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Show Kathleen Norris Says: Blessed Are the Meek Ilnll n.ynclpnt. WNU FcnliiM-rt " odore my BUI, but that doesn't mean that I want to swallow his family whole." By KATHLEEN N ORRIS TODAY'S letter comes from a bride of only a few months; Marjorie married mar-ried her flier when he came home, honorably discharged, after 22 months of hard service. serv-ice. They were engaged for a year, but in that year saw each other only twice, for a tew days interval. Bill is handsome, clever, devoted and rich. Marjorie didn't know how rich until now, when they are going to his home city, Philadelphia, to live. "This is my trouble," she writes. "My people are poor, but we come of good stock. My mother for many years supported my grandmother grand-mother and myself by teaching. She Is not strong now, lives with my grandmother, and there is almost no money, but for fineness and goodness good-ness there never were two more genuine gen-uine saints. WEALTHY FAMILY PINS HER DOWN Most girls jvould envy Mar-jorio's Mar-jorio's position. She is married mar-ried to a man she "adores." He is handsome, clever, rich. He loves Marjorie devotedly. After two years of service in the air corps, he is coming home for good. The trouble is, Bill has too much. Marjorie, who is accustomed accus-tomed to a simple life, is not willing to adapt herself to the customs and traditions of a proud old Philadelphia family. fam-ily. Every detail of Marjorie's affairs is taken care of before hand a house, furnishings, servants, all are provided. W hat Marjorie doesn't like is this paternalistic system she is just expected to fit into her place and like it. Nobody seems to think she might not care for the social mold in which DilFs family exists. "Bill and I are to have 'one of the family houses' to live In. We are to have Uncle Phil's house,' which he says Is filled with old revolutionary revo-lutionary junk, or 'Grandpa's house.' which is handsomer but smaller. His mother writes me that 'old Emma' will come to us at once as cook, and bring two granddaughters to "make themselves useful.' Aunts and cousins of Bill's write him that they want to know when 'dear Marjorie' Mar-jorie' would like to be entertained would I like a tea or a formal reception? listen and watch and make them like you by sweetness and amiability. amiabil-ity. Give this experiment a year, in which you criticize nobody, agree to all arrangements; take this new sort of life as if It were a book you are reading, with yourself as heroine. hero-ine. Lucky In Many Ways. Heroine you are, of course. The young western wife of a person whose wealth and family connections connec-tions make him important, beloved and lovely, rich and socially secure there is a position many girls would envy you. That you are smarter, quicker, more amusing, more Independent, than the men and women you are going to meet, I am taking for granted. Those fine old long-established families have wonderful characteristics, but they can be dull! Only, if you'll be patient enough to endure the surface sur-face dullness for awhile, you'll find under it a wonderful dignity and integrity, in-tegrity, characteristics that you'll be glad someday to hand on to youi children. As for taking your mother and grandmother with you, that would be a fatal mistake. To move from the fresh sea air and riotous gardens gar-dens of San Diego, where the climate cli-mate is the most equable in the whole world, to eastern snows and summer storms, might seriously affect af-fect the health of them both. They would both feel Intruders In fact, they would actually be Intruders, and In attempting to reconcile their claims and those of the big family you would jeopardize your married happiness, perhaps irretrievably. Play your part with dignity and patience, always remembering that blessed are the meek, and you'll find yourself most enviably placed one ol these days, in the heart of the vtn Too Much 'Class.' "All this appalls and annoys me. I hate that sort of thing. Bill takes It all seriously; he has three brothers, broth-ers, one sister, and countless cousins cous-ins and other relatives. He hopes ! his grandmother will give us the ! Revere porringers, and wants me to be painted by 'the feller that has painted us all.' ! "I begin to feel that no wealth or position will make up for the independence inde-pendence I have enjoyed fori years ai a newspaper woman, and am sure already that I want my mother and grandmother to go East with me. I will be lost and strange in that ' big family, obliged to grin and bear all sorts of things that are absolutely absolute-ly unnatural to me, and I'll need support sup-port and confidantes. I adore my Bill, but that doesn't mean that I want to swallow his family whole. This business of having a house picked out for me, and servants, too, is a little thick. Bill says we'll have plenty of room for Mother and Gran, but is afraid they won't like it. I Mother is dubious, but Gran says she'll do anything I want. They both 1 love our San Diego cottage, and their life here, but neither is young, i and I simply can't bear to leave ' them. Bill won't promise to come back, and altogether I don't know what to do." finest of our American culture. Your children will have a background as fine as any in the world, and opportunities oppor-tunities and advantages worthy of a good name. Don't throw these things away because of the shallow satisfaction that assertiveness, sensitiveness, sen-sitiveness, pride, resentment will give you now. Make your new family love you, .and you'll presently pres-ently find yourself loving them. My dear Marjorie, I say in an- ! swer, you are trying to pour old wine into new bottles, and it won't sue- ' ceed. More than most young wives, ', your place is to follow Bill's lead 1 now, and accept the situation in Philadelphia wholeheartedly. Go on there determined to be good-natured, good-natured, adaptable, friendly to every way. Don't have much to say, K $ (r Be good-natured, adaptable, friendly." |