Evening star., 1942-03-07

top or the world, 80 10 speak, why
Is she 80 anxious to exchange the
safety and comfort Of her posi-
ton for the uncertainties of mar
riage. unless the prospect Of some
great reward make 1t seem worth
the risk, or unless she was 80
crafty in love that she was un-
able to Judge the nature and
character Of her acts7
No such reasons, however. mo-
tivate the average girl Just A.
few Of them have the grand pas
sion as have any other rare dis
ease, and while every girl who
marries probably thinks she Is in
love with her Tom, Dick or Harry
she doesn't kid herself into be-
lieving that she would die Of .
broken heart II she didn't MARI,
him. He is just her pick Of ths
bunch instead Of being the only
one.
Neither does the sophisticated
little wise femme, who has worked
side by side with her boy friend
and who knows to a nickel what
he earns. befool herself into
thinking that he Is q disguised
millionaire who will give her
mink coats and diamonds II she
marries him. She knows well
enough that she will let herself
in for wearing basement bar
gains and buy her jewels in the
l0-cent store.
Why. then, does she do it7 NV
guess is that for all her worldly
knowledge the modern girl IL
still bound by all the ancient
superstitions and traditions about
marriage and that. although she
knows better, she still believes In
them. She still thinks that to be
an old maid Is a disgrace and
that 1t brands her publicly as
woman who lacked beauty and
charm and sex appeal. Even
highly intelligent women feel this
way about spinsterhood, and
that Is why 50 many brilliant.
cultivated, successful women will
marry uncouth, ignorant yokels
when they get around the anx-
ious age.
Another reason why girls are 70
anxious to marry Is because they
fear loneliness more than any,
thing In the world and they hays
an almost fanatical faith In mar
riage being a sure protection
against this. Yet the most casual
observation among their married
friends would show that the num-
Der OF husbands and wives who
are companionable and who spend
pleasant evenings at home enter
tanning and amusing each other
Is negligible. Probably there are
no more lonesome women than
the wives whose husbands are
Just about as chummy as . frozen
fsh and VINO only grunt when
they are spoken TO. except when
they find fault with something.
And. finally, girls are anxious
to marry because they still be-
lsye that a wedding ring has
magic properties, and that they
would only have TO turn It on
their fingers to change the COM
monplace boys they married into
Clark Gables, to make ne'er-do-
wells, go-getters, philanderers
faithful, selfish egotists into ten
der and considerate aitruists,
and to take the sting out OF
poverty and the labor out Of
cooking and washing and scrub
bing, and to change this hard old
world into an earthly Paradise.
OF course. it doesn't happen.
but with deathless optimism girls
still believe in it, and that Is why
they are anxious to marry.
They feel that a wedding ring
on their finger and q Mrs"
before their name gives them q
certain prestige among their fell
low women. when actually they
are far less fortunate, In many
cases, than those girls wise
enough to 60 on living in their
comfortable, oontented way, earn
ing their own money and enjoy
ing their Independence.