The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-28
DOROTHY DIX TALKS
BY DOROTHY DIX
Worlds Highest Paid Woman Writef.
Politeness in the Family Circle.

Politeness in the Family Circle.
The one thing that causes more mis-
cry than anything else in the world is
the lack of just plain, ordinary, COM
mon poIiteness in the family circle.
This sounds like an extravagant
statement, but it is literally true that
more heart aches have been caused
by the lack of politeness in the family
circle, more tears have been shed over
it, more homes broken up by it. more
wreck and ruin caused by it than by
war, drink and infidelity all put to-
gether
For war does not last forever. No
body is perpetually drunk, or forever
philandering. These, at worst, are
episode But our daily life with those
of our own household is forever with
us. 1t is something that we rise up
and sit down with, that We never
escape from, and if that frets and
gals US it is a torture from which
there is no relief.
Our home life is the most import
ant thing in the world to us. IL 1t Is
happy nothing else matters. If IT is
unhappy, nothing atones for it What
are struggle, hard work, poverty, and
lack of appreciation from the outside
world to the man and woman who can
shut the door of their home and find
within it love and tenderness, gentle
ness and admiration! How empty the
triumph and success; how worthless
the money of the man and woman
who know that when they go home
they will meet only brutal criticism
and nagging, surliness and COM
plants!
We talk about "home sweet home"
We sentimentalize over it and poetize
about it, but when millions of us sing
that there is no place like home,
We thank God for it There is still
somewhere left for us to go where we
can receive courteous treatment, and
have some consideration shown to our
feelings.
Moralists and students of social
conditions write learned essays about
the causes of divorce and the de-
cadence of family life. They talk
trend of the times toward Individual
ism, and SO on. Piffle. It's nothing
but the lack of politeness in the fam
lily circle that bursts it into smither-
Gems.
It's the impoliteness of husbands
and wives and of brothers and sisters
to each other; the impoliteness of par
ents to children, and children to par
ents. We stand it as long as we can,
and then we flee to the society OF
those who do not feel that they can
eliminate all the restraint of civilized
Why people should feel that they
have perfect liberty to insult their
nearest and dearest whenever they
feel like it is one of the mysteries of
human psychology that nobody can
explain. 1t merely remains a bitter
fact that there s. nothing else SO
mercilessly cruel as the candor of a
near relation, and that your worst
enemy treats you with more courtesy
than do those who are bound to you
by the closest tie of blood and affec-
ton.
This is why, when anyone says to
u.s. Come and visit me, l will treat
you just as if you were member of
the family we never go. We don't
want to be treated as a member of
the family. We want to be treated as
a perfect stranger. Neither do we
want to be treated like anybody's
mother or son, father or daughter.
We want the consideration that would
be shown to somebody else's parents
and children
The other day I was dining with
some friends and the little 6-year-old
son accidentally knocked over his
glass of water Instantly. the mother
bounced on him in fury, scolding
him for his carelessness, calling him
a little pig and finally sending him
away from the table.
The little fellow got up with his
baby face convulsed with grief and
sha me. and as he climbed from his
chair he said:
why don't you treat me like
was company, and say ii doesn't make
any difference like you did to Mr..