The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-07-31
By KATHLEEN NORRIS
Bell syndicate-wNU Features

n S 1T is not humanity posi-
~ BILE for any man and wom-
\ an to continue to regard
each other through the eyes of
young lovers, a question all
women should ask themselves
is: what percentage of that old
glamour. devotion, confidence,
admiration am I taking with me
into the hard middle years?"
You can't take it all. Nobody
ever did. When any woman tells
me that she and her Algernon
feel toward each other today ex-
actly as they did on that June
morning II years ago, when to
the strains of Mendelssohn, in
bath of roses and sunshine, they
came down the church steps to-
gether, ! merely feel that she is
weak-witted. Or I give Algernon's
calling list pretty sharp glance.
True married life is the happiest
life of all, for man or woman. It's
tenderness, its companionship, its
mutual restfulness and support and
comfort are among the few miracles
of the world. Real marriage goes
on through fire and flood, through
grief and war and change and pow
erty, through joy and success and
health and illness. Those who know
it know the very deeps of human
emotion.
Demands High Price.
But this oneness of body and mind
and spirit demands high price. Tt
often demands time of bitter dis
illusionment, loneliness, purgation,
while the romantic, ecstatic bride
changes her dream lover for an ev-
eryday, commonsense, affectionate
and comfort loving man, who likes
a quiet house and hot dinner, and
a pretty, sweet-tempered woman to
preside over both. A man with
faults, selfish, sometimes, unreason-
able sometimes, extravagant or
thoughtless or lazy or exacting
sometimes. But more than man,
a husband, a partner going beside
you through all your days, so that
you will never be lonely; never lack
a friend to whom to turn in trouble,
never lack a companion as eager
as you are to plan changes and good
times.
Not every bride and groom, I'M
fortunately, can achieve a happy
marriage. Boys are too little trained
in consideration and simple good
ness; girls are too often extrava-
giant, restless, and inclined to re-
gard wedlock as a springboard to
other things. But when a man and
woman do live through the hard
times and come out into the SUM-
shine of permanent, affectionate,
stable relationship, it is very beau
tiful thing. Life holds no finer.
Marital Road ROughens.
Wanda, who writes me from Port
land, has reached a very difficult
bit of her marital road and wants
advice. She has been married IA
years and has three daughters, IL,
10 and A.
Carroll is the handsomest man
ever saw" writes Wanda. ''He is
six feet tall, fair, and full of life
and fun. My girls and ! adore him,
we have a lovely home with large
garden, his father and mother are
devoted to me, money is more than
sufficient, and ! have a splendid
cook in the kitchen. Juanita and
Yvonne are darling normal girls,
happy in school, and my little pet
Consuelo-or Tootoo as we cali her
lis the delight of us all. At any
time during my married life I would
have said was the happiest woman
in the world.
"But about six weeks ago when
Carroll and had the two older girls
at the club for dinner, ! saw a
quiet young girl we have known for