The Washington herald., 1907-10-11
WOMAN'S
POINT OF VIE w

In the opinion Of alienists overwork
Is not responsible for the increase in in
sanity-worry and strain deserve the
blame. The class of men and women
who work hard. live contentedly, and
sleep regularly, is not on speaking terms
with insanity, or even with nervous pros
traJion. 1t Is where human beings strive
TO crafty longings J1 an insufficient in
come where they waste strength IN pleas
ure seeking. when they need rest and
sleep. when they worry over tomorrow
and the day after. that We find nervous
wrecks and diseased braias.
It Is the acme Of foolishness 10 strive
to compete for such silly honors as so
cial prominence with those who have the
advantage Of financial equipment. There
is no sense in sacrificing the real sweet
ness Of living for show or for pleasures
that bring TO lasting Joy. There is a
great deal to enjoy in this world, even
for those who work hard and earn little.
but if the capacity for enjoyment is
lacking there might as Well be nothing
bright and cheerful The world is duh
and gray 10 the unfeeling as II IS devoid
Of sound 70 the deaf or Of nght 20 the
blind. The world Is practically what we
make il, and 10 voluntarily choose gray
ness is scarcely the course Of a sensible
human being.
I know stories Of wrecked lives beyond
number. wrecks that were unnecessary
because restIessness was at the bottom
Of them. We cannot truthfully say that
a restless spirit cannot be controlled, for
humanity Is daily winning more serious
battles every day The habit Of long
standing is hard to break, Of course, but
there never was a condition Of mind that
could not be put down. and Kept down,
by a healthy exercise Of win power.
We are perpetually reminded that we
must exercise every muscle in the body TO
preserve the elasticity of the whole We
take expensive courses in physical exer-
else to keep the body alert and respon-
sive. and allow the mental forces TO go
to decay. The power Of will is used only
for petty purposes, and so fails when
great strain is laid upon IT, The brain is
set at work upon unwholesOme tasks.
and it, too, fails when most needed. We
hear a great deal about sef-willed
women, and generally find that they ac-
complish nothing better than making life
harder for easy-gOing persons. They do
not-perhaps CannOt-use their power for
laudable purposes. so We see mothers
gTieving perpetUally for dead children
and women Of all ages accepting hard
knocks from the world without a flicker
Of proper resentment
1t is wicked to rebel against death after
all mortal efforts to repel 1t have failed.
Grief is a natural sentiment and not an
unhealthy one when common sense ac-
companies it. Time has a healing power
If II is allowed 10 work IN its own way.
and there is very little favOritism shown
by fate. A cOntented people is a pros
porous one, but cOntentment need not
mean the passive acceptance of unpleas-
ant conditions. It certainly should mean
the ignoring of disagreeables which can
not be remedied, and there is where the
line between sense and foolisbness lies.
The increase in insanity each year is
a peril to be reckoned with. The strain
Of business life must be eased and the
drain upon the nervous system by un-
healthy living must be checked if the
peril is to be effectively met The
vaunted restlessness of the country is re-
garded as the prime factor of its prog
ress, but other nations have done quite
as we'll under easier conditions, and have
left the victOTs in better condition
mentally. morally, and physically. Some
body was complaining, recently, over the
disappearance of the facilities to rough
It, but the complaint was groundless.
because We can ignore costly luxuries. If
we choose. We may want bath tubs at
the seashore, but we do not need them,
for 1t has been practically demonstrated
that person can be perfectly clean with
no larger receptacle than a hand basin.
So the question of luxury resolves itself
into individual parts. In any event II
is not worth the sacrifice of ones mental
balance. BETTY BRADEEN.