The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-06-09
Dorothy Dix Talks
By DOROTHY DIX
worlds Highest Paid Woman Writer
The Moment of Hysteria--f.

The Moment of Hysteria-f.
A woman is being sued for divorce
by her husband, and the damning evil
dence against her is a letter she wrote,
and the story of her guilty love that
she told to another woman in what
| the lawyers aptly term "a moment of
hysteria.''
A moment of hysteria! I wish that
every woman in the world would re-
peat that phrase over and over again,
| until it is branded in letters of fire
| into her consciousness.
For it is wOmen'S moments of hys-
| terra that are their moments of great
| est danger. 1t is in their moments of
| hysteria that they do things, and say
| things. and tell things that they spend
the balance of their lives in repenting.
| 1t is in her moments of hysteria that
a woman bids farewell to prudence,
| and slaps Mrs. Grundy in the face. and
commits follies of which she would be
| incapable when she was sane and nor
NAL.
| IF women could learn to guard
against their moments of hysteria,
| they would save themselves from
pecks of trouble and barrels of tears.
II every woman would go and lock
| herself up in a room alone when she
felt herself getting trembly, and excit-
| ed, and emotional, and filled with an
irresistible desire to slop over. and tell
somebody her middle name, and the
| secret of her life, and stay there until
| the attack had passed, what tragedies
would be averted, what regrets pre-
vented
! How well we might initiate a GER
tain youth, whom 1 once found sitting
| on a stone wall by himself on the
night of the commencement hop in a
danclng?" inquired. because" he
replied, there is a girl in there that
I'll pop the question to sure, if dance
| one dance with her, and it will be
years before 1 will be ready to be
| married; and I don't want to be tied
up in a long engagement. And I've
got sense enough to know that I would
not be able to resist the girl, and the
music, and the thought Of going away
if had them right in my arms, so to
speak And 1 would be sorry for il
tomorrow. so I am playing safe and
4 staying away"
And that's it, For our moments OF
hysteria last only for a moment, but
their effects are never ending. That is
why we do well to be on our guard
against them.
/ In the matter of letters. for instance
You know how it is. Somehow, ink
goes to a wornans head like strong
drink, and makes her maudlin. Per
haps no woman can explain it better
than to say that she did it in a mo.
ment of hysteria, but it is fact thai
| even a modest woman will write Z
man love letters that are enough tt
! make a brass image blush.
She calls the man every endearinl
term; she pens passionate vows of de
. l'yotion; she assures a man that sh'
| starves for his kisses and years fol
: his presence; and she puts all THU
down in black and white for the mai
to show around to prove what a lad,
killer he is, or to leave in bureau
10 AHrcY- RI
: read. Perhaps there is no woman whit
has not gone on a sentimental jag like
this, but wise is she who puts such {
| missive on ice for twenty-four hour
before she mails it. In which case !
never gets off, because her momen
of hysteria is past, and she realize
what a fool she has just escaped max
ing of herself.