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Show j Dorothy Dix Talks I By D0K0T1IY DIX. the World's Highest Paid Woman Write j TO THE IN-LAWS This Is the month of weddings. In churches all over this brave land,' our ours, thousands of lnterpid young couples riiay bo seen marching' ui the altar, while their respective! families occupy the pews above the white ribbon, and exhibit tho curious psychic phenomenon that Is always to, lie observed on such occasions. And that Is. that the bride's family it a wedding- invariably wears a fes-. fes-. ivo air, and look pleased, and proud, and Joyful as those who have Just p illed off a good thing, while the bridegroom's family are Invariably sad n,i mournful, and weep through the ceremony., and register the aspect of those attending a funeral. Now. It Is the general, If unexpressed unex-pressed belief, of every young married couple that their ln-laws and partlc- ularly their mother -In-laws, are their. I hereditary foes. bent imon maklnir1 them all the trouble they can. I be-1 lleve this to be a mistake and while! isjp- as divorce statistics show, that mnther-lnlaws are tho greatest home wreckers in the world. I do not jthlnk that many women deliberately I and maliciously sow discord between I n.'ir children, and their husbands and j wives. I Mother-in-law 1 first aid to divorce but she gels in her deadly work 'through blundering Ignorance of what 1 she Is doing. Not of design. So after dding breakfast Is over, and the (last guest gone, and the last rice has I been swept up. I should like to back the two mother-In-laws Into a corner, and say to them: 1 "You want your children to he happy. hap-py. You want them to be faithful to ' h other, and live decenL clean lives iYou want them to establish a home (that will radiate peace, and love, and not strlfo and discord. Well, then. It Is up togsauu to help along, and you "Kei our fingers out of their pie DorHsreithcr one of you go to ,lle with them If you have a home of your own, stay In lL If you have noL board with somebody you know. If you can't afford that go to some old lady's home to live, but as you value your children s happiness don't go and live with t ncm I ' -There Isn't any middle-aged woman on earth, who has run a house of her own, and raised a family, who can keep from trying to manage everybody every-body abput hi-r. and there Isn't a young person on earth who doejn't resent It. Every bride wants to keep house according ac-cording to her own Ideas. Every' young husband wants to bo the head of his house, and neither one can do it, if I mother is on the premises. "No man wants his wife's mother living with them, and when a woman has to be on the perpetual defensive, Justifying and excusing her mother to her husband, and a man has to side with his mother in the fight again-it I his wife. It is tho beginning of the end' of iovc. and tho commencement of I misery . Besides, when there are! strangers present, we have to save our laces by being consistent,, which we wouldn't do If there was nobody around to see us grovel. "Every young couple Is bound to have spats. They would end in tears, and kisses, and reconciliation, if there was no oee present to sic 'em on in tho fight il But these inevitable dls- agreements Tnake a breach that never 1 heals If mother Is there to urge John, not to let himself be henpecked, or to tell Mary- what a brute John la." Then I would urge mother to play fair "Pon't have one standard of conduct for the wife or husband you want your daughter or son to be. and another standard for the kind of husband or wife you want your son and daughter to get. "There aro plenty of women who Ithlnk that it Is perfectly right for their own daughters to bo lazy, and (shiftless, and Idle and extravagant fand spent their time between shopping land bridge but who believe that their daughter-in-law s should do all of their own housework, and sewing and i pinch every penny, and never have a hat oftener than once a year- "And they think It outrageous If 'their son's wives object to their husband's hus-band's having all the freedom of bachelors, but they are the first to call time If their son-in-laws are not aj domesticated as the house cat." Then I would implore mother not to knock their in-laws I know this will deprive most women with married children of their favorite In-door sport, but It Ls the most dangerous amusement amuse-ment in which any women ever indulged. in-dulged. "Everybody knows that the great secret of happiness In life, and more particularly the 6ccrot of happiness In marriage, Is contentment, and this being be-ing the case. It passes comprehension why any mother should set to work to makii her children dLssatisf led with their husbands and wives But they do They pick continually on the inlaws. in-laws. They point out every flaw and delect until they make John and Mar-wonder Mar-wonder how they ever could have been foolish enough to have chosen the poor dub they did for wife, or husband. John never would have found out that Skillv wasn't a good manager, and economical, if mother hadn't called his attention to it. Mary would havo igone nlong believing Tom was a prince among men, If mother hadn't criticize.: the way he ate and walked, rind tall TB id, until Mary recognized what a com- - H ironplace fellow he was. "It ls mother who oftenest wake- the sleeper up from tho lovo dream. H when what sho should do Is to try to H lull the slumberers back to sleep again " H when they threaten to rouse them i H So I would say to every woman who wants her Children to be happy though married, to leave them alone. Don'' live with them, don't visit them to. , much. don't interfere, don't advis don't criticize. Just .stand by. and wall for them to send up the 9. O. 8. call u H Dorothj Dlx's talLs appear in thlfl papci every Monday. Wednesday ami Priduv. I - 1 : |