Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-02-01
CONFIDENCE OF A DIARY.
Instances of the Use and Abuse
Of Daily Record.
YOUTHS EXPERIENCES.
Moments Sy,unosium Divided - to
Benefits of the Practice HE
Bachelor Girl.

The other day two or three of Us had
fergalhcrcd for 4 cup Of Afternoon tea
and one of the women was telling with
great amusement of diary her young
sen had started, and which she had sur
reptitiously Inspected.
''He took part of his Christmas money
and bought him great. big, fine leather
covered one" she said. lin which he in
tended to put down the complete record
Of his life, He told me he thought it
would be interesting to ne able to turn
hack and see just exactly what he had
done every day. and that it would also
be a valuable mine Of information to his
future biOgrapher in case he should be
come President, or anything like that. /
agreed with BIN. and he started out with
immense energy and hope. The first page
was devoted to Il series of New Years
resolutions IF such exalted character they
would have turned him into an angel and
started the pin feathers of his wings to
growing in six weeks if he had carried
them out. Then begun the exciting
chronicle of daily life. The first entries
read:
Jan. 1.-Got up. Ate breakfast
Went to school. Played ball in the aft
crnoon. Had dinner Studied lessons.
w tiN W bNts SFptHiilS lidpBfAtus
Jan. Got up. Ate breakfast.
Went to school. Played ball in the after
iso0n. Had dinner. Went to bed, Moth
Jan. Scot up Ate breakfast.
Went to school. Played ball in the aft
ernoOn. Had dinner. STUDIED lessons.
Went to bed. Nothing happened today,
either.
Jan. Got. up. Ate breakfast.
Didn't go TO school, because it was Sat
urday. Played ball Went t. bed. Don't
believe keeping diary pays unless you
are on desert island, or shipwrecked, or
something
cnCe of the universal fate at keeping
diary, and then the woman in the fur
hat threw up her hands in Il gesture of
relief. "Thank heaven" she said. "that
form Of folly has gone out Of fashion,
anyway. 1t used to be the regulation
thing for a girl TO go through an age Of
ndiscretion in which she spread ont her
secret thoughts on paper. and stopped all
over the pages with sentimental gush that
il would make her blush to meet face to
face with in after life. Oh, have been
through it. and | recall the time when
would sit up of nights to indite twad-
die about being heart hungry, and longing
for soul mate, and wondering if | was
not too finely attuued to be ever per-
itttlS HuppS III iuiS NUTult WORTH. i ne
girls of this day are too healthy minded
for that They get out and play golf and
work, and when they get nome they want
to so to bed, instead Of communing with
diary"
"And when you wrote what you really
thaught of people they always found it
out somehow, didn't they?" asked an
ether middle-aged woman. Nobody
would look at n diary, of course Ii was
sacred from puPiptlE and 4 xVnnIH
have been so dishonorable to pry into its
secrets, but when you confded to it's
pages that you regretted to see that your
dear friend Fannie was running after
Jim Jones, or that while dear Miranda
was sweet girl but anybody could see
that she didn't have any real intelligence,
aud was frivolous and light-minded your
dear Fannie and Miranda always found
II out. 1t lost two cherished friends that
way before | learned that diary could
blab."
Its the men who seem now to be
taxing up the diary habit" said the girl
bachelor with the gold eyeglasses; Il
notice IN two recent divorce cases that
the diaries kept by the husbands form an
important point in the evidence. In one
me husband set down in his faithful
diary every spat between himself and his
Wite. 1t was aWfully interesting and
suggestive. One entry said: Quarrel
over breakfast. Steak cooked to Il Gin
der Another: Differed about window
shades in back room. If | express
preference for one shade she wants an
nther' And so on. There were dozens
't en-, for he had kept Il complete tally
'of An their domestic differences.
IN Inc other divorce case the husband
has contidcd his troubles to his diary
how his wife maze him cook. and sweep
ana make beds, while she went off TO
cluos and theosophical meetings. | have
seldom been more touched by rcadinS
anything. just fancy the picture of the
poor man, after having done his days
chores, with the last dish washed up auG
inc last cup towel spread out to dry
seeking his apartment there to pour ont
nus soul to his diary while his wife takes
her latch key and hieS gaily forth to hear
SS9me club paper on How 10 Manage a
husband But | can tell You one thing.
II the Judge permits the Introduction of
the Diary INTO the case as evidence. it por-
tendS no good to wives. Every husband
WIN start diary, and no wife will have
any assurance that she is safe in her Job.
Precious few wives. | can tel You, would
IKE TO face record OF all the family dis
(urbanceS, and their own eNtravagauce,
TO say nothing of the modification OF
knowing their husbands real opinion Of
them.
All. that's Just IT," put in the woman
IN the fur hat, 1--WE don't want 10 know
what our domestic partners really think
OF lis. Ii is soothing TO every mans van
ity to imagine that his wife estecmS hin
the biggest AMI brightest and bravc>f
creature in the world, and that when sh,
listens TO him she is oyerawed by his
wisdom. Every wife delights in pictur
ing herself as her husbands ideal of fem
innc perfection, because, she argues
he picked mo out Of all the word to b,
his wife How it would Jar the man
self love il he knew that his wife mar
ried him because she couldn't get Somt
other man she preferred and what
death blow it would be to her Sclf.com
placcncy if she could only guess that h
asks himself every time he looks at her
what on earth made him do itf
Neither one do know these HON,
truths. and they get along smooth,
enough. but if either one contracts tn,
diary habit and goes to setting dow
their secret thoughts, the matrimonial
fat is in the fire. Another thing. too. is
that the secret of happiness is in for
getting. You never know how mucl
money you are spending unless You tax,
10 setting down every penny. which i
the reason never keep an account. an,
am poor and happy. and it Is the sam
way with domestic SpatS and troubles
1t Is when you get to adding them tc