THE FACTS OF WIFE.
By Robert Warren'36. Illustrated by Abner Dean '31. NewYork: Rodney Publications, 1968. 111 pp.$3.95.
A lot of good old sound advice on "boys and bees and birds" runs on here in fatherly verse which isn't at all as corny as the reader might fear at first glance.
The jacket announces that "The Facts" is addressed to: (teenage girls from 13 to 53.) It's probable that the girls near the end bracket will be quicker to recognize the value of Mr. Warren's counsel than those near the beginning one, and it is quite possible that some Teeny-Boppers will not "deign to open the cover, but that still leaves a large audience to enjoy this witty guide to womanhood. .
The author skirts the biologic facts, assuming that all modern children are informed of them,
And then "gets on to other things That pave the path to wedding rings."
These things, all of which your grandmother knew even if she didn't put them into rhyme, can bear a lot of reiteration: your mate must rate your respect; don't plan to transform him by marriage; on the other hand, don't plan on remaining your old, independent self; a sense of humor is invaluable.
It is nice to know a father believes his daughter should learn the household arts, even while he urges her to continue her more formal education, and it is refreshing that he is not the sort of prude who disapproves of occasional four-letter words unless they are negatives such as can't and won't.
A good part of the book's charm is Abner Dean's line drawings which make the Battle of the Sexes quite a bit more ferocious than the intelligent compromise Author Warren is advocating. This is an amusing and touching compilation of durable truths with a foreword by, of all people, Milton Berle.
Only one caution:
Anyone who views with awe The future role of mom-in-law Will certainly appreciate The daughter this book should create, But sixty pages of this mete - R, is a surfeit of repeat
Editorial Assistant on the DARTMOUTH ALUMNI MAGAZINE, Mrs. Hier is the wife ofFrederick L. Hier '44, Director of PublicPrograms, Dartmouth College.
