The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1941-05-16
By KATHLEEN NORRIS
BELL syndicate-wNU serviceJ

L 1AhEO II wise IIlOLneT 10
decide what is necessary to
her children's education and
what is not necessary.
Thousands of mothers waste
money, time and worry on nom
essentials, meanwhile overlook
ing entirely few simple things
that might make the difference
between failure and success in
their children's later lives.
One of the neglected things is
surely the grace of hospitality.
Girls and boys grow to woman
hood and manhood never know
ing it. Brides write me of their
shame when the beloved new
husbands show themselves awk-
ward and embarrassed in COM
pany. Or they write me of their
own agonies of shyness when
they are obliged to make the
slightest social effort.
Johnnie is doing wonderfully at
the office, being promoted, having
to entertain the boss and the boss
wife. And Mollie is frantic with
nerves at the prospect. She simply
cannot do it. Mrs. Watson has a
wonderful apartment in a big hotel,
and anything that Mollie can do will
be so disgustingly sloppy and
crowded. If she gets Martha in,
Martha makes so many mistakes
with serving that it's worse than
nothing. Johnnie will have to take
them all downtown to dinner.
MOllie Social Handicap.
Johnnie does this reluctantly.
Anyone can have dinner at the
hotel; the Watsons have lived in
hotels for years. 1t costs him more
than ten dollars, and it isn't a great
success anyway. Mollie is stiff and
uncomfortable, looking unfamiliar
because of the unusual amount OF
rouge on her cheeks and the new
hat, and old Watson says rather
wistfully that he would have liked
to have seen Johnnie's place and
Johnnie's baby.
Mollie hates herself for her shy
ness and stupidity but she just can't
help it. She can't help Johnnie. He
is handsome and smart and ad-
mired, she knows she's holding
him back, not making friends for
him, not keeping step with him, but
it isn't her fault! She can keep his
house clean and raise his babies
and make him the pudding he likes
but when 1t comes to sitting between
strange men at dinner party-well
1t just gives Mollie chils to think
about it,
Mollie's children are lovely, anc
she lives for them and their father
Johnnie isn't promoted as fast a.
the other men; he isn't the mar
they pick for the management o
the California office No, there's {
lot OF diplomacy to that job; John
ME would have to make friends, en-
terrain, join club. And Johnnie ad
mits himself that Mollie wouldn'
stand for it,
But he gets along, and she see!
that the children have dancing anC
AiAholN ACooOllot SClOOiluB, dLllHllCS
dental care. They must do thei
homework conscientiously; they MAJ
go to movies Saturday nights.
J No Home Amusements.
She never asks their friends to tn
) house. She never works up pencil
games, makes cookies and grape
juice punch, curbs the chatterbo.
. Of daughter, encourages tn
tongue-tied one. The children mus
find their amusement outside thei
own home. Mollie never learned Il
play bridge; Johnnie loves it, bu
she says she has no head for cards
Betty and Stanley consequent,
don't play cards either, they Deepen,
on movies and night clubs. Thei
one thought at dinner is how sool
they can escape.
Here is letter from a Mollie tina
tells its own story.
Il am 40, and never having BEEF
| IN a pocifiop IN bfIv hand cnrn