The Washington herald., 1921-01-17
THE TRAVEL CURE.

Not long ago l met, on the other
side OF the world, a woman who is
no longer young, and who suffered
from an injury to her foot that
made every step a painful effort.
Good Heavens" / exclaimed one
day when / saw her face white and
drawn with agony after a long
climb of some temple steps. what
ever induced you to undertake a
trip like this in your slater"
Because" she replied, Il am
growing old, and old people are
necessarily left much alone. and
want something to think about in
the long evenings when / have to
sit by the fire and knit. I'll never
lack for good company now, be-
cause I'll always have with me
the memories. of the entertaining
things 1 have seen all over the
world"
Then she added: II have spent
a lot of money in my life, but the
only money that I have spent that
/ still have is the money l have
spent on travel. l enjoyed going
TO places when 1 went, and 1 have
enjoyed them ever since in retro
spect."
"Right-o" 7 responded. "TalIey-
rand advised everyone to learn how
to play a good game of whist in
their youth. SO that they might not
spend a miserable old age. He
might better have advised them to
travel. for the consolation prize of
age is 4 railroad or steamship ticket.
Nothing else makes old people SO
endurable to themselves, or to 9TH
crs. as getting away from home
and getting something different 20
think about and talk about.
Indeed, you might almost say
that travel Is a panacea for half
the ills. bodily and mental and spir-
itual, that afilict humanity. and
that the best remedy for whatever
ails us is to take a trip somewhere.
Especially is this remedy effec-
tive with women, and especially
with middle-aged women. About
the time a woman's children get
married, or settled in their careers,
she is apt to take a kind Of
slump and grow fat and dull and
uninteresting, and peevish, and
discontented. She isn't satisfied
with her home, she finds fault
with her husband, and either be-
comes a morbid recluse, or takes
up with faddy religions, or literary
craZes.
The reason is because she is
bored. She has been busy all her
life. and suddenly her occupation
is taken from her. Her job is
finished. She is thrown back on
herself for amusement and COM
panionship and she is dull COM
pany for herself.
The remedy for her case is a
railroad ticket. Let he!@ get out OF
her treadmill into fresh fields and
green pastures. Let her go and
! fill her mind full of new thoughts
experiences, and she will come
back home happy. and contented
and with a sane viewpoint on life
"Why even a month away from
home is equal to refurnishing the
| house from top to bottom. and
marrying a new husband. to any
woman.
And there is nothing like travel
as promoter of Christian charity.
Most of the gossiping and scan
dal-mongering, most of the black
ening of characters is done by
women who think that all the
world must be judged by their lit
tie inch-high standards, and that
everyone who doesn't do exactly
as they think right is going to
the eternal bow-wows.
They will tell you that Sally Sue
Jones is no better than she should
be, because they think her frock is
an inch too low in the neck. and too
short in the skirt. They will call
Jennie Smith a huzzy because she
paints her cheeks. They look
askance at the man who is supposed
to be flirting with two girls at the
same time. But when they go to far
countries where a woman is consid-
cred modestly clothed If only her
eyes are hidden, no matter how
much of the balance of her person
is naked, where even baby faces are
painted to show they have good
mothers, and where the more wives
man has, the better citizen he is
thought to be, they find out thai
morality is merely a matter of geog-
raphy. and they are not so quick to
sit in judgment on others.
For the only way to be sure that
you live in the only place whose