THIRTY—ALL MARRIAGES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17568, 19 June 1925, Page 8

THIRTY—ALL MARRIAGES.

A friend of mine who is just rhirty got engaged the other day. was, and am delighted for it. seemed to me that nowadays, thirty is just the right age at which to marry. But not so Molly's mother. Talking to me about it she said : “Of course, I'm very pleased that Molly is going ing §orr'.' that she didn't meet John ten years ago. I was married at twenty, and had three children by the time I was her age. I'm quite sure that early marriages are the happiest.’' Many people would agree with Molly’s mother, but I'm not so sure that she's right. Early marriages may have been best in the old days, but T doubt if they are now. I'm quite certain, to take Molly’s case .as an example- and she's a very typical modern girl - that she'll be far happier at thirty than she would have been if she tied herself for life at twenty. People who advocate early marriages always bring forward the argument that by the time a girl is thirty she’ll have got fixed ideas and settled wavs, and -will find it hard to adapt herself to the gi \c and take of marriage. Perhaps this was so before girls got a chance to go out into the world and li\-e their own life, but it, certainly doesn't apply now. The .average modern girl is far broader-minded in every way at thirty than she was at twenty. At that age she was quite certain she kneAv best about everything - at thirty she has knocked about more, met people far cleverer than herself, and she knows by that. time, that she's by no means infallible in her judgments. And then these last ten years, have been very full and happy ones for Molly. She's done work she liked, earned a good salary Avhich enabled her to run a flat of her oavu, and had plenty of time to play as well. Had she been married, she’d have missed all these jolly years, the memory of which she'll ahvavs cherish. Another thing, after looking out for

herself for so long, she’ll settle down : to domesticity far better than she would have ten years ago. Then, cooking and running a house would have seemed dull to her —now after years of restaurants and gadding about, she's quite ready for a mere peaceful life. Then there's the question of children. It may be rather better from tlie point of view of the mother's physical health ! if she has her first child before she is ; thirty, but in ever)- other way I think ■ that the woman of thirty is likely 1o make, a better mother than the younger ! Avoman. Molly has always loved ehii- j dren, and taken an interest in their j Avelfare, and during the last ten years ' she's collected a lot of useful information on every subject connected | with them. Her babies will be brought i up sanely and beautifully, T know. ] As for the idea that it's so much i nicer if .a woman is still quite young I Avheft her children arc grown up—l. have my doubts about that. llow many Avomen who have still felt and looked young at forty years have had to fight down their jealousy of a debutante daughter? Dr even if this doesn't happen, the woman Avho marries young often finds herself without interests in the early forties. Iler children are grown up and either married or out in the world lmsv with their own concerns --they don't need their mother as they used to. She feels too old and settled to find it easy to look for new interests, but vet far too young still to con- ! template cheerfully the idea of drop ping out of things. Molly Avill have none of these difficulties to contend with. She'll be well over fifty by the time her children are ready to try their wings, anil the. prospect of the future won’t dismay her. She'll look forward to being a grandmother not with a pang for lost youth, but with whole-hearted pride. T most, decidedly assert that for Miss j 1925, thirty-all marriages arc best. *