The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-03-04
FROM WOMAN S
POINT OF VIEW

/ l have never been able TO understand
why men keep the shape OF the mouth TO
an advanced age provided they retain
their teeth, while the feminine mouth IN
dergOes a change long before her hair be-
gins TO fade. A physician whom know
attributes the change 10 the feminine
habit OF worrying. hdgetty nerves. a too
serious view of life. or I'll nature. any
one OF which works havoc with the entire
set Of features. he declares.
/ Now, worrying is needless. we all know
that 1t will not avert calamity, and Il
/ doubles every unpleasant feature OF life
1t is a habit to be continued or dropped
as we please, and pleading inability to
avoid it is acknowledging a weakness Of
which healthy human nature ought TO be
ashamed II rObs life Of its sweetness,
! and there is none too much OF that for
any Of US, I reckon. II puts wrinkles in
the skin and seams in the disposition. and
the changes are bound 70 De visible 20 the
eyes Of the outside world.
We cannot get away from the fact that
insanity is increasing at a frightful rate
and the beginning OF II is diseased nerves
They are not liable 10 a long series OF dis
eases. Ike the body. and in the beginning
they are tough and strong. They yield
inch by inch TO a steady pressure which.
10 do US justice. is not always realized till
the mischief is done. We DO not see
nerves as We see hands and face, so we
forget that they have any part In exist
ence and this lack OF memory Is often
responsible for the foolish things that are
done against the nerves. There cannot be
much censure in such cases, even though
the results are the same as aWnen injury
is willfully done.
To encroach upon sleeping hours to
neglect exercise, and to violate the laws
of health is to sin against the nervous
system. We may have to give I'D sleep
at times. but exercise In some form is
always possible. and the laws Of health
are too simple and well known to give
trouble 20 any but the INDECENT. There
Is no amusement worth the sacrifice of
health. bodily and mental, and there Is
little work that makes unusual demands
upon the health. In the majority Of cases
manageable nerves are not necessarily
Affections before they have got entirely
beyond the reach Of remedies.
We are told so often that life is IN
certain and full Of misery. that we have
come TO regard It in a very serious light
OF course life is no joke. but why should
we not regard It IN a pleasant way even
when we have TO work hard 10 make It
possible at all? We might enjoy what
ever brightness falls in our path, and
not hunt for misery with a magnifying
glass. We need not carry more than a
fair share OF burdens. and we have the
best Of rights to look as well as we can
II we have a good point we should en-
phasize it and keep it as long as pos
sible. A pretty mouth is desirable
possession. and to allow it to droop at
the corners or settle into unattractive
straight lines is to wantonly throw away
good looks. Watch the people with whom
you ride in the cars. and count the men
who have well-shaped mouths. with fresh
looking lips. and note the lack OF such
features in all but the very young women.
That tells the story.
BETTY BRADEEN.