Evening star., 1938-02-24
EAR MISS DIX-Until a year
\ ago five Of us were trying to
live on my small salary as a

live on my small salary as
- stenographer. 1t was a
meager existence, although my mother
is the worlds best manager. Then my
two brothers. both able and husky
young men, descended on us with the
idea that they had q right to come
home and be supported. I did not
complain, though I was the only bread
winner, because times were hard. But
after both brothers refused prospects
Of employment three or four times
because, IS one said he would rather
starve than work for q laborers pay,
and the other said he would find his
own work II he wanted it, I lost
patience and asked them to leave.
When my mother found out about this
she was very much offended with me
and has been very reproachful ever
since. After one brother called the
other day she said he was just a bum
die Of nerves from having no work.
She never considers that I am Just
a bundle Of nerves from the strain of
supporting so many persons. More
than that, I am engaged to one of
the finest men in the world who hasn't
been too proud to do any kind of work
he could get to do, but we have to
put of our marriage for year be-
cause of my brothers shiftlessness.
But my mother still thinks that I am
a cold, hard-hearted, selfish sister
because I am not willing to support
my brothers. What do you think?
MABEL.
Answer: I think you did exactly
right in refusing to support your able
bodied brothers, and if more girls had
the grit and courage to do as you have
done 1t would reduce the number of
loafers In our midst.
There are thousands upon thousands
OF homes like yours that are supported
by the daughters of the family and to
which the sons never contribute a
cent. but in which the mothers feel
that they should be pampered guests.
Mother always has an alibi for her
sons being good-for- nothing deadbeats.
John is so delicate he can't do hard
labor, although he is the picture of
health, can play baseball all afternoon
and spend the night walking around
pool table. Percy is so temperamental
He just can't find any coneenial work
to do And Tom always loses his job
through bad luck and never because
OF drink. And, of course, the poor
darlings had to come home when
they were hungry and had no place
to 60.
60 MOTHER takes them in, pets
~ them. feeds them, gives them
money for cigarettes and liquor and
buys them new clothes, and she thinks
what a good mother she is. And it
never crosses her mind what a mean,
cruel, dastardly turn she is doing her
daughters. or how unfair it is that
she should make delicate girl work
TO support strong healthy man. and
that she should take a girls hard
earnings to give to man who is too
lazy to work himself.
Why daughters are any more OBJ
ligated to take care Of their parents
than sons are. nobody knows Nor
does anybody know why parents think
they have right to their girls money
and not to their boys, but that is
the way they feel about it. They take
a girls pay envelope as q matter Of
course. They don't realize that she
IS supporting the house. that they have
no right to impose her brothers upon
her, make her feed and clothe them
when they are far more able to work
than she is.
But they do it. and there is no hope
that mother will ever do otherwise
She will always be ready with the
fatted calf, which Susie has to pay
for. when the prodigal son comes home
That is not only hard on Susie; it is
the ruination of the weak. self
indulgent idler who will never work
as long as he has a good bed to sleep
in and plenty of food to eat, and
mother to supply him with a little
change on the side
The only cure for the trifling is to
threw them out on their own and
make them realize that they have to
work or starve. A gnawing stomach
would cure many a temperamental
sponger and make any work look good
If it furnishes the price of a meal.
So more power to the girl who had