Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-05-11
Our Nerves
BY VIRGINIA TERHUNE VAN DE WATER

NE VAN DE WATER
frank talks on marriage Does the woman
love her children more than her husband
Perhaps some reader can answer this
query better than ] can. II 90. and she
has the courage and candor 10, do NO, II
would be interesting to note her repiy.J
But to return TO our nervous woman
by the time her husband has had his say
she 10 reduced to tears. or 10 state Of
eseitshilty that would bring on an at
tack OF nerves" II she did not have one
already Yet II she called her husbands
attention TO this fact he would probably
remind her that his only desire had been
to protect her from the effects OF the
chiidren's noise. f
II she does not object TO precipltating
quarrel the wife may remind the hus-
band that one such scene as that which
he has lust produced will do her more
harm than would the children's laughter
and romping But she will do well to
spare herself that speech. for the hug
band will not believe II. In fact. he viii
possibly tell her that she 10 not likn
herself these days.a Poor soul. as IL she
were not already painfully aware of the
facti
Yet. as have already said. the hus-
bsnd he not entirely to blsms. A healthy.
strong man does not comprehend how
certain things affect woman.
As he cannot understand them. why
talk to him about themf say TO yonr
husband that YOU are tired, have a
headache, Indigestion. toothache--af,y.
thing except that yon are nervous. Ii
you confess the truth he win make "a
frantic effort at sympathy that VIII make
you more nervous than ever, or. wili
show an Impotence born OF Ignorance.
To confess ones self nervous Is fatal
error anyway. II Is like acknowledging
that one 10 frightened. AZ soon as one
does that all ones courage disappears
and one ia In a state Of abject fear 90
those Intangible tyrants. nerves. stand
ready TO torture the person who ae-
knowlsdgss their supremacy. A woman
finds her hands and feet cold. her breath
coming quickly. her spirits sinking, ana
she exclamation. ! am 80 nervouass
and straightaway feels worse than ever
ignore the condition or attribute II to
some other cause. Say Il am faint tor
want Of food. and am tired" Take
something to eat and lie down for q fsw
minutes. You may not feel well as re-
suit. but you will feel better.
Years ago ] was much amused At
watching very small boy VINO wss
supersensitive and cried easily. II he
had a fall or his feelings were hurt
he would watch HE mother and n shs
said. Now. don't cryl'' his lips would
trembls and he would burst into wall
Of anguish. But II his hurt was ignored.
and nothing was said about his con-
trolling himself, he would not shed q
tear. This mention of q certain con-
dition had the effect OF producing IT.
SO with our nerves. This 10 too shert
an article for me to begin to mention
the various ways In which they maai-
fest themselves. Women know them.
but men don't. The difference in the
nervous organism Of the male and fs-
male OF the species Is one Of the things
which no man can understand. or wants
to understand. That is where the six diff.
ference manifests itself. There are many
ways in which woman are Incompetent
sibie TO men and In talking with them
we would do well 20 avoid mention Of
these.
There are things about men that may
be ineomprehensible to women. but our
sex would not acknowledge il, nor do
all men confess that women are enis-
mas. They are not, really. but men think
they are. Karin Michaelis says, Il
have conversed with many famous doc
tors and have pretended to admire their
knowledge while inwardly was much
amused at their simplicity. They know
how 10 cut us open and stitch US up
again-as children open their dolls TO
see the sawdust with which they are
stuffed and sew them up again after
wards with needle and thread But they
get no further"
! do not enjoy talking or thinking Of
sex antagonism for / like men and
do not want TO believe in it. But II there
is one thing about a woman for which
the average man has an antagonism. IL
is her nerves. He may pity her. he may
love her so much that he is ali sympathy
with her suffering. but he does not want
to hear about her nerves-ln fact. he gets
tired 10 death of them. Then why tell
men that we have them?