September 1973

DIVORCE IS IT DESTROYING THE AMERICAN FAMILY?

The high rate of divorce in this country is clearly cause for concern. And increasingly the concern is changing to alarm. The American family, some say, is divorcing itself out of existence. What's more, recently published statistics indicate more young people appear to be shunning marriage, avoiding the formation of a family in the first place.

Getting the most out of life insurance

Most people think of life insurance as providing money for their families in case of death-- and rightly so. Life insurance is about the cheapest low-risk way you can obtain significant financial protection immediately. Even though you had just paid your first premium on a $20,000 policy, for example, your family would receive the full $20,000 if you were to die.

Disc brakes: are they better?

As you have probably noticed, the automotive industry is gradually switching from drum brakes-- the kind we've had for about 50 years-- to disc brakes. For 1974 they are standard equipment on numerous cars and light trucks, and are the only power brake option on many others. Within the next few years, practically all cars can be expected to come with disc brakes.

More miles from a gallon of gas

With the impending energy crisis and rising cost of gasoline, every extra mile you can get from a gallon means more money in your pocket than ever before. Or, you may want to look at your savings in another way-- if fuel should be rationed in the future, economical driving habits could mean traveling many more miles on the same quantity of fuel each year.

What a gasoline pump can tell you

Most car owners buy their gasoline on the basis of regular or premium grades as recommended for their cars by the manufacturer. These grades, however, may fade out of the automotive language as a new gasoline grading system begins to come into general use.

Is a community college right for your child?

Mount San Jacinto, Miami-Dade, Nairobi, Navajo Community, Hostos, Chicago City-- their names frequently are unfamiliar even to persons living a few miles from their campuses. Yet two-year community colleges like these now comprise nearly half the nation's 2,500 institutions of higher learning and enroll more than one-third of our college students. ...

Plain facts about hair loss

Officials of the Council of Better Business Bureaus recently answered an ad that offered to diagnose and treat hair problems by mail. They sent the advertiser a sample of hair and received a reply assuring them that, indeed, the owner of the hair definitely needed help, but a $9.95 set of treatments would do the job.

GARDENING IN SEPTEMBER

Gardeners: get ready for winter Those signs of fall in the air don't mean you can relax and throw in the trowel just yet. Here are some reminders to help you ready your garden for late fall and winter.

Ten questions to ask about your pension plan

There were at last count almost 250,000 private and state and local government pension plans, ranging from huge corporate and multi-employer plans with assets in the billions of dollars to small one-employer plans with assets in the thousands of dollars. It is only a slight exaggeration to say no two plans are identical in every detail.

Your pension: will you ever collect?

Some 30 to 40 million Americans work at jobs that promise a company pension when they retire. But unless improvements are made in the way private pension plans operate and are regulated, millions of families will never collect a cent. Even worse, many won't learn that they have no pension coming until they apply for it.

HOW TO SHOP A NEW HOUSE

When you go looking for a new house, there's much to consider. And a mistake can be costly-- or deprive you of full enjoyment after you move in. This two-part article gives you the ammunition you need to make the right decision.

Backyard ceramics for beginners Raku

If you've wanted to take up ceramics but the time and cost turned you off, try raku. It's a less expensive, shorter version of the potter's art that can lead to more advanced work.

How to set up a health program for your cat

Far too many otherwise sensible people act as if they really believed the myth that a cat has nine lives. That may be because cats have an air of cool self-sufficiency and independence. But don't be deceived. A cat, like a dog, requires proper care to stay in good health. And the best time to consider a feline health program is when you choose a kitten.

GOOD NEWS

Watering your flowers and shrubbery will be less of a chore with this permanent watering system. It costs a fraction of an underground system and takes only minutes to install.

How to protect your credit rating?

It can happen to any family: a lost job, a costly medical emergency, or perhaps just a mistake in financial judgment. Suddenly you find yourself going through a painful period when you can't pay your bills. How do you keep your credit rating alive while you're weathering the storm?

How to get last-minute money for school

Even though you've budgeted for the big slice of money that college will cost, you may find yourself strapped for a few extra hundred or so now that the school year is about to start. Perhaps there are immediate bills for tuition or room and board to meet. Or you want to set up some funds for your youngster's upcoming cash expenses for the year.

New is old and old is new

Doing the unexpected can add excitement to life, and that holds true for the way you decorate your home. Anyone can carefully match contemporary furnishings to a contemporary room-- but it takes a free spirit to eschew the safe and the obvious, and use mellow antiques instead.

Perennials for long run color

If you are itching to get started with fall planting, this two-part series is for you. In this issue, you'll learn about perennials. Next month, watch for spring bulbs. Perennials have lots of good qualities. They're easy to grow, long-lasting, beautiful in bloom and as cut flowers.

DOUBLE-USE SEWING CENTERS

Since the typical sewing center just sits there between sewing jobs, it often gets low priority on the list of family needs. But these ingenious units are different. They earn their floor space twice over by doing two jobs, or more. You can pick a traditional or contemporary unit, then count on it to work overtime in your bedroom, family room, or utility area. All four units are easy to build.

Fall sewing special

TWO ON THE TOWN

American cities have been getting a bad press in recent years. Street crime, pollution, exorbitant prices-- such common urban woes have been so thoroughly reported that people who feel fortunate indeed to live elsewhere must wonder whether our modern metropolitan centers are even nice places to visit anymore.

How to order material from the magazine

Perennial how-to

Two things determine the best planting time for perennials: first, the growth habits of the species, and second, the part of the country where you live. In colder regions, transplant at least six to eight weeks before freezing weather so roots have time to get established.

Better Homes Shopping editor's choice

Discover the fun and convenience of shopping by mail! You can order with complete confidence any of the items shown: each company will refund your money if you're not delighted.

The man next door

Times-Goes-On Dept.: The neighborhood children I used to worry about cars hitting as they played in the street now are driving the cars that I worry about hitting me.