The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1913-06-26
A Theory
By GRACE OCLESBY
By GRACE OCLESBY

Of hysteria. When people leave q
beaten track to strike out into new
paths they are liable to bewilderment.
and so when they find or believe they
have found that they have been influ-
enced by false ideas in seizing new
ones they are prone to jump from the
frying pan into the fire. More than
this, they are liable to jump from
terra firma into water altogether too
deep for them.
One of the new departures Of the
present day is dissatisfaction with
marriage as we in America have
and mother had lived together COM
fOrtably, bringing up half a dozen
children. Kent at twenty-five discov-
cred that they had taken a great risk
in binding themselves so closely to-
gether that there was no easy way for
them to break the chain. In their
case fortunately they had not wished
to break it. But, as for him, he did
not intend thus to tie himself up. He
believed in experimental marriage. II
he married he would reserve the right
to leave his wife as soon as he ceased
to love her, and she should have the
same privilege with regard to him.
Miss Estelle Woodruff, being about
the same age as Brakeman, also grew
up in the same atmosphere Of hyster-
ical reform. She heard persons talk
ing about the frequency of divorce,
marriage being a failure and kindred
subjects, and her mind was very sus-
ceptible to absorb new theories. Blake
man found few women to sympathize
with him in his notions about mar
riage-most reforms begin with a
paucity of numbers-and when he met
Miss Woodruff and made an easy con-
vert of her he was much pleased with
her-that is, he was much pleased
with himself for having struck into a
new path-and considered the girl
above the ordinary in that she had
appreciated his ideas.
There is an infinite variety Of mental
structure among human beings. Blake
man, who married Miss Woodruff, was
Of q different brain. He kept on de
velOping in his anti-marriage theories
while she, with the coming Of children
ceased to take an interest in them and
at last turned against them.
Perhaps it was the discovery that
he had been mistaken in his wife's
mental caliber that started him in his
idea that they were not fitted for each
other Their union had lost it's romance
and was becoming humdrum. It seem
ed to him that the connubial kiss morn.
ing and night had lost its Zest He had
asserted when bachelor that the hon
eymoon should last always and that
when it had completely waned it was
time for the couple to separate and
each find new mate.
Time came when Brakeman conclud-
ed to "be true to himself" as he put
it, and claim the privilege he had re-
served for himself when he married
He made several attempts to get his
courage up to point where he could
tell his wife that she was not his af-
f1nity and that he proposed to free him
self from her and make another trial
to find a real and lasting mate. At last
he succeeded.
Between q passing influence in youth
and a woman who had been made over,
so to speak, by the possession Of two
little children-a boy and girl-thcre
was an enormous difference. She was
not only surprised by her husbands
announcement; she was thunderstruck.
But If she had not developed she
had insensibly come into a lot OF
horse sense To attempt to argue her
husband out Of his nonsense she knew
would be futile. To oppose him would
be equally so. Moreover, she remem
bered that at the time Of her marriage
she had coincided with his views. 1t
was he who had been consistent. she
who had changed. 1t had been mu
tually agreed that when either wished
for freedom it should be granted.
She held to her agreement, though
she recognized the outcome as q great
misfortune But she was plucky as
we'll as proud woman and gave no
sign of what blow she suffered. The
prenuptial agreement gave the children
If any came-to the mother, and this
was, of course, a godsend to her. She
wondered as she looked back when the
provision was made that she had very
nearly assented to conditional prOpo-
sition to divide the children between
husband and wife.
When all preliminary arrangements
had been made Mrs. Brakeman and her
children-the little ones being igno
rant Of the separation of their parents
took a train for the mothers birth
place, where they expected to live.
Brakeman saw them off and as the
train was starting kissed them all and
left the car.
He stood on the platform, looking
after them as they rolled out of the
station. and all of sudden a great
light broke In upon his brain, and he
said to himself:
What an addle pated ninny I have
made Of myself"
Going to the ticket Office. he bought
ticket for the next train to follow
them. and the same night. when the
mother was ruefully hearing the chit
dren say their prayers. the father
swooped down on them like cyclone
and took them all in one embrace.
Has Rlakeman given up theory:
Never: His theory now is that the
family is all there is I'm the world
worth living for, and hereafter he pro
poses to live for his family only. Since
his theory is sound all are happy.