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Show Ia Kathleen ( thleen Norris Says : . The Glm GIoz ious Fifties FiftiesBell Bell Syndicate SyndicateW1IU SyndicateWW -W1IU W1IU -WW WW - Features Featuresr ( ; ; I It t r _ _ i _ ( V IV - - at .1- .1 . .1t - t , f J JIi Ii : # JJHundreds of ofsensible sensible women of 50 are tvaluable to their Jam lies lieshealthy healthy serene busy By KATHLEEN NORRIS 1 " T AM 50 Iam I am superfluousI superfluous I "I I "IAM | I am fitted for no special specialwork specialwork special-L special L specialI I - work I am faced wIth wIthdependence withdependence withdependence dependence upon a daughter daughterwho , who is burdened with two twostepcluldren twostepchildren twostepchildren stepcluldren stepchildren and a new baby babyand , and a son in law who frankly franklydoesn't franklydoesn't franklydoesn't franklydoesnt doesn't doesnt ' like hke me An oldad old ad admlrer admirer admirer mlrer mirer mlrerI I , 70 with some prop property property property erty wants to marry me meWould meWould meWould Would you think thmk a woman of of50 50 crazy to marry agam again again7 ? I Ihave Ihave Ihave have been widowed threeyears threeyears three threeyears " years . 0 . This is part of the rather stark let letter letter , ter of Wenda White who hves lives in inI inBoston inBoston inBoston I Boston I certainly certamly would advIse advIseany adviseany adviseany any woman of 50 or even 60 to tomarry tomarry tomarry marry an old admirer if Lt it she wants wantsto wantsto wantsto to but I m not sure I d advise adviseWenda adviseWenda , Wenda that way When she says sayssbe saysthat saysthat ' that she sbe is superfluous and fitted fittedfor fittedfor fittedtor for no special work she adds un unI unconsciously unconsciously : consciously that she sbe is stupid and anda anda I a stupidoman stupid woman \\oman oman \ is not apt to make makea a good wife wile in middle nuddle age Some Sometimes Sometimes Sometimes times stupid little lJttle beauties in their theirI theirteens theirteens I teens make a success of o1 it be because because because cause they learn and they are cute cutewblle cutewhile cutewhile wblle while learning But Wenda sounds soundsrather soundsrather soundsrather rather grim I doubt it Lt if she could couldI couldlearn couldlearn I learn now to be a happy wileNote wifeNote wife wile wifeNote Note what Wenda tells me in inthese inthese inthese these few phrases pbrases In her ber three threeI threeyears threeyears I years of widowhood and ! in n the years yearsbefore yearsbefore yearsbefore before it it , , she never has found any anyuseful anyuseful anyuseful useful work Not nurses aide work workI worknot worknot worknot I not library or kindergarten kmdergarten or tea tearoom tearoom tearoom room work nothing that would keep keepi keepher keepher i her busy and Insure her ber independ independI independence independence independence ence For the past six years Amer America AmerIca Amerlea I ica has been crying crymg aloud for wom worn women wornen wornen en workers has been overpaymg overpaying overpaymgi overpayingthem overpayingthem i them favoring favormg them tbem - but not notI notWenda notWenda notWendaHer I Wenda WendaHer Her only child cluld has bas been beavlly heavily beavllyI beavllyburdened heavilyburdened heavilyburdened burdened with young witehood wifehood the thepremature thepremature thepremature I premature care of babies not her herown herown herown , own the expense and respons bil bilI bility bility bllity ity of motherhood but Wenda sure surely surely surely I ly wasn t much mucb use All she admits admitsshe admitsshe admitsshe she didwas did was antagonize antagomze her ber daugb daugh daugbter daughter daughter ter s husband Perhaps she didn t twant twant twant want Violet to marry a man who whoalready whoalready whoalready already had two children chlIdren perhaps perhapsshe perhapsshe perhapsshe she felt that Violet s own mother motherhood motherhood motherhood hood took place too promptly What What- Whatever Whatever Whatever - - ever it was instead of makmg making makmgherself makingherself makingherself herself adored by this young couple coupleI coupleand coupleand coupleand and indispensable to them Wenda Wendahas Wendahas Wendahas I has only made herself disagree disagreeable disagreeable disagreeable able and closed that door too tooWenda tooWenda tooWenda Wenda Will Fail Again . . I . Now she sbe proposes to take ber her hervarious hervarious I II Ivarious I various failures discontents meffi methh methhciencies meffidencies : clencies ciencies into Ulto still stlll another anotber sphere sphereI sphereHeaven sphereHeaven ' Heaven help belp her old admirer ! it if f be he begets hegets hegets I gets her A smarter old man manwould manwould manwould would find a woman who wbo had a good goodjOb goodjob goodjob jOb and liked lJhed It it , , , whose wbose family Idol Idolized idolized idolized ized her ber and shrieked at the thought thoughtof thoughtI I of anyone wan walking walk'ng walkng ng ' away with MomA MomA Mom MomA A very young wife may have her hermoods hermoods hermoods moods her limitations her pretty prettylittle prettylittle prettylittle little faults But when a woman bas has haslived hashved ! bved lived 50 years without learning learomg the thesecret thesecret thesecret secret of usefulness service affec affectlon affeclion aflection tlon lion then she never is going to be beanything beanything : anythmg anything to anyone daughter daugbter hus bus husI husband busband busband I band or friendBut friendBut friend friendBut But 50 can be a glorious age I Idon Idon , don t mean a shadowy sbadowy resigned resignedwistful resignedwistful resignedwistful wistful time of looking lookmg on at lLte life lLteI lifeI lifeI I mean a time for splendid and use useful useful usetul ful living lJvmg When a woman s bectlc hectic hecticearly hecticearly , early days are over her chlIdren children chlIdrengrown childrengrown childrengrown grown herself treed freed tor for all the in interests interests interests terests and actlvit actiVit cs es for which she shehas shehas shehas has never had time she may well wellenter wellenter wellenter enter into mto the plea antest ; years of ofher ofher ofher her whole life lile There is some work workthat workthat workthat that a well developed and expen exten expenenced extenenced expenenced enced woman ought to be interest interested interested interested ed in by that time something somethmg she sheis sheis sheIs is eager to do Her health bealtb will win be begood begood begood good if Lt of she sbe has bas learned how bow to caret care'fit care careShe 'fit fit ' t r 'fitr + l k ys ' Sb She feels superfluous IIIPerftuous " I tor for herself and a hundred of the theyounger theyounger theyounger younger desires and dreams Will Willhave willhave willhave have been brushed aside like the theworthless theworthless theworthless worthless things thmgs they wereNot wereNot were wereNot Not half halt enough has been said ot of otthe ofthe otthe the golden autumn beauty of the the50s the50s the150s 50s Any ; younger woman contem contemplating contemplating contemplating plating them shudders sbudders away with withhorror withhorror withhorror horror And too manylomen many \lomen lomen somen lomenreacbmg \ womenreaching somenreaching reacbmg reaching them accept that horror horroras horroras horroras as a true indicat Indlcat on of what they theymean theymean theymean mean and help to preserve the de deluslon delusion delusion luslon lusion that the 50s 505 are a lonelY lonelYsuperfluous lonelysuperfluous lonelysuperfluous superfluous time tune when one doesn doesntbelong t tbelong tbelong belong - and isn t wanted any anywhere anywhere anywhere anywhereActually where whereActually Actually the most useful women womenin womenin womenin in the world are those between 45 45and 45and 45and and 65 and any woman who doesn t tdiscover tdiscover tdiscover discover Ithen it \ when \\hen hen then she sbe reaches reacbes the theearl.1est theearliest theearliest earl.1est earl1est earliest . date is cheating cheatmg herself herselfSbe herselfShe herselfShe Sbe She can achieve complete happmess happiness happinessit happmessif if 11 she sbe will willHotel willDotel Hotel Dotel Manager 1Iianager at 70I 70I 70 70I I could cite hundreds of cases of ofsensible ofsensible ofsensible sensible women ot of o1 50 and more who whoare whoare whoare are invaluable mvaluable to their families familiesbealtby familieshealthy familieshealthy bealtby healthy serene busy Hundreds Hundredsmore Hundredsmore Hundredsmore more hold positions posltlons of dignity dlgmty and andtrust andtrust andtrust trust some do both One woman 70 70years 70years 70years years old this week found herself herselfwidowed herselfwidowed herselfwidowed widowed 20 years ago with a del deli deliCate dellcate ! cate daughter three small grand grandchildren grandchildren grandchildren children and a son in law who was wastubercular wastubercular wastubercular tubercular all to be provided for forThere forThere forThere There was w.as . no talk taik of being super superfluous superfluous superfluous fluous or untrained untramed from Mary Car Carter Carter Carter ter although althougb for all her 50 years yearsshe yearsshe yearsshe she had been an adored and pam pain pampered painpered pampered pered daughter daugbter and wileShe wifeShe wife wile wifeShe She moved the family to a 01.1 011 ohs . 01.1mate ohsmate dimate mate in m which Max could live and andhe andhe he.1s he1s he . . js .is is 11 living vmg still She took over an anabandoned anabandoned abandoned hotel put all her heart heartand heartand heartand and energy into it and runs it at a aprofit aprofit aprofit profit today with her 71st 7lst birthday birthdayin in sight slgbt . . She Sbe has enjoyed it itlaughed itlaughed itlaughed laughed over it u used us > ed her imagi imagination imagination imagination nation on it and she is the most mostpopular mostpopular mostpopular popular person In her own moun mountain mountaro mountain tain taro town today I wonder what poor poorWenda poorWenda poorWenda Wenda would have made of it ? |