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Show Dorothy Dix Talks i STRIKING A BALANCE By DOROTHY DIX, the World's Highest Paid Woman Writer The r'-'tl :eeret of happiness," -aid 1,71,8 woman the other day, "consists in kJ?m a tontl buokk' Hpi r, and learn-Sljn learn-Sljn h'.-w 10 strike ,i b.tlanct with 'The reasnn 'hat we wnm.'ti so of-(..J'ter. of-(..J'ter. co baiikinni spirinialh and pel thc down-and-out ers who are always -nil par. bail'! I,.1- "it friends for npa-Br. npa-Br. or whining out hard luek -lories ''lis because we always enter every-Sjainr every-Sjainr on il" ! l.'.i ide. and never Hvaccouni of the credn sid . and rlwe don't s-"e tl.at m ').. end life bal M'-es itself v, ah tears and smiles, SJBrith jo anr sorrow, and the thine-; Swycrt up pretty veil, a Per all s . h all "0f u . 1 1 h used to lelorv: in ibe niel, n hr.h , jti;icr!iM' and ' l.u rt 3Eg becau-" 1 v .i-n'i as rich as one of lEt friends, and didn't have as cnod a kie a- another friend, and I had had plot of domestic- sorrow, and 1 bad ;torrn niv own livintr. and so on. Oh' J Belie-. tin Fob had nothing on me in, ih afflii I ion line i f. 'Then our day I had a revelation Sometbine brought ino up short, and . Isaid to m -elf "Heaven--, what BOft H Ba wonder do you think you are that n you should lie the darling t the 1 lods F:a and hav all the good thing I 'iff Ipllandc l Ti 11: . i.-ir.. . What have tl you I'n'i,-. ih,i i.iaKi - you think 'ynu'r', enll'led to be better off than any other human b in I "And 1 couldn't think of why ate iihould make any exception of me and tbm I got to thltgun- that I should ft - be thankful that I was ratiy woise off than I was. and th;:L for every b irden I had in the world 1 also had a compensation, and for every giief something that was at hast a consolation conso-lation prize. "And what is true of me is true of every other woman. "The otber day I hear ! Mr?. A bitterly bit-terly envyinp: Mrs It becaut"? Mrs. B-had B-had beautiful Paris gowns and splendid splen-did jewels and a limousine and' a fine , house, that it always in ajipV jrder ""Look at me,' said Mr;. A.. I'm always al-ways shabby, I spnd my Life trying to make one dollar do the work of fi I have never had a really good dres. since I was married, and yet when Sally B. and 1 were girls togeth r I was as well otT as she. Isn t. it queer how some women get everything and other women get nothing?' ' "Mrs. B hns money and the thine-money thine-money buys," 1 said to Iut. "You have your children 1 suppose out-husband out-husband has mad' as much monej as Mr B has, but it has gone in the ip keep of hi family You could buy a lot of clothes with what it has cost to feed and clothe, ar.d doctor a house full of babies 'Would you exchai.-ge your babies for Mrs U.'a wardrobe? "Cultivating Mary'; voice would have bought Mrs. B.'s pearl necklace. Senainjr John to college would buy an automobile every rear Would yon give up your talented ilautrhler, and your brilliant son for a few white beads and a Packard? "You wouldn't? Then quit eorn plalninc. Balance your account with life, woman, balance your account. "And Mr- B. can set over aea'nst her childle."-snes". her luxuries, her lack of anxiety, her physical ease, her i travels, perhaps even that she and her husband are closer together and have a tendered love for each other, since they must needs be all and all to each other than have tfa couples who have children, and whose chief interest Is in ih children. "And there is Susan who thinks she Is accused of fate because she has to earn her own bread and butter. She Was lellini? me the other day how she hated her job, or auy other job, be- cause she loathes work, and sh- was ' pitylnc herself because she had to get jnp in the morning at an eaxly hour, and go to a stuffy old office, and pound av-av all day on a typewriter, and she became quite preen eyd when She spoke of the fortunate women who had their own home and nothing to do but to stay in them, and do their own housework. "'Oh! I don't know that you are so badly off.' " I said to her. " 'Perhaps if you'd just audit our account with life you would not find out that you are so badl off as ou think. You hate to work, but in reality work, is the most thrilling amusement in the world Your days no so fast that they are nevr half lonr; enough for the things you would like to do. How would you like to be one of those who awn through interminable hours With I nothing worth while to do, nothing to 'think of but just the dreary pastime of killing time? ' " ou earn your own money and can spend it foolishly if you choose. How would von like to have to go to some man for every penny, and hae him ask you what you did with that quar ter he gave you week before last7 Your employer Is bound to treat you With civility, or else you can up and leave. How would you like to have a life boss that you could not leave without scandal and divorce, ro matter mat-ter bow he treated you. Take it from me, that being your own meal fcket has us advantages that squares it off with the hol estate? " "I once knew a woman who had had the misfortune to marry when she jwas very young a man who turned out , to be a brute and a bully, lie dragged, her through years and years of mar-Iriage mar-Iriage that was a literal hell on earth to her. lie was cold and harsh and j cru. l ;md vindictive, but sh came r.m of her ordeal sweet rnd serene, and with a word of cheer and a smile for I everyone. "'How did you do if'" I asked her. "'Oh,' she said. 'I had my compen-' satlons. My tears washed my eyes so i clear that I could see into the hearts .of others as I never could If I had j not wept. My own anguish quickened j my sympathies with the agony of the world, and I found out that suffering is the grovf ing parts of the soul. I have lived so deeply that I am rorry I for the women who have always had everything happy and eftsy and soft with them. It seems fr. me (hat '.hey, are still on the outside of Qfe while : I have been in its heart." " "And that's the secret of happiness. I Just balancing our accounts with fate." no |
