWS
are spoken-the fact is they may
really come to know each other
too well.
Faults, obscured during the first
glamour of courtship, may grow
to stand out like photograph mega
tives submitted to sunlight.
And the girl realizes too late
that the dilatory tactics of her
lover have kept away more deSir-
able men, and that her fiance now
seems unwilling to make good on
his end of the bargain.
Long engagements are undoubt-
edly an emotional strain which it
is difficult for human nature to
bear.
FIRST IMPULSE
The first impulse of young
lovers is to rush off to the church
or the Justice Of peace, to get the
ceremony over with as quickly as
possible.
The argument against this Is
that they bolt to the altar with
out knowing enough about the
other party, that it isn't love at
all, but merely a case of tempo
rary fascination.
But it's a question, all said and
done, if this is not a better way
than the long-drawn-out engage
ments that lead to nothing but
disappointment.
A letter in this mornings mail,
from a man who apparently has
made good, to judge by the pros
porous trade name on his busl-
ness stationery. tells that he mar
ried when he had but SO in his
pocket. And that, he thinks,
proved to be the spur which
helped him to make good.
"I was not piker," he writes.
II didn't want the girl mar
ried to starve, so I hustled and
hustled, got clerkship in ship
ping concern, and today I'm vice
president"