The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-09-28
Dorothy Dix Talks
Is There Any Forgiveness?-2.
BIZ DOROTHY DIX
Worlds Highest Paid Woman WriteR-


In practically all man-made litera-
ture woman is represented as really
enjoying working her forgiven over
time, and actually preferring a hus-
band who is forever on the repentance
seat to a decent man who behaves
himself.
I have often wondered if men really
have this childlike faith in womans
power to forgive, and if they thought,
because their wives do not rush off to
the divorce court, that their offense
is blotted out, and they have thier old
place in the women's hearts. a Wo-
man may technically forgive her hus-
band for his faithlessness' her. She
may pocket the insult he has offered
her and swallow her pride for the sake
of her children, or because she doesn I
want to break up her home, or forfeit
ner social position She may go along
camouflaging content SO well that she
even deceives the man himself, but
she herself knows what a mockery her
forgiveness is. She knows the bitter
ness of her soul. She knows that the
glory and the circling wings have gone
from her love, and that never more
can she look up to, or respect, or trust
the man who has once betrayed her.
One of the reasons that high-tem-
pered people make SO little effort to
control themselves is because they
also believe in this CHEEKY theory that
they can enjoy themselves by indulg-
ing in their RACES, and then make IL
ali right, and bring matters back to
their former status, by saying that
they are sorry for what they said.
It's a nice, comfortable theory, be-
| cause apologies are cheap, and 1t
must be an exhilarating experience to
| tell people Just what you think OF
them when they annoy you.
he
is that those who depend upon being
forgiven lean upon a broken reed.
Nobody ever really forgives the hurt
to his vanity. or the fatal home truth
that a friend, or near-relative hurls
at them in the heat of anger.
1t is those who live closest to US
| who know our weak spots best, and
where they can strike with deadliest
aim. No stranger can hurt us as they
! can, and when they drag to the light
| some defect that we thought hidden;
| when they remind US of some failure
that rankles; when they shout aloud
the thing that we would rather die
| than hear. they deal us a wound that
never heals.
This is why family spats are Sc
much to be deplored. People think
| of them as trifles and regard as un-
| important the little f1are-up of tenn
per in which husband will say hard
| and cutting things to his wife, and the
wife will retaIiate with cruel, bitter
! accusations against him, and the chill
dren will vie with each other in bru-
tai candor. Nothing happens at the
time. A blanket forgiveness is sup
posed to obliterate the whole incident
/ but as the man goes about his bust
ness, and the woman her work, and
| the children their affairs, they are
| remembering the bitter words that
have been said to them, and resent
lsment, and hatred slowly springs ur
in their souls to take the place OF
love.
Surely If we realize how little we
are forgiven we would be more care
full in SHINING against our fellow
creatures. For no matter how sorry
we are for what we have done, the
best we can get is new line Of
credit The old debt still stand:
against us.