The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1940-07-04
By KATHLEEN NORRIS

TNODAY'S paper has the
story of a boy of q and a
i girl of 10 who couldn't af-
ford to get married and so de-
cided to die. The boy couldn't
earn enough to support wife
and the girl had to help out at
home, where she had an in
valided father, a Woodworking
mother and a small brother.
The sympathetic press adds
that: Here is one more TRACE
dy of youth caught in today's
cruel tide of no job and no flu
ture."
If this girl and boy were the
only selfish young couple who
took this course they mightn't
be worth noticing. But there is
a lot of this sort of thing. There
is lot of self-pity in youngsters
who have caught up the modern
jargon about conditions in
America, and who use it to dis
guise weakness and ineficiency.
There are ALWAYS more than
40,000,000 jobs in America, and to
say: 81 can't get a job" means
that there are 100000 persons in
the land whe can do what you can't
do.
But that doesn't mean that in any
land under any conditions a boy of
81 can be started off at employment
that will support wife. And that
doesn't mean that a girl whose $50
contribution to the home finances
is badly needed is free to get mar
ried; free to start off with her boy
husband on his $18 a week, and have
him, burdened and worried and eX-
hausted, lose even that job in a
few years, when her second big,
fat, hungry, eXacting baby is four
months old.
Flaming Youth.
When our girls of Is and our boys
of 81 fall in love the immediate
question of everyone concerned is:
"And when is the wedding to be?"
And the sooner it is the better salts
fled are both. They are burning up
with young passion; their first and
foremost consideration is physical
possession of each other, and while
her family borrows money for a
modest wedding, the boy rashly
commits himself to long lease on
an adorable bungalow.
Into it they ecstatically scramble,
equally enchanted with the little
rose-bowl her chum gave her, and
the electric refrigerator for which
they have to pay $11 month. 1t is
all such fun! Kisses and laughter
season the burned omelette and the
watery coffee; on Saturday and Sun
day nights the college crowd come
in, and smashed crackers and
stepped-on cheese and sticky glasses
and overloaded ash-trays litter all
four of the pretty little modern
rooms.
Baby Brings Care, Worry.
But if baby arrives at once,
then suddenly all glamour disap-
pears. Marge and Rob, if they are
sweet-natured, fine persons, may
still love each other. But it now be-
comes an anxious, a wearied love.
The baby is darling, but the baby's
presence means that the old, young
good times are forever over. Milk
for the baby. Someone to sit with
the baby. Bills. Worries over the
baby's fever. Wakeful nights when
the baby cries. And when Joe Smith
and Mildred stop at the door with a
car, on broiling hot Sunday, with
talk of the beach, and barbecue
sandwiches, Marge and Rob of
course can't go.
II couldn't leave the baby in the
car, Mil"
mo, I suppose you couldn't, you
poor thing, you'll"
No BabieS-Headache Too.
Off go Joe and Mildred, and Rob
and Marge turn back to the morn
ing papers again. No hurry about
beds or breakfast dishes. Now while
the baby is asleep they can take it