The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-05-31
Dorothy Dix Tails
BY DOROTHY DIX
worlds Highest Paid Woman write
Don't Write Discouraging Letters-a.

Don't Write Discouraging Letters-2.
Mother writes the same sort of in
digo letters to all of her children who
are away from home. I often wonder
why she does it. and if she never real
ICES that aftes we have received one of
her pessim:stic epistles we weel that
the whole world is vail of trials and
tribulations and that there is no use
in trying to achieve any happiness or
success in it.
"She knows that have about as
heavy a burden to bear as 1 can stag
ger along under. Why. then, add to
it the sorrows of those I love, and am
powerless to help? Why sadden me
with the worries and troubles of others,
when it does no good?
'It takes the heart and courage out
of me. It lessons my efficiency be-
cause I'm grieving over Susan when /
should be concentrated on my work
1t depresses my vitality, and makes me
nervous and jumpy. 1t breaks down
my morale and makes me feel like
turning coward and gutter.
Surely if Mother and the other
people who indulge their morbid love
of horrors by writing gloomy letters.
realized how far-reaching and disas-
trous was the effect of their walls on
the recipients, they would refrain from
cerulean mission.
For my part 1, think that the writ
ing of discouraging letters should be
recognized as crime punishable by
law. If people can't write bright and
CHEEKY letters wo should be able to get
out an injunction prohibiting them
from writing at ALL"
There are two explanations of the
melancholy letter. The first is self
ishness. The writer<wants to enjoy
her troubles by telling them to some
one else and she. does so by fist. re-
gardless of how they may affect an
other. 1t is not easy to get some one
to listen to the recital of your griev-
ances, but when you write them you
are sure you have gotten the sad, sad
story of your wrongs over to one per-
son, at least. He or she cannot help
but hear them.
The second reason for the gloomy
letter is that women think it is roman
tic to be miserable. Therefore they
let themselves GO when they sit down
to write. Their correspondent ism t
there to see, so they pose as martyrs.
and exaggerate every scratch on their
hearts into a compound fracture that
is bound to be fatal. They blot their
letters with their tears because it
looks high falutin to do so, forget
ting that the person at the other end
of the line won't know they were proR-
erty tears. ~
They do not realize how much more
final an impression the written word
is than the spoken word. When Betty
comes to tell her that her marriage is
failure because her husband doesn't
understand her. and that he is a brute
who has reduced her world to cinders,
ashes and dust, we do not suffer un-
duly with her as we observe that she
is tucking away three cups of tea
and innumerable olive sandwiches. and
that she is arrayed like Solomon in all
his glory, and looking uncommonly
we'll and fit.
But when we get letter from
Betty detailing her domestic woes, and
representing herself as melancholy
wreck we are simply dissolved with
pity for the poor darling and we go
thru agonies of sympathy.
And just because there is this power
in a scrap of paper we should be care
full how we use it. 1t should always
be with US a bit of white magic that
carries good luck to the one to whom
we send it. 1t should be filledwith
cheer, and courage. and love and
laughter, never with bad news and
| raven croaking. There is no place for
the gloomy letter except the waste pa
per basket.
| 1Copyright 1920, by the Wheeler Syndicate,
| Incl