Evening star., 1951-10-04
Dorothy
Dix
To BeIittIe Others
Is Indication of
Low InteIIiqence

DEAR MISS DIX: I have an
older. married sister who has a
habit I find very annoying. She
Is constantly making criticisms of
everything I wear. do or say. She
comes to visit my mother and
makes the same sort of remarks
about all her in-laws and neigh
bors. Worst of all, she is always
finding fault with her husband.
who is really very good and to-
whom she is actually devoted. She
lust can't seem to resist these
cutting remarks, all of which my
mother believes. Consequently.
mother doesn't have too high an
opinion of her son-in-law, and
he really deserves better. Can I
do anything to make my sister see
where she is wrong? ROSE.
Answer-Your sister is beguiling
herself with two fallacies-oneI
that she is possessed of striking
sense of humor, and that her sar-
casm is really brilliant wit. The.
other is that by belittling others,
she is herself elevated to supe-
rior position. Actually, she is.
proving herself to be not only
devoid of wit, but of the ability to
discuss anything intelligently.
Those with small minds talk
about people. those with better
intellectS converse of things and
events, and those happily pos
sessed of superior intelligence dis
cuss ideas. So, when a person can
talk of nothing but the frailtiesI
of relatives and friends, she can
be Immediately marked as a.
woman of low intelligence and
even less character. AS for O.
woman who shows disloyalty to a
good mate by unjust-or for that
matter even juSt-criticism to her
friends and relatives, well, she
certainly does not deserve the
blessing she has.
Your sister had better be careful
lest her husband learn of her
tendency to belittle him. A man
can frequently forgive larger
infldelity more easily than he can
the seemingly small fault of hold
ing him up to ridicule.
I am happy to see, Rose, that
you hold these habits of your
sister up to scorn and are not
likely to follow her example Ma
licious gossip frequently begins
with just the sort of backbiting to
which your sister is prone, and de-
velops into actual defamation of
character.
If you can make your sister
realize that her actions are not
admirable, but reprehensible, she
may, for the sake of her own rep
utation, change them.
DEAR MISS DIX: I have a
problem which has me consider
ably worried. 1t is my gray hair.
I'm only 27 and people take me
for At. I am very self-conscious
because of it, and am thinking of
dyeing or bleaching it. l am not
married, and feel that my hair
may keep men from becoming in
terested in me. R. D.
Answer-Gray or white hair no
longer is the sure sign of old age
that it once was. A well-coiffed
head of gray hair can be very at
tractive and should add to, rather
than detract from, your appear
ance. However, since you are SC
self lf-conscious about the condition
there is no harm in either dyeing
or bleaching. But you must re.
member one thing. Once you be-
gin the process of changing youl
hair color, you must continue. 1
can be an arduous and an expen
sive job if done professionally
Coloring at home must be don
very carefully, or you'll wind VI
with a head of streaky hair tina
will be far less attractive thai
your present color.
If you are an interesting person
well-groomed, well-read, well-in
formed on the worlds events, yo
should have no trouble attractin
men. whether your hair is gra
OF not.