Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-16
on THE INCREASE.
Many Women Almost on the Verge
Of Hysterics.
New York Sun.

CNew York SUM
Half the women in the new New York
nowadays seem to be nervous almost 10
the verge of Mysteries. If this tendency
keeps on increasing as It has increased
in the last ten years, it will be very
short time before womankind is all
nerves. Nine women out of ten, If ques-
toned, will frankly confess that they
fall to crying without any reason for
tears whatever; that the desire frequent
ly comes to them TO scream at the top
of their lungs; that they often long to
go away to some place where there isn't
so much as a song-bird 10 break The
silence OF course. woman in this
condition wouldn't stay in such a place
long, because she has sunk into the
realms of sensation and must have
change, If she does not have change she
will actually become hysterical or col
lapse physically and mentally, just as
the farmers wife does because she lives
at the other extreme of the belt of life.
Her path is a treadmill of monotony, and
she finds herself just as nervous as her
city sister, but she is nervous in diff
ferent way. and she declares that she is
only Ealing a mite and nothing more or
less"
When asked If the reason for so much
nervousness in women is not largely the
result of so much noise, DR.. George f.
Shrady said:
1T Is said that one of the balances
Of culture is the absence of noise and an
evidence of culture is that people should
not give way TO any feeling or emotion.
Half or two thirds Of the women nova
days are nervous to the verge Of hys-
terics, and this tendency is increasing
1t is true that this condition is largely
the result of noise, or rather the result
of the repression ol feeling. Think how
shocked everybody in a street-car would
be If every woman in the car screamed
when the gong changed and Changed and
Changed unnecessarily, as 1t frequently
does. And yet nearly all the women who
travel in cars feel like doing that. This
constant repression has It's bad effect on
men as well as on women, but men
aren't so delicately organized, SO sensi-
tive to sound. and so on.
MANY noises are incident TO civilization
and cannot be avoided, but the preventa-
BILE noises are most exasperating. The
rafting OF car-rails In the street at night
can easily be stopped, but it will keep
woman, or a man, for that matter awake
for hours Every stroke exasperates her
more and more. until her nerves are all
on edge and she is in condition that
does not invite repose. That same woman
can be lulled TO sleep by the roar OF
thunder and flashes of lightning in
severe storm. The trickllng of water In
A bath tub, the siamming of : door, the |
sound of piano, all preventable noises. |
disturb a persons peace of mind. but |
they are the penalties of civilization.
Many Of our city houses. particularly |
apartment houses are built so that every |
neiehbor can hear his next door neighbor |
sniff or sneeze. or his neighbor above |
wash his hands or let down his window |
shades. A person has TO consider all this |
when he rents. We rave about church |
bells. beautiful things IN their way, but |
an outrage in city. We have noise all |
round and about us, and II comes In 10
us In the very air We breathe In our
homes. We can't ali have tan bark be-
fore our doors. The poor working girl |
goes home 10 her hall bedroom In a