The Washington times., 1937-08-20


conservatism.
Norah, for instance, returned to
her dull husband (after long de-
uberation), foreswearing as she did
so, a worthless lover, thus boWlng
to the laws of conventional So
ciety and helping to preserve the
state.
A Journalistic writer the other
evening bewailed in his column the
entire responsibility of the pres
ent generation, who lay down their
obligations, marital and other, re-
jecting all group movements to full
fill their own life's desires.
In Ibsen's day the women were
the aggressors. Today, the men
do a large part of the stepping
out.
At least it was so in the case OF
Fred WATSON and jeanette Frazier,
coming some 20 years later, the
latter of whom demonstrated as
well as anybody this two-fold con-
flict in her personal life. She
was a throwback in one part OF
her character to that Victorian era
of dependence in women, and yet
she enjoyed exercising a little au'
thority, too.
DEPENDENTS
Indeed, she would have appre-
ciated a career. Maybe this latter
could be satisfied in building up
a profession or an individual in
a profession, if not in an art. She
early had the privilege of back
ing INDECENT brothers, an invalid
mother and a weakly father, who
came to rely on her to make the
decisions land presently a good
part Of the income) for them.
And then even an employer came
to rely on her! He leaned on her
opinions in a business that was de-
veloping into the first manifesto
tionS of a press agency. How she
had dreamed of the time when a
strong willed man would appear,
to exercise gracious and compe-
tent authority over her!
Well, anyway, she was develop.
ing self competence and independ-
ence that assured ease and conf
dence for her future. She had
seen enough Of independent old
people to make up her mind to be
prepared financially, at least, for
the last part of her life.
At about this time Fred WATSON
made his appearance, and almost
Immediately began to place him
self under her dominance. He did
so admire her efficiency and her
self-assurance, and he aVailed him
self of them.
THEY MARRY
Soon he began referring to her
and him as "we," as if they were
some kind of firm. And presently
they became one; the firm of hus-
band and wife. From the first he
let her make all the, decisions
from the kind of bed springs they
should buy to how they should in,
vest their savings, if any.
So far from finding it irksome,
Jeanette grew to glory in her au-
thority, although she never tried
to exert it. One afternoon when
they came upon man friend OF
theirs in silent rage in the park,
he told them his wife was becom-
ing too quarrelsome. Jeanette
started to give him the recipe for
getting her back into subsection.
Say If you wish, I will leave
you" she instructed. do you
really think that advisable?" the
man asked. and Friend Husband
answered: eyes; do it that way"
SWAYED HIM
Always if anybody solicited an
opionion of them when they were
together, he waited until jeanette
expressed hers. Eyes: that's what
I think" he would then say. He
would take her to see paintings,
about which he knew more than
she did, but if she liked one espe-
cially, he would say later that was
the one he preferred.
He was the thoroughly modern
type. He believed in women keep
ing up their side of the marriage
contract, even to the extent of
retaining their jobs and pouring
their part of the expense money
into the family budget.
"a girl like you can always make
q good income" he commented.
"And needn't ever worry about her
future" But she did a little, and
besides she didn't want to keep UP
the drudgery part of her work al
ways.
She tried invariably to save her
two dollars a week, although he
got so he relied on it almost as if
it We're something for her to live
on afterwhile.
Just the same, she came to glory
in his dependence as a mother
does on a sons. 1t was the in
St1nct that finds qualification in
having a child and pouring all of
ones life into it.
People who knew her said, ooh,
you'll never be content to marry
and settle down."
They were not aware that with
her the same sense WAS raa1izad u,