The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-28
DOROTHY DIX TALKS
BY DOROTHY DIX
Worries Highest Paid Woman Writer.
Know Thyself.

huOW 1uSSSII.
Did you ever think that the one
person in the world who is a greater
stranger to you than any one else. is
you. yourself;
Also, did you ever think that the
person with whom you take least
trouble to get acquainted is yourself!
Queer, isn't it? One would think
we would have more curiosity on the
subject TO try to find out just what
manner of man or woman. with how
much mentality, what sort of posi-
| bilities, what tendencies, what kind OF
Hooks. we are going to- have to live
every day and hour of our lives. But
we don't. We never really investigate
into the sort of personality we are.
If we were told that there was some
/ stranger that we could meet who
would advance our fortune, and en-
able us to get into the sort of life
worl, that We would find congeniai
and profitable. and VIII could pick
| out the ideal husband or wife for US,
1--WE would break our necks to get in
| troduced to this Individual The
| stranger that is within each of us
| could hand us this useful Information,
an I these valuable tips shout how to
regulate our lives but we never take a
day off to try to, scrape acquaintance
with this mysterious personality.
Why people. who realize the impor-
| one else with whom they come in con-
| ia ok, do not realize the necessity of
getting their own number. is one of
the mysteries of human nature that
nobody can explain.
Yet nine-tenths Of the misery, the
failures. the utter messes that people
make out of their lives could have
been avoided IL they had only had the
most cursory acquaintance with them
selves, for happiness only consists in
III.
cess is nothing else but finding out the
one particular thing that you car do
and doing it. Z
The marriages that are heaven on
earth are where two congenial people
of similar tastes. thoughts and habits
get together. The marriages that end
in divorce, are those in which q man
and woman, who did not know what
qualities they needed in a mate marry
those who fight with them On every
subject from politics to pie. The men
who win fame and fortune achieve
Caruso couldn't earn a dollar day as
a steel maker. Schwab would be
Missed off of the stage il he attempted
to sing opera.
People know themselves so little
that they do not even know how they
/ look. You can tell this by the way
they dress. Do you suppose the short
fat, dumpy woman. with a figure like
| feather bed. would wear a sport
suit that shrieks at you from afar
and billowy, blousy shirtwaist that
adds fifty pounds to her weight, If she
had ever taken one good, square look
at herself?
Because we do not know ourselves
we both undervalue and overvalue
ourselves. When we undervalue our.
selves we :ail, because we lack tbs
courage to attempt things. We dc
little things all our days. when we
might have done big things, If we hac
known ourselves well enough to real
ize our potentialities.
These are the men and women wht
never try for anything better thar
what they have. They take little sal
| aries because they do not see tina
, their work is worth higher pay. The,
stay in humble positions because the,
do not know that they have within
them the executive ability to carry OF
, Dig affairs. They even look insignifi
cant because they have never seer
themselves clearly enough to know
that all they lack of distinction Il
throwing back their shoulders ant
holding up their heads
But the most piteous phase of self
/ ignorance is when we delude ourselve
into thinking that we are giants, whel
we are only pigmies, and that our lit
tie flicker Of talent is the great ar
/ light OF genius, and when we vast
. the toll and energy that would hav
E brought US success in doing the thin
We could have done. on vainly at
1 tempting to do the thing that is be
! yond our ability There are no create
: tragedies than those who delud
E themselves into thinking that the,
: have great gifts when all they hay
is Just a small facility for some art.
: Therefore. I would urge all peopl
4 starting out in life, to try to get &C
: quainted with themselves. They VII