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
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