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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1936)
if " ' -': ir7 V Today girls help carry the financial load along with their parents to keep the home fires burning By Alice L. Tildesley THAT age-old passion for arraigning youth has lately been indulged in by Pearl S. Buck, noted writer, in a recent article in a national magazine. She has, she says, been making a survey, of young men and women in America, and has found them to be "charming, mild and completely selfish." They are docile creatures who do not rebel against their parents and teachers as they should. They are beautiful, strong - bodied creatures with no angers and no determinations. American youth, continues Pearl Buck, is shielded, praised, coaxed and indulged ' Madge Evans, convicted on sight of being young, beautiful and charming, comes now before you to defend the youth of the land. "The charges are false absolutely false !" she declared, raising clear blue eyes from a perusal of them. "Youth Is not selfish It U greedy, perhaps. Just as puppies are greedy; It wants to taste everything to see what It's like. It has a hearty appetite for Ufa, but that's because It's healthy and young It's thoughtless, but It's not wicked. "Selfishness belongs to older people. When people grow old, something seems to happen to them I don't know what It Is, but they harden, become bitter and cruel, nothing matters to them but money. They think that what happens to youth doesnt matter. They dont care whether youth suffers or not. Let youth go to war, let them do without Jobs, let them put off getting married, let them eat out their hearts that's the attltudel All they cart about Is how much money It means to them. "That's what 1 call selfishness I" SLIM and lovely In a dove-gray dress, she sat on the blue couch In her living room and fairly flamed rlth Indignation. "Bo we're pampered, are we?" ah cried. "This Is the first I've heard of It. Who are these weird young people In Miss Buck's survey? "We arent a nation ol Barbara Hut tons. Vou might as weU say that all Americans are rich because John D - Rockefeller has done very well for him self. The wealthy girls and boys who are so carefully shielded and Indulged art In such a minority that they dor.1 count. The majority of our young peo ple are the Idle poor, and If you kne bow they feel, you wouldn't call them mild and without angers "I dont understand the viewpoint 01 the young people who think 'bread drops aa manna put of heaven, according to Miss Buck. I've worked ever since I was 1 year old My tirothe, and I posed for artists We did baby books We posed for advertlsemenfj When 1 wai 6 years old. I became a child star In motion pictures and continued workim with the company uutU I was 10 1 cant remember the time I dian, know that 1 had to tarn a living. When t was 10 I weut to school, when I made a number of young friends, who till art very dost. They havt nothing ( 0 i ' Prudence and Toughlt art two Seottiea that keep tht Madge Evane household In an uproar most of the day to do with tht stagt or screen, so I feel that when I discuss the youth of today I understand tht problems of boys and girls outside tht acting profession. "One of my schoolmates Is an Intern m Bellevue Hospital, ont of them Is In charge of Ciuip Fire Olrls' dubs. She's taring here with dm now, and wt often talk of tht problems that face our gen erationunemployment, the threat oi war. "I know about unemployment at flrst land. I spent a whole year looking fa irork after I left school. I used to vlsll igents' offices every day I did extra cork; I pursued managers and produc ers. I know what It Is to be one ol twenty-five girls sent out after one -ingle Job; to bt lined up In a row with twenty-four other girls and to try to look so different that choosing me would bt Inevitable. Just try to look smart and 'different' whtn you hartnt any ' Y C2) M T LnJ Takes money I It's bad tnough tht first fe times you go, but to keep going every lay Is what breaks your heart. "Then we've had It In the family, aa veil. My brother had a good Job In New 1'ork, but with the depression his .Irm vent out of business. He tried hard, but nt couldn't get anything to do, so at length Mother and I begged him to come .out here and stay with us whilt be looked around. He was with us for vear, going out every day to try to gat something to do. If what Miss Buck thinks of youth were tint, ht should have been content with things as they were, for he had a good home, plenty to eat, lots of entertainment. Ht was deprived of nothing but a chance to fork. "But ht wasn't satisfied. Ht made himself dangerously 111 worrying; for a tuna tht doctor wssiVt sure ht could pull him through. Whtn at last ht got Madge Evans Vigorous Issue With Pearl Buck's Charge That American Young Folks Are a Pampered and Petted Lot hit chance, ht recovered; now he's doing very well and we're proud of him " Bhe turned her bright bead at the sound of footsteps in tht hall, and hailed their owner. "Mother! Come in and tell us how -loclle your children are I" she cried Tell us how you've pampered me. Sit ,lown and listen to this Indictment." Mrs. Evans, thus appealed to, hearo It quietly. Then she said, with a smile: "I am afraid Miss Buck is confusing this country with China, It seems to me that she must bt thinking of my gen eration, rather than Madge's. I grew up In England In my day. youth didn't rebel against ageat any rata, not aloud. Wt might mutter to ourselves: Well, I don't believe that!' but wt dldnt dart aay so to tht autocrats who ruled tht homt. If my children dont agree with me, they argut tht question po lltely, perhaps, but Brmly. "In my day. If a girl had said to bn parents: 'I'm taking an apartment away from homt. I'm going to bt on my own' ins parents would bars said: Nonsense I' and yanked her homt by tht back of her neck. Today, such an announcement would bt received calmly. Madge Evans, de lightful to look at, lovely to know 'Very well,' the parent says, 'but that you settle the bills yourself, I'll support you at home, but when you leave, you're Independent.' "A mother of yesterday didn't permit her child to try her wings. She was afraid her darling would bump her bead or bruise herself out In a callous world. Today, sht knows that her child must learn how to take cart of herself, that she can't bt protected forever. Though It hurts, she must stand back and let the child alone." "We're both soft and mild, are we?" Madge cormcd the article again. "I can't believe the writer has met any of the girls I know She seems to be talk ing of girls of another era. Olrls like Agnes in 'David Copperfield,' Sht was sweet and faithful and pleasant. She was devoted to her fathei and sht waited ' foi David, patiently, until he was able, to afford to marry her All very com mendable, perhaps. "But today, Agnes would not havt wasted the years. She d have gont out after a Job herself and they'd have pooled their salaries and made a homt She might havt had to spend the day with a crabby old man who expected her to get out letters like a multlgraphlng machine, and sht might havt had to market after the left the office, and then prepare vegetables and salad, cook tht hamburger and fix gelatin for des sert when tht got home, but at least theyd have been together. "The old Idea was that girls must marry as soon as possible to get off tht family's back. They picked out a young man whatever young man was In sight and they got him If they were lucky, transferring themselves from Father's shoulders to his, but not altering tht fact that they wert burdens Today they help carry the load TUIE defender of youth began to at- I tack the prosecution. "They sacrifice, themselves tor us, do they? Not that I've noticed. "Look at the captains of Industry, as they used to bt called; those 'great men' who bad pleoes written about them In success magazines telling how .wonder ful they werel They rose from newt boy to head of tht establishment; they built empires; they acquired holdings so vast that they couldn't count them. And they dldnt know enough about manag ing their businesses to prtvtnt thtlr rashlng and wrecking tht worldl "Age should be condemned, not youth "Tht war was brought on by gray icards. to satisfy their greed, youth nad to do tti Sghtlng. That was to bt a war to end war, a war for humanity, a war to makt tht world aaft for de mocracy. It settled nothing. "Everything that happened afterward waa blamed on war-flaming dappers, tht depression, unemployment. And f rebellion against the old order of ings is what is wanted, I'll get up on soapbox and 'spout' It," declares Miss Evans now maybe they are going to havt an other war and kill some more young people. Age never learns. Experience teaches them nothing! "If rebellion 4a what Is wanted by those of Miss Buck's generation (who are responsible for the frightful mess we're In now), I'm going to rebel when war comes. I'll get on a soapbox and talk against sacrificing youth until somebody cracks me down, youth knows there's nothing to be gained by war, If older people don't." Madge sprang up from the couch. "That's Ruth coming In now I I'U get her. I'U let her tell you about young people today. She's the Camp Fire Club girl I mentioned " if'th Btevens, tall and dark and calm beside the golden flame that wot Madge, rtad tht challenge quietly. "Ruth attended the Youth Today con ference, all the big youth conventions," explained Madge, eagerly. "At one convention tht viewpoint of mora than 300,000 young peoplo was rep resented," said the calm girl. "It seemed to me that they wert bewildered, rather than mild. They wert anxious, worried, suffering. Their chief demand was for Jobs. They wanted to work more than anything else In the world. "One boy got up to address tht con vention In reply to attacks on youth. 'Wt dont want to bt like you older peo ple I' ht said, looking straight down at Newton D. Baker and the other officials. I think that expresses It as well as any thing else. They'd like to do something, but they haven't tht power.' "WHAT chance has youth?" Madga ' ' asked. Indignantly "No man gets Into a responsible position until he't 40 and that's young for most political jobs They say ht has no experience, but by the time they accept him, he't lost that fine keen sense of what is true. His belief in righteousness has dulled. That terrible something that happens to older people haa overtaken him, "Look at college elections, as compared to national ones. At college, they may argut at to a candidate s fitness for of fice, but they don't Indulge In personali ties. No one says: 'He can't bt presi dent because of his religion.' 'Wt wont tlect him because his sister was In a scandal.' 'Ht won't do because he't re nted to so-and-so. He's elected on hit . merits, because he'll make a good officer, and for no other reason. "How does that compart with cam paigns for national offices? They're un fair; they'rt filthy; they drag In things that have nothing to do with tht cast, "Youth Isn't afraid to try something new." "Not so long ago, students all over America staged a rally against war. They wert rebelling against something that you'd think would gain them tht r. ipect of every ont not actually In tf.a monster class. What happened? They were arretted, clubbed, called 'Rds'l Some were expelled. They had to takt them back again and admit they 'erent Reds,' but doesn't It makt you think? "It't the young people who 'Jill havt u fight If wt havt another war. Yti older people- havt tht nerve to talk of how they havt pampered 4t, Indulged us, sacrificed for us. "Give us tht world, and sea what wtU do with It. Olvt It to u now. Wt cant do worse with It than ',hey havt dontl" VMVHSM PAGE THREE t
