Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-01-17
sHR TOOK oNE OF HER SPELLS.

- e.
Cincinnati Commercially
A lady was seized with 4 painful
spasm Of emotional insanity recently
on seeing her divorced husband out
sleigh-riding with another. In her
madness she attempted to strike the
other-who, We may mention, was also
a woman-with a whip, as she passed.
1t is true she had a divorce from the
man, and he was nothing to her at hat
time, any more than any other man,
who might have married her at some
other time. Whatever injury he had
done her affections had been healed,
according to the laws of the land, by
some $4,000. She had no pecuniary
claim on her ex-husband. All that
was left her in the way of punishment
of the perfect wretch, who had the
bad taste not to appreciate her pro-
perly, was to freeze him with polite
Indifference.
She did not adopt the icy c%ivility
plan, however. Whatever ice there
was in her turned suddenly to vitriol
at sight of her successor, so to speak,
She was always wrought up to a pitch
Of frenzy when she met the other wo-
man on the street. In her paroxysms
of sentimental insanity it is still feared
she will lose her mind permanently.
People are wondering whether she will
not kill herself when her emotions rush
to her brain.
The neighbors make music in the
frosty air of Tifin, saying that no
peril is to be apprehended unless " she
takes one of her spells" When
these come on, the world may expect
to hear from her. 1t is much to be
regretted there has never yet been
contributed to science any adequate
analysis of feminine tantrums. 1t is
the prerogative of the sex, and
passes all philosophy. Women have
fewer privileges than men in many
ways. They may not vote, smoke or
swear. The dazzling dignity is not
permitted them of going to Washing
ton and being a member They
are under the thumb of the male sex
when it comes to being a city council
man nay, in Ohio they may not even
be elected to the school board. They
must sometimes promise to obey, es-
pecially if they are ceremonious about
matrimOny. AS to the other wrongs
of the fairer half of the race, behold
are they not writ with a pen of iron
in the lining of Dr. Mary Walkers
silk hat2 Women must suffer this,
that and the other from their lords
and lawmakers, but for all this they
have revenge on the male sex in the
ample privilege of taking a spell. It's
the n invincible weapon whereby
they make the masculine gender
panicky and easily persuaded.
Many a recall the sound of slam
ming doors, banging pots and pans,
and the sight of a very small woman
with eyes flashing fire, while outside
the house on the edge of a bench, ap-
pears also a masculine biped three
times the little woman's size, a hard
listed old man, with a haggard coun-
%tenance, who, perchance, with a timid
glance and %deprecating hint of humor-
Gus possibilities, whispers under his
breath to an affrighted guest, "She's
in one of her ways"
1t is limited, indeed, that ever her
majesty, Queen Victoria, is not too
royal to indulge in tantrums. On
these occasions her majestic behavior
is said to be a caution to the Prince
of Wales. With this charmed sword.
blade the helpless sex causes the whole
human world, at times, to knucklC
down. In classic ages, crazy women
were regarded as ~seeresses and reyer.
enced accordingly. Such a female
lunatic most likely was Cassandra. the
doleful prophecies of Troy. In earlier
days, in Ireland, Scotland and Ger.
many, considerably more heed wa:
paid to the rawlings of insane women
than was given to the wisest counsel.
OF the sex in Its senses. The univer.
sal tendency to give respectful elbow.
room to ladies in the tantrums. i,
possibly a survival Of the classic su.
perstition.
These uncomfortable fits are liable
to happen without any known cause OF
definite electric state Of the atmos.
phere. Sometimes they take the form
of a three days pout. Then it is thai
the mighty home influence of woman
is felt most intensely and is brought
to bear most effectually upon the hus.
band and the kitchen brigade. Tn,
servants are sent skipping here anC
there like a mistletoe on a hot shovel
and at the point where they are abou.
to give warning, the usual thing is fol
them to be told by the lady to get an.
other place, which order is followed
next morning by the information tina.
they needn't do it. She is at length
"over it,"
A woman who never gets into ION,
of her ways" is unfeminine. She il
Ignorant of woman's mightiest lever {,
move the moral world. A certain de
voted husband, long since departed t,
the realm of shades, used to answer in
quiries after his wife's health in tone
which glowed with admiration as h,
said: six men couldn't hold he
when she takes one of her spells.
There was superiority. The lords o
creation are helpless as a child befor,
a power like that. They may profes,
contempt for it all, but the pretens,
is only a whistling to keep their cour
age up. That woman died with he
most shining powers undeveloped, o
whom her husband wrote the sinpula
epitaph: She was a woman who neve
took a SPELL"
An Incident OF Resumption.
New York Timos.l
A wall proeoryod Ill oo.Al