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Show Iathleen Kathleen ( Norris Says : No Age Is Safe for Marriage MarriageBelt ( Bell Belt Syndleate-WNV Syndleate WNV Syndlcate-WNW Syndlcate WNW - - Service ) \iLb7 iLb7 \ ServiceciLb7 iLb7JJ = SyndlcateWNWServicec ; JJ JJt Servicec ) ; : JJC t C - e fe f ' 5J'l 5Jl 5J'li ' /i\ i / iHa \ Ha Haiwrv , f ) k f ? iwrv ! d df 4 7 7Lolsto _ _ ' tellmef mef mefthey Lol.tQ LoltQ Lolsto . w will l be 18 m in Apnl April She and Len rell tell rellme me her they ! will JlU be married . rhat that . Jay day , wllh with wllhmy withmy my permwlon permission II i f pos5lble possible bur but married marriedanyuoy marriedanyway anyuoy anyway with OT or wHhout without It it By KATHLEEN NORRISii NORRIS ii " " AN any marriage turnout turnout turn "CAN CAN ( out happily when thebrIde thebride the thev v bride is only 18 " a aTexas aTexas aTexas Texas mother writes me me"and meand , "and and hand " when the husband only onlya I IIi Ii a year older , has never done donea ! Ii a day's days ' work in his rus life We , but buthas buthas ! has to depend upon his father fatherfor fathertor , for support7 support ? ' CThIS tThis C t ' This is the case ' with my myonly myonly myonly only and adored child cruld , Loll Loli Lollta Lolito Lollta ta to " the letter goes on , C a ' Cand aand and andit andit andit it is breaking breakmg my heart For Forweeks Forweeks Forweeks weeks I have been unable to tosleep tosleep tosleep sleep for more than an hour houror houror houror or two at a time lying lymg awake awakepractIcally awakepractically awakepractically practIcally all mght-worry- mght worry night-worry- night mghtworrymg nightworrying night - worry worrying - ing mg , worrying , worrYIng worrYIngLolIta worryingLolita worryingLohta LolIta is madly in m love , Leon Leonard Leonand Leonard ard and is as crazy as she is and andtheIr andtheir andtheir theIr plans for the future have haveabout haveabout haveabout about as much practical sense senseas senseas senseas as if they were babies of 3 3and 3and 3and and 4) 4 4)Leonard 4 ' ) Leonard s father sends him $75 75 $ a amonth amonth amonth month and says he will continue contmue to todo todo todo do so unt until the boy graduates a fund fundhavmg fundhaving fundhaving havmg having been left for this purpose by byhis byhis byhis his grandfather grandather ! But tha that t fund is ex exhausted exhausted exhausted hausted except for someth ng only onlya a little over a thousand now and andwhen andwhen andwhen when that is gonehat gone \ what7 \\hat hat shat what7Lollta ' Lollta Lol1ta Lolrta wants me to give them a athree athree athree three room housekeeping housekeepmg apartmentto apartmentin apartment in my house as my contribut contrlbut on I Iusually Iusually Iusually usually get $25 25 $ a month tor for it And Andshe Andshe Andshe she feels that if we run out of o1 food foodwe foodwe foodwe we can always run in and have dIn dInner dinner dmner ner with MotherIlotber Mother MotherMother \ Mother I\lotber I lotber in m DespairTh DespairTb Despair DespairTh Th Tb s 5 is 15 so far from being bemg my myIdea myidea myidea Idea of a right nght and happy marrtage marriage marrtagefor marriagefor marriagetor for her that I am m in despair I am ama ama ama a practical practlcal woman with a houseful housefulof of boarders I have supported my mydaughter mydaughter mydaughter daughter since smce my husband died diedbut diedbut diedbut but somehow I don t seem to get on ontop ontop ontop top of o1 this particular worryKnowmg worryKnowing worry worryKnowing Knowing Knowmg Lohta LolIta Lolrta I know that she shewill shewill shewill will throw herself into this tlus new SitU SitUatIOn situation situation atIOn as if it were a game she was wasplaying wasplaying wasplaying playing For awhile everything everythmg will willbe willbe willbe be fun and novelty and then like l1ke a achlld achild achild chlld child she will want to throw it all allaSide allaside allaside aSide Our religion rehglOn does not permit permitsecond permitsecond permitsecond second marriages when her fancy fancyturns fancyturns fancyturns turns to someone else she will have haveto haveto haveto to sacrifice sacrlflce either her faith or her herhappmess herhappiness herhappiness happmess happiness and it seems to me sorre son'e sone sorrehmes son'etunes soiretimes ' hmes tunes as if I could not bear to watch watchthis watchthis watchthis this process of suffering sutrermg ard and dis disllluslOnment disillusionment disillusionmcnt llluslOnment illusionment going gomg onDo onDo on onDo Do you not think that he ages of of18 18 16 and 20 are far too young for a awoman awoman awoman woman and man to enter into mto the thesacredness thesacredness thesacredness sacredness of mar marriage marnage7 lage ' Do you be belIeve bebeve believe lIeve beve as I do that there should be belaws belaws belaws laws forbidding marriage until untll both bothpersons bothpersons bothpersons persons are-say are say are - - say 25 years of age age7Finally ' Fmally Finally do you know of any argu argument argument argumcnt ment or warning that will save this thisgill thisgirl thisgirl gill girl of mine mme from taking takmg a tl step that thatmay thatmay thatmay may cost her years of bitterness7 bItterness bitterness7She ' She will be 18 16 to in April Aprtl She and anden ' , en tell me pleasantly but flrmly firmly flrmlyLIlat firmlythat firmlythat LIlat that they will be married marned that day daywith daywith I I.vith .vith vith with . my permission and blessing If i1 IfI Ifpossible i1possible ifpossible I possible but married anyway WIth withor withor ' or without itNo it itNo I INo No Age Is Safe SafeThis SafeThis I This d stracted mother chooses for forher forher torher her pseudonym Thirty nine DIne So Soshe Soshe Soshe she was not much older than Lolita Labia Lolitawhen Labiawhen Lolitawhen when she herself was married marned Lo LoI1ta Lohta Lolita I1ta hta evidently eVldenUy is like bke her motherIt motherIf mother It If a girl has been petted and andspoiled andspoiled andspoiled spoiled indulged m in everything everythingbrought everythingbrought everythingbrought brought up in ignorance of the Ule SlDl sun SlDlplest sunpleat simplest plest pleat housekeepingbudgeting housekeepmgbudgetmg rules of cooking cookmg housekeepmg housekeeping budgetmg budgeting it if she is accustomed to tohaving tohaving tohaving having her own way in everythmg everything everythmgbemg everythingbeing everythingbeing bemg being praised and flattered and if i1 ifconsequenUy i1consequently ifconsequently consequenUy consequently she is impractical ex exIravagant extravagant extravagant Iravagant travagant idle selfish sefsh ] ! then she shewon shewont shewon won wont t make mnke a good wife at 18 or or24 24 or 30But 30But 30 30But But it if on the other hand she is 1 a aconsiderate aconsiderate OIlslderate considerate felt self effacing effacmg affection SHOULD SHE WAIT9Lohta WAlT WAIT ' Lol Lolita ta is 1 u $ 18 She wants tomarry to tomarry tomarry marry marrya a boy boyonly onlya only a year old older older older er , who is 1 $ not yet throughschool through through&chool throughschool &chool chool school &chooland schooland & andwho and who has neverdone never neverdone neverdone done a day day's days ' & work wor ! " Should Shouldshe Shouldshe Shouldshe she wait9 walt wait ' Will W ll their marriagefail marTlage marriage marTlagefad marriagefad fad because theyare they are so young young2 young2Kathleen young9Kathleen ' Kathleen Noms NorrlS Norris believes belteve.s belteves . they theyshould theyshould theyshould should perhaps uait ualt a year yearor yearor yearor or two but youthalone youth alone milnot lull ulll lullnot ulllnot not keep them from makinga ma1.mga ma1.mg ma1mg making . a success of ofmCU"rlage ofmarriage marriage mCU"rlage mCUrlage " , if t f they theyhave theyhave theyhave have courage patience anda andsense andsense and asense a sense responsibility ofresponsibIlIty of Without With Without Without out those qualities quallhes ofcharac of charac character character character ter they couldnot could not succeedat succeed atany at atany atany any ageate age ageate ate practical practlcal home loving lovmg and andbaby andbaby andbaby baby loving lovmg soul and really loves lovesthe lovesthe lovesthe the young man whose fortunes she shewants shewants shewants wants to share then the chances of oftheir oftheir oftheir their theirhappiness happiness happmess are just lust as good as If ii Ifthey iithey itthey they were both hoth 32 So what Thirty Thirtynme Thirtynine Thirtynine nme nine ought to ask herself ) is s notWhat notWhat not notWhat What sort of a bride will she shemake shemake shemake make but What sort of a woman womanhave womanhave womanhave have I raised r31scd here anyway anyway7 ' Is she shegomg shegoing shegoing gomg going to develop as new respons b 11 If 11ties Ifties lities ties come along ' Counts onIother on ! \ Mother \Iother Iother s HelpAgainst Help HelpAgainst elp elpAgamst Against Agamst Lolita Lol1ta Lolrta s marriage marrtage are arethese arethese arethese these arguments that after so somany somany somany many years of devotion devohon she is wIll wIlling willtag willing ing tag to hurt and disobey her mother motherThat motherThat motherThat That she counts at the same time timeupon timeupon timeupon upon much help from that same samemother samemother samemother mother That when Leonard gradu graduates graduates graduates ates a year from June he still will willnot willnot willnot not have a job and the educatIOn educatIOnfund educationfund educationfund fund established by his grandfather grandfatherwill will be exhausted And that her un unw unwillingness unwillingness w 1lngness willingness to wait walt a year or two at ather ather ather her mother s earnest request mdl indi mdlcates indicates indicates cates a certain certam hardnessOn hardnessOn hardness hardnessOn On the other hand young love Is Isa isa isa a beautiful and educat onal anal thing thmg in inItself initself initself Itself This happy young couple set settllng setthing settling tllng thing down in mother s furmshed furnished furmshedapartment furnishedapartment furnishedapartment apartment will be all the more anx anx10US anxious anxious 10US ious to prove themselves worthy of oftheir oftheir oftheir their new estate because of that thatsame thatsame thatsame same mother s mlsglvmgsLolIta misgivingsLolita misgivings mlsglvmgs misgivingsLolita Lolita if she has good material matenal m in mher inher inher her at all w will l rejoice in her tmy tiny tmyestabl1'hment tinyestablishrnent tinyestablishment establ1'hment establ1hment establishrnent ' that is in m such con contrast contrast contrast trast to the b g boarding boardmg house m in mwInch inwhich inwinch wInch which she grew up and her mother motherI mother"VIII motherwall motherTill I "VIII VIII wall " have the great joy of havmg having havmgher havingher havingher her near and nnd bemg being able to help helpher helpher helpher her with her problems If a baby babycomes babycomes babycomes comes along there w will l be another anothertie anothertie anothertie tie and another great JOYOne joyOne joy joyOne One Lolita Lol1ta of o1 my acquaintanceran acquamtanceran acquamtance acquaintance ran away with an unacceptable beau beausome beausome beausome some years ago She Sbe was 18 the theman theman theman man 19 and their finances were in inso inso toso so low a state that they rented a agarage agarage agarage garage for $5 5 $ a month and went on onthell ontheir ontheir thell their " wedding weddmg afternoon atternoon to Lob Lobta Lobto Lolita ta to s father to ask him tor for the fur furDIsh furnish furmsh DIsh nish ng of her room so that they theycould theycould theycould could take possession of their new newhome newhome newhome newhomeThe home homeThe The mother was prostrated over overthe overthe overthe the elopement and could only moan moanfeebly moanfeebly moanfeebly feebly that they could have what whatever whatever whatever ever they wanted So they took a afrY1l1g afrying afrying frY1l1g frying pan and a dish towel along alongwith alongwith alongwith with their thell " bedding beddmg and chair They Theylived Theylived Theylived lived In the garage three months monthsthe monthsthe monthsthe the husband m In college the w wife e sell selling sellLog sellIng ing Log children chlldren s shoes from trom door to todoor todoor todoor todoorToiled door doorTo1Jed doorToiled Toiled To1Jed for Seven YearsSocial YearsSocial Years YearsSocial Social life he ! was out tor for them but butoccasional butoccasional butoccasional occasional callers always brought a apound apound apound pound of coffee or a box of straw strawberries strawberries strawberries berries to leave in the corner of the thegarage thegarage thegarage garage where stood a table and a agas agas agas gas plateAfter plate plateAlter plateAfter Alter After Ned was graduated he got a a'ob ajob ajob 'ob ob job ' to in an oil 011 station His Il1s young wife wifehad wifehad wifehad had a son and another son . . Her Heryoung Heryoung Heryoung young bloom faded she grew thin thinshe thinshe thinshe she was always tired Two more morebabies morebabies , babIes came along But there was wasno wasno no question then and there is nono none nonoI nonotoday nonetoday nonatoday I today that she and Ned truly loved lovedeach lovedeach each other lovedI I |