The Washington herald., 1921-11-11
men GET CROUCHY,
AND WOMEN, TOO,
WHEN NEGLECTED
Petting Essential as Salye
For Humans in Grip
OF Dull Routine.
By DOROTHY DIX.


Listen to this distinguished psy-
ehotherapist who has just found
cut that the great soul sickness of
ehe world Is due to psychic malnu-
triton, and that the one and only
,remedy for IL Is words of praise
4nd affection for those about u.s.
Furthermore. the learned 6octor
mas ascertained. from repeated OBJ
servations, that unless a certain
percentage of these spiritual vita
mines form part of our daily diet
We grow morbid and grouchy, and
are apt ID seek "'the excitements of
the outer world"
All of which. being translated,
means that what ails most of us
who are unhappy, and, restless, and
dissatisfied, and who go about with
dark brown taste In our mouths,
and an-oh-darn it-what's-the-use
sort of feeling, is lack of appre-
citation Also that IL we haven't
got somebody at bpme to jolly US.
We are mighty prone to jump the
bars, and hunt up some artistic
salVe spreader, who isn't so mig
gardly about handing out a few
kind words as are the members of
our family circle.
Oh, We have nearly all got psy-
chic malnutrition. There's no news
to us in that. 1t has been a chronic
complaint from which we have suf-
fered for years and years. What
surprises US Is to find out that the
disease Is epidemic, and that our
husbands and wives, and children,
and parents, and friends and neigh
bors. and employees are all afflicted
with II, too. We had thought our
own case interesting because 1t
was rare and unusual.
Curious that we do not detect in
others the same symptoms that we
have ourselves. isn't II? More than
passing strange that two people
should live side by side, and each
be perishing of heart hunger, and
neither one suspect II Of the other,
isn't IL? But II is true.
Take the ordinary business man.
No slave chained to his oars in
the galleys ever toiled more inces-
sanity than he. Day after day.
year after year, he works to the
limit of his strength, and often be-
y0nd IL, to support wife and chill
dren. Out of all his labor he gets
board and clothes, for strive as he
will, he can never get ahead. AL
ways the cry at home is for more
money. more indulgences.
Father Is the least considered
person in the home he supports. He
is the one who tolls through hot
summer and cold winters while the
family takes its outings. He wears
the shabbIest clothes. He has the
poorest room, and he Is lucky II
he has one hook in a closet, or one
drawer in a chiffonier to call his
own. Father grows grouchy. and
mother says she can't imagine what
is the matter with him, and she
thinks that II he had acted that
Way in his courting days she would
never on earth have said. Yes"
Father is suffering from psychic
malnutrition. and a lightning cure
could he wrought by mother ana
the children telling him how won
derful and great he is, and how
they love him. and admire nim'
and thank him for standing be-
tween them and want. No man
minds being sacrificed to his family
IL they make a fuss over him and
call attention to his noble heroism.
What gets his goat Is being sacrt-
ficed TO a family that never even
notices that he Is a martyr and
that light their cigarettes from
the flames that are curling about
him. and go on talking about the
new automobile they are going TO
nag him into buying.
same thing about the ordinary
woman. The domestic career means
, life sentence at hard labor for
her. Bringing up children Walk
ing the collie. Cooking. Sewing.
Mending. Patching. Stretching II
over the space of IS. She de-
velopes nerves. Gets % nagging.
Il peevish, fretful, whining, and
complaining.
Husband suggests that she had
better see the doctor, and ne never
dreams that he and the children
bav. the only medicine on earth
that Il a sc-cific for her complaint.
she "a suffering from psychic NAL
nutrition and all she needs is large,
aIIonathfc doses of fattery. She
r.e5s to be told that she grows
wore beautiful each year, that she
a. the greatest manager on earth'
"a the most wonderful mother,
and that she can cook better than
any SIC. .OO0-chef.
Tbe reason that housework and
,b- domestic life gets to be so
roonotonous to women Is because
:, Is work that is taken for grant
"A II has Nd claque to applaud It
n so seldom gets the glad hand
A yonan who writes, or sings, or
naints. or sells goods, has her work
nraIsed, II she does god work. put
the woman who keeps a mouse I'M
macuIate, and sits her family TO
.unerlative meals, does no more
tban IL expected OF her. People
guIp down in five minutes a dlsh
that has taken two hours 10 pre-.
are and nobody says turkey"
shoI, ~ No wonder that oOoks are
snbiect. above all other individuals
~ nsvchfc malnutrition. The mar
vel 4. that they survive such a lack
Of appreciation at all.
CbiIdren grow irritable and un-
ruIv They are not willing to stay
At home, and resent every thing
+bat IL aid to them. Unmistakable
Si.1nosIs. Psychic malnutrition.
melody thinks OF children having
a. We consider II an adult dis
.ase- but children suffer fnOm II
A-en more than gn0wn-ups. In many
families II would be considered lit
.Ie sbort of a crime to do anything
MT tell a child of his faults and
LA his shortcomings vp before
hIrn- That is the reason that young
naopIe are so crazy to get away
rom their parents. They are
.tarved out for little apprecia-
zion. and they want o0 go to
str.nEers who will give II to them.
old people are also victims OF
psvchic malnutrition, and much of
their crankiness, and kill-Joy spirit
could be cured by little sappre-
citation, a little reoognition OF all