The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-02-23
WOMEN AND NERVES
HOW TO BE HAPPY THOUGH DEL.
ICATE.

Gtn-.-"Oe Between NERVOUSNESS ana
Dyspepsia-A Mild Form of insanI'
ty-Value of Outdoor Air and
Scenes-A Bundle of Hatreds.
Nervousness has been defined as
that feeling which prompts woman
10 burst into tears when, after order
ing poached egg i'll restaurant, she
is confronted with fried one instead.
says writer in the New Eng and
Homestead. This perhaps is the great
difference between nervousness and
dyspepsia. a nervous woman weeps
over Il fried egg; dyspeptic man
picks it UP and filings it at the head
of the retreating waiter That is to
FAY, he filings 1t in imagination, and it
is only by the greatest exercise OF sell
control that he reirains from doing
SO in fact. Nervousness is mild form
of insanity, in which reason spends
most Of her time III lettering on her
throne, being unable apparently ether
TO secure firm seat or to step down
and out altogether The nervous wo
man is bundle eli hatreds. She de-
tests the pattern of her carpet or wall
paper Her husbands little habit of
screwing up his face, when he is cary
ing the meat at dinner, makes him ap-
pear villianeus in her eyes. When
Tom drags IA chair across the floor, or
Susie says Il done it," she is ready to
pounce on them and shake them till
their milk teeth chatter. Most OF the
neighbors are depraved; the rest are
clearly imbecile. Nobody understands
her-her own people least Of all She
remembers hundred occasions in
past when she was manifesuy treat.
ed with injustice, and her leisure
moments are spent in relieving these
narrowing scenes. Frequently the pa
tent realizes and deploreS her own
childiShness, but has not sufficient
strength of will to overcome it
The tearfulness which is so annoy
ing symptom in this malady-the
hySterical conviction thai one has got
to cry profusely and Immediately, and
that no earthly power can save her
this can be relieved or prevented by
simple means. Pouring cold water
over the elbows and allowing it to
run down to the wrist, or loosening
the dress and gently pounding the
body about the small of the back and
abdomen with the clenchcd hands, are
operations easily managed by the in.
valid herself, and invariably relieve
nervous tension. Rut the cure of the
disease requires more radical treat
ment.
Suppose at that time of the year
when the farm work can be safely left
in the hands of sons or cousins or the
hired man, the husband Of the ner-
vous woman brings the horse to the
door and invites her to take a drive.
She utters IA hundred objections, but
he kisses her complaining lips into
smiling though skill doubtful acquies-
cence, and ties on her bonnet with his
own kind, clumsy hands They drive
II miles and stop at village tavern
fer dinner. and then drive II more
miles and stop at another tavern for
the night. A similar program Is car
ricd out the next day. and the next,
and for as many days and weeks as
the money for their simple expenses
holds out. 1t matters not what direc
ton they go in, so that 1t is far from
home and far from the beaten paths
of Homework and the roads and res
possibilities and relatives that are
too, too familiar The invalid gets
more fresh air in a dsy than she used
to get in a month. The meals are not
as good us those she cooks herself. but
they are different and she doesn't
have to think about them-these are
the great points. No other woman she
meets seems to be having as pleasant
time as she Is having; no other wo-
mans husband seems to be half as
Considerable as her own. They study
the geography of their country, mead
ow by meadow and concession by con-
cession. 1t is better worth studying
than the dust on the Sideboard OF the
stains ON the tablecloth. Occasionaily
they let the horse rest foran aftsn
while they roam about the woods or
go for a row on the river. The pa
tieAee and peace of nature steal into
her heart, and take possession of her
life. At the end of the first week she
feels so much younger that it is diff
cult to tell whether she is being
eleped with or is on her wedding jour
ney.
Out-ef-door air and outef door
scenes and out-of-door thoughts are
the only cure for jaded nerves. A
place Of shelter is very good and
useful institution when viewed from
the outside. The trouble with most of
us nervous women is that we insist on
ooonn,uIof Zoo In rr,a oalIna4sox.