Evening star., 1951-12-17
HeurtbuIm Column
Dispensed Wisdom
For 54-Yeor-Spon
BY The Associated Pres.

planned mere tomorrow.
Column May End.
She conducted the Dorothy Dix
column until shortly before she
became LII, when others carried or
for her. Associates said her will
provides that after her death the
column is not to appear under
her name.
In New York, officials OF Bel
Syndicate, Inc, distributor of the
column, said they had three
months copy in advance, which
would be distributed. Also, they
said an official of the companS
plans to go to New Orleans today
or tomorrow to consult the heirs
to determine the future of the
column.
For more than 81 years Dorothy
Dix ladled out advice and consola
ton to the heartsick and per-
picked. all for the price of a post
age stamp.
To share her wisdom it wasn't
even necessary to subscribe to ont
OF the 215 newspapers which car
rled her syndicated column to an
estimated 80 million readers. in
Guiding those of The Evening Star
The letters she answered through
ner column, oldest continuou.
newspaper feature in the United
States. were small change com.
pared with the correspondence sh.
maintained with some 1000 ad.
vice-Seekers each week.
\ 1t is small wonder that thi,
lively little lady. who looked lik,
anybody's favorite grandmother
became known as Americas lead.
ing confidante."
Damp and TiresOme Tears,
In way, she helped revolution.
lze the accepted ''musts" for court.
snip, marriage, divorce and thu
other problems besetting men anc
women.
! Way back in the gaslight era
before the existence of two sexe,
was publicly acknowledged. Dor.
othy Dix advised her women read.
ers to cut out the fearful approach
TO a mans heart. Tears are "damr
and tiresome," she decided.
Even more shocking was her ad.
vice to the languishing object O.
the bashful swain. She told womer
1t was all right to propose "be.
cause women are even more in.
terested in marriage" than men
She urged women to have outside
interests and quit expecting hus.
oands to act like the heroes In
absurd novels"
Waiting For Advice.
All this brought some eyebrow
hitting in the 90s, but years later
a friend told Miss Dix: You know
1 think women were just waiting
for advice like that"
There likely never would have
been a Dorothy Dix had not this
resourceful woman met with a per.
sonal heart-break.
She inherited the reconstruc.
ton poverty of a 1,500-acre horse
breeding farm on the Kentucky.
Tennessee line. Most of her edu.
cation was out of a neighbor's Ii.
brary. and what she could learr
from amateur tutors.
| At 18. it appeared things wer,
picking up. She married Georg,
Gilmer. a handsome man with $
future. But in less than two year
ne was stricken with a menta
illness.
First Story Brought So.
| Seeking way to support him
she went to the Mississippi Gul,
Coast and began writing stories
One of them caught the fanc,
OF Mrs. Eliza Nicholson, owne,
OF the New Orleans Picayune, whit
lived next door. Mrs. Nicholson
bought it for three silver dollars
But that was not all. She wa
given a job on the Picayune at S.
a week, and after the usual cut
reporters experience was asked
to write woman's column.
For nom de plume, Mrs. Gil.
mer chose Dorothy Dix because
Dorothy sounded sensible anc
coined Dix" from the name oi
a family servant, Dick. whose
wife called him Mr.. Dicks.
Thus was launched a success
story with few equals in the news
paper business. What most read
ers aren't aware of, however, is
the II years Miss Dix spent in
New York as a top-notch reporter
and columniSt for Hearst's Ameri-
can.
She won wide recognition as a
sob sister" and crime reporter
Her talents were such that Arthur
Brisbane called her "the greatest
living woman reporter"
But she was happy in 1917
when a syndicate offered her a
lfull-time job as columnist. She
returned to New Orleans. which
became her home thereafter ex-
cept for frequent trips in this
country and abroad.
Nursed Husband IS Years.
Mrs. Gilmer nursed her hus-
band 35 years until his death
That part of her life was so little
known, that sometimes letters of
proposal came with her unhappy
mail.
Such a Suitor filed his request
from town rs miles from New
Orleaps.
II have to come down there to
look over some heavy cattle, any
way" he closed, without love and
kisses.
Miss Dix answered: Probably. >
She rallied against marriage OF
immature girls and boys, of cou-
pies whose attraction was found
ed on nothing but sex and drink. >