| Show I r i i rf Y Jo cr g. g w dY Greatest Gilt r to Children Spare the Rod and Substitute Reasoning to o Solve o ve Child V Problems Help fr- fr e 9 wLM f Children to Make Their x IL t F f h Own Decisions and an ii Back ac Up Reckless Ones 4 t 3 r Advocates Irene Rich 1 o w y y 4 r Mother m in Private an and N r Screen a Wise parenti mete out sensible rather than stern By Alice L commands Tildes ley RIch THE old fashioned mother used to protect protect pro pro- her children against life Ufe tried t to tak take theIr bumps for tor them and to suffer extravagantly t if her sons or daughters daughters daugh- daugh insisted on following trails of their own instead ot of walking in the ways she knew The new fashioned mother according to her critics leav leaves her offspring to their own devices s believes that a hands hands- ot off policy is their supreme rIght and rarely has the slightest t notion as to what the youngsters do with their waking hours once they are out of the nursery Successes have resulted from each method but Irene rene Rich who Is a mother off of the screen screen and who frequently portrays portrays por- por trays mothers of varIed types on the sUter sliver sU- sU ver ter sheet believes there Is a a. happy medium me- me Children have a a. rIght to live theIr own J lives Jes es she said thoughtfully dark eyes on the fire that danced on her living living- room hearth against the sudden chill of California summer but you ou dont don't sends send s sailor out on an unfamiliar bay without without with with- out charting the rocks and shoals to be found there Why should you expect chIldren to gO through lifo safely unless un- un less you ou supply them with a chart There Is no such thing as letting lettin or not letting Jetting children do a thIng once they enter their teens but we can talk matters over with them and point out what we have learned in similar circumstances circumstances cir cir- and 2nd explain why hy we believe such such and and such is the wise w move cc OF F COURSE youth will not always listen to counsel and mothers may not t always always' be right but bat I have found that my girls girls' are usually usua y willing to conder con con- der my my advice Frances the older one Is at Smith She 1 is a a. bright gIrl and can compete With th any student It if she puts her mind to it It But Dut last she year was havIng too rood a a. time to pay much attention to classes and the end of June 1929 found her conditioned No warning no advice nothing made any impression on h her r. r She knew she could do the work but she just didn't bother One day last ast summer while she was 35 driving up to Santa Barbara in her little lit lit- tIe tle car she was vias arrested for tor sp speeding ding and tined fined 25 She came rushIng in to me to tell me about it Whew What a a hole that will make ln In your our allowance I I cried I wanted to write Ite her a a. check for the fine and I knew she hoped half but I felt that lt it was waz only fair that she should pay for tor her own experIence Trances Franc s' s considered the state or of her and came to the conclusIon that eke ehe would be in a sorry way It if the fine were deducted from funds on hand I know what Ill I'll do do she saId Ill earn the money Ill I'll go to work right away I But I felt consIderably less idea when Frances came home that evening to announce that she had taken a Job as extra in a mob that would Work that night in M Maurice urice Chevaliers Chevalier's Picture Lubitsch was directing and I proud to hear that Frances hadn't asked ed him to use his influence to get et her the Job I wished I had been less leM Spartan but lt It Was as too late Yes I had d been a an n extra m myself el I knew how hard they sometimes have to work I r was th the typical old fashioned mother who would like to save ave her child z I from SUffering But merely said lId Good work Frances will I had to work that night too too In a Rogers picture and we both came home in the dawn I love to work at at night There is something so thrill thrilling about corning g home when the rest ot of the world is b aSleep FranceS was thrills thrilled d' d She he ha had d been picked out of the mob and r given front place L had liked he Way she It w was as all fan fan- L a. a ter T M Y y 7 y X I 4 r r 4 r i i e 4 r t r r 1 r W f I p f C 4 i d A iti v. v w o ti 9 Irene Rich guides her two charming daughters Frances sad Jane but she does not attempt to mal make their for them wonderful exciting r I h glorIous Frances was going to stop school hool at once and go t to work in talking to Pictures A seriously i I I was appalled AU these rya t r 1 years cars I had been working to f. f gIve the child the finest edu- edu l edu- edu education t cation In my power and here she was ready to throw It up t at an Instants Instant's notice I have made It a rule never to say gw No you OU are not going to do WJ that You are going to do ff this So I held myself back from doing so then I I can understand how YOU feel about it it 1 assured her and It if yoU were an honor honor pupil at college It you led ledour your our class or were considered esp especially I should feel that you had a rIght to step out now and go In for fora a career But I dont don't quite quit see how you OU can quit under th the circumstances Youre You're conditioned you rou know Wont Won't it look as It if you were running away ay As 1 if Sou ou felt you couldn't get through so o you ou took the easiest way out and didn't finish the fight I Frances saw my poInt Yes It would she admitted Ill go back and work and when Ive I've shown what I can do Ill I'll quit and ha have hae e my career Last taU fall we went East together together- Frances to her school and I to take up my vaudeville tour Before Christmas I received a a. telegram In my I dr dressing room one night It was from Fran Frances s sand and stated that she had made mad up all her conditions and was now on the deans dean's an list honor Weve both done our Jobs she added I was so 50 proud of her After all she didn't leave her class She has hils decided to stick it out till she graduates and then shell she'll perhaps try the stage At any rate she to go to work Of course a young man may come conle along before June 1931 and her plans plaN may be changed No fONo I shouldn't mind I have had such I r 3 a 4 y e Ll r r. r i J Z i r 1 wj V LI II n rw s sr N- N A H. H r fy fys fy's v y s 's c err 3 y 4 i V r v vy 0 y Givin Sonny sage ice advice On the screen ass as in real life Irene Rich pla plays s 's many mother p parts handling her screen children inthe in the same man manner er that she does her own Joy In my cl children that I cant can't help feelIng that Its it's good to have them e early When I 1 was Frances Frances' age I had been en married and had two children It If my boy had lived he would have been 17 now I want my girls to live and to know all the happiness that may be beth th theirs Irs to have ha their share of pe e-pe experiences lences cc IF F I could give my children a gift that would be useful to them all alJ theIr lives I thInk I should select self self- confidence Perhaps I place lace so much emphasis on onit onit it because I am only just beginning to acquire it myself my and know the vantages of beIng without that quality I was as the kind ot of child who dro drops S things spills things forgets makes mistakes mistakes mis- mis takes and so on My mother and broth broth- ers era though they were really very fond of me got Into the habit ot of saying Irene cant can't do that Shell She'll be sure to tomake tomake make a mess of or You would whenever I dId the wrong thing I came cameto to the conclusion that I probably would and there was no use trying to be differ differ- ent I was unfortunately n a person perso who was born a 8 dunderhead All AU my life when things went wrong I had a a. fe feeling that I must be to blame that I couldn't possibly bl be right Even gown dressmaker dressmaker gown designer clothes creator you may wish to l AI 17 ca call 11 h her ere I dit didn't RY v r know the fv 7 an drawn lar Woman h r C T ti s' s iF by the author but 1 1 Iff I have ha k known four v f who might hive have ij f b bee e e n she she ruth ruth rr who vho la f ii h. h less Jess women n t t forged The ahead woman n in wo c I 1 another play s a i sf character I have p. p r non I times times- v vV V M met many I the woman who As a 1 little girl I Irene lacked and was considered a du 1 by her herA A family amily g t fJ J though I won my way up from t to stardom n silent A pIctures I still lacked confidence in m myself I would advance my opinion as to scenes characterizations but I couldn't be absolutely sure I was was' right so 50 I was often defeated When talking pictures came me along I thought That ends me I cant can't remember remember re- re member lines Id I'd be no good at this game It was suggested that I try the stage but I was afraId of that too When the suggestion came that I appear in vaude me I thought that I might see ce what I could do there In blissful ignorance I thought that it would be shorter not so much to learn probably easier casler and If I go over nobody would know CA A vaudeville audeville audience is the hardest one in the world orld to please You have so little little time time You must get them at on once e eyou you have ha no chance to capture their interest and slowly you must hold them I did it it tomy to my great amazement and the effect on me was marvelous Its It's a a. good thing to appreciate your own powers sometimes Frances for tor one approves ot of me She used to tell me I was entirely too self self- effacing Jane the little one is more like me- me that Is she Is passing through the awkward awkward awk- awk ward age and she isn't especially brilliant at school I wasn't I can barely spell eat ca ca t n now J Y ca ca t n now J Y But Jane is s the sweetest person I 1 know alwa s 's thoughtful considerate sympathetic co and companionable she's only 13 I cannot believe that scholarship scholar scholar- ship is more important than beIng lov- lov able And Jane may very wen well be preparIng preParing pre pre- parIng herself for the thing she is to do doIn doin In life Ufe even en though she cant can't be proud of her school marks It w was so with me was at school I would sit there watchIng my teacher while she explained something and become fascinated d by the way she used her hands or the expressIon of her face or the line Une of her Ups lips so that when She would say Irene will tell us what she he thInks of ot thIs I 1 would have to say But I wasn't lIstening But rye Ive since used what I learned from her physical expression In pictures Every character I play Is based on some woman I have hav met My favorite occupation as a 0 child chUd was to rIde on a a. street car and watch the people then go home and do lIfe studIes of them I discovered dis- dis discovered covered that there is no one who cant can't be interesting The picture I have bave just Jus finished Ss is the story of an actual person IS a woman had to keep her ber house so immaculate that she zhe made mads life miserable for tor the people who lived in It It seemed to me aim aim- ply dIdn't realize reaUze that she was was' her husband out lot her home hom that when life Ufe crashed about her her she was wa amazed I felt sorry for her We are so pathetically athe unprepared for life Weve Veve been taught that thus and so is the truth about it and we weare we weare are bewildered when we discover is wrong cc ALL LL men are little boys underneath They hey want t to be mothered more than anything else They like to be babIed They want comfort and anci help and a a. great deal ot of which applause la is why they appeal to women U If I were to pick out a a. husband for formy W my daughter though I know 1 Ishall not be allowed to do so I would Iele select t s a bUSY busy business man Perhaps Perhaps' the reason I think this type ideal is b because cause my hus hus- husband band is one and I find him most saUs- saUs factory A man in business Is apt to be steady headed clear and interesting The busIest persons always have time to dothe do dothe the important things idl idle persons n never vu catch up with all they ought t to do When a. a a man like my husband takes the tIme tImeto timeto to play he Is so much more fun than the man who oho plays all the time But when the time comes comes for a child chUd to marry mother has very little to uy say about It It Frances or Jane were de de- to throw themselves aw away y on men whom I knew t to be worth worthless I 1 might gently point out several everal reasons for not being in a a. hurry but if they went recklessly ahead I wouldn't make myself disagreeable They know that I stand b behind hInd th them m whatever they maydo may do do and Id I'd sImply be there to catch them when they tell fell Mothers are pretty canny persons though I 1 dont don't smoke except when a part rt in ina a pIcture calls for tor It because I dont don't care for It and because I would hate to think that I could form a a. h habit bIt that might grow stronger than my own will The gir girls ha haven't smoked either but last Frances came home borne from college and announced that she would simply have to begin smoking all the other girls SeL Ud Indeed I replied So do aU all my frIends I haven't smoked because I wanted to be an example to to you and because became the smell ot of it on a woman Ups lips isn't so o pleasant around the house hoUlt but if you are goIng to begin wed we'd better bet bet- ter begin together She looked at me amazed Mother you wouldn't she cried fA Why not You would I returned My reason is the same as yours yo-urs AU All AUthe the others doShe do She drew a a. long breath Lo Look k here ere mother If t I 1 dont don't smokes will you promise prom prom- ise me you wont won't she demanded demand d Oh I I wouldn't go as far as that Frances Franc But Ill I'll tell teu you what I 1 win windo do I Wont won't smoke moke until you send me word youre you're smoking Is 1 It a And lt it wu was C lIV Ov py r 4 1 |
