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Show Kathleen Norris Says: The Misery of Being Sixteen Bell' Syndicate. WNU Features. i "Co easy on eigarrlles and alcohol, becuust while you may become a Holly-j Holly-j wood itar vternight, you mnnot hecomt a gcntleitoman overnight." By KATHLEEN NORRIS ON MY desk this morning lies a letter from a furious furi-ous little girl of 16. She sends a snapshot of herself, too; a slender bright-looking creature in a bathing-suit, with the fluffy aureole of dark hair that goes so far to make every girl pretty nowadays. now-adays. Norma's quarrel is with the universe. uni-verse. Though 16 years old and living liv-ing in an unusually pleasant California Cali-fornia college town, Norma has small use for life. School makes her sick; people make her sick; Mom and Dad and the family make her sick. Poor little thing, she pours out a confused story of resentments and desires and frustrations and all the other ills that afflict our rising generation gen-eration so terribly. And it Isn't funny. fun-ny. Norma, with a sweet fresh little chintzy room of her own, lots of clothes not expensive clothes, but lots of them, devoted parents, a younger sister, an older brother, friends, family car, health, movies, school dances, theatricals but what's the use? Why capitulate all this? It isn't enough to keep Norma haDDV. so what use is it? Hardships Give Balance. Norma's life hasn't the saving element ele-ment of hard work, necessary work. She hasn't the wholesome element of fear, fear of hunger, of dispos-session, dispos-session, of being separated from her people, her country. If she were wearing a dress that belonged to her aunt 10 years ago, and were glad enough to get it, if she were helping her father and mother run a little roadside restaurant, and still speechless over the miracle of being be-ing able to get potatoes and tea and bread and carrots and milk enough to keep it open, if she were thanking thank-ing God on her knees every night for the grace that spared her outrage out-rage from enemy troopers, or physical physi-cal disablement from long months of starving and cold, then Norma would look at herself with different eyes. Then realities and not enchanting en-chanting dreams would possess her, and sufficient meals, warm clothes, a bed to sleep in, and a family to serve and love would seem to Norma the miracles of life, as Indeed they are. Well, we can't set our little discontented dis-contented American Normas to work, we can't make life real to them, and except for an occasional gift of old sweaters or a spare coat, we can't help the Normas of China, Poland. Italy, Germany, Belgium the Normas of more than half the world. It only Irritates our girls when we point this moral. If there is anything maddening In this world, it Is the gentle elderly voice that says, "Just be patient, dear. Your happy time will come, when you'll have all the things you want." Prepare for Future. And yet It's true. Character is fate. What Norma makes herself fit for now is what Norma will be, 10 years from now, or 20 years from now. Twenty years sounds an eternity eter-nity to her. Yet, 38 is the very cream of life, and even 10 years more than 36 finds a useful and beloved be-loved woman at the very zenith of her power. Norma, forget the story of the movie girl who was whirled overnight over-night from the Job of waitress In a drive-in to stardom. In a year or two she will be whirled back, or "Tn to hr fin." BEST IS YET TO BR Adolescence is a trying peri' od, jull of vague ambitions, frustrations, hopes and fears. Many girls, like the one whom Miss Norris tells about in this article, are unhappy although they have everything they need for contentment. Girls in other countries, who have endured the fear and misery mis-ery of war, are thankful for simple comforts and a little security. se-curity. They have no hope of ever reaching the standard of living that the discontented American girl takes for granted. grant-ed. Miss Norris contends that a certain degree of insecurity and difficulty are wholesome elements in life. The struggle to overcome these obstacles to happiness gives meaning and purpose to life, she says. For the middle class American Ameri-can girl who has so much of everything and yet is "sick of it all," Miss Norris points out a way to attain happiness in the present and to prepare for a bright future. she will be burned by the fierce fires of Hollywood into a nervous, anxious, Jealous watcher of others' success, and a fighter to maintain her own against losing odds. Norma, make yourself beloved at home, by service, unselfishness, understanding. Watch your language, lan-guage, prune it of the vulgarities and catch-phrases that pass for conversation con-versation in your set Go easy on cigarettes and alcohol, because, while you may become a Hollywood star overnight, you can't become a gentlewoman gen-tlewoman overnight. That takes time. Try to be fine. Whether it's a question of too many "my gawds" in your conversation, gum chewing, crossed almost-naked legs, overmuch over-much cheap make-up, cheap perfume, per-fume, hair-dye, rotten stories, loud laughter in public whether it's any one of these, think seriously before you adopt it as a habit. I know pretty girls, ot decent families, fam-ilies, too, who do all these tilings, and are proud of themselves fur their daring and independence. Worthwhile Objectives. Suppose you hitch your wagon to some such star as this: "In 14 years, when I am 30, I would like to be a lovely and cultivated woman. I would like to speak one other language lan-guage well. I would like to be happily hap-pily married to a professional man and have some children. I'd like to have Just one of the many comfortable comfort-able American homes of which the suburbs of our big cities are filled; garden, garage, sewing-room, nursery, nur-sery, glassed breakfast-room I'd like to have a country club membership mem-bership and a little cabin somewhere some-where In Uie mountains for holidays. holi-days. And I'd like an avocation that gave me a chance for self-expression, and that brought me some money, some fame, some friends, whether it was Jam making, poetry, Interior decorating, book-binding " Start today on this order. Thousands Thou-sands of happy Ameriran women have achieved Its fulfillment. In 14 years you may do it if you will. In 14 years not one name in the Hollywood firmament. Incidentally, will have any meaning for Hie new generation. |