Evening star., 1943-11-11

j. p. McEvoy. with a gurgle Of
profound satisfaction. All, what an
age to be living in!
And yet have private puzzle
that nobody can solve for me. Are
the girls getting more beautiful or
am getting older? And the brides
are they getting younger or are
these ancient eyes playing me tricks?
Hardly a day passes but starry
eyed little couple come toddling out
Of the nursery hand in hand, knock
timidly on the door and ask if I
would advise them about the great
world outside-and especially about
marriage, because must know all
about it since man and boy I've
been married several generations
now, and what have 1 learned and
how much of it can be told, or is it
some kind of secret society with
rituals, grips and lot of incompre-
hensible passwords?
Marriage Survives.
I always haul off and say the
trouble with marriage is that too
many old fossils are always hauling
off and saying, The trouble with
marriage is :" Marriage is a tough
old institution that has managed to
survive it's dearest friends and
iseverest critics-and I should know,
having spent all my adult life either
in said institution or out on parole.
OF course, nobody can tell any,
body what marriage is like. But the
new members in the lodge can get
some idea from the old story of the
New England town meeting-how
everybody got together in the old
meeting house and passed three
resolutions. First, they agreed to
build a new meeting house. Second,
they agreed to build the new meet
ing house out of the materials Of the
!. old meeting house. Third, they
agreed to use the old meeting house
while they were building the new
one. And then they adjourned.
claim it is at this point that
marriages begin. Two people get
together and agree to build a new
life. They also agree that they are
going to use the old materials tt
build their new life. And finally
they agree not to change each othe,
while they are building this new life
The only difference is that they
can't adjourn like the New England
villages and leave the Job to some
third parties. They're stuck with it
Takes a Heap of Giving.
Now it's possible to change an old
house into a new house and 60 on
living in 1t while the alterations are
being made. But 1t takes a lot OF
doing to carry on with carpenters
perpetually underfoot and painters
overhead. I tell my little starry eyed
friends, You can learn to eat and
sleep and mott and mate and raise
your young in the midst of that per-
petual hammering. saving, plaster
ing, papering and shingling called
marriage. but-to paraphrase Eddie
Guest-it takes heap of givin' (and
takin) in house to make It home. -
My little. starry-eyed friends ask
me If that doesn't get on a fellow,
nerves. And I tell them anybody
with nerves has no business getting
married. Nerves are something the
bride should put in that bouquet
when she throws it away. Nerves
are what the bridegroom should pu,
In that envelope and hand to the
preacher with the fee.
Then I take them to the door and
bow them out with this parting ad-
vice: When you wake up tomorrow
morning with your little ears full ol
rice, remember to say, We can live
happily ever after if we remember
that We are the newest tenants In
an old, old house called marriage
and the first thing we must do i,
nail up permanent sign outside
which will read Business Going On
as Usual During Alterations!'"
Distributed by McNausht Syndicate, Inc J