Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-13
WHY MRS. SMITH LEFT HOME
By Dr.. Frank Crane

TT was given out that she had gone to
| California for her health. Those who
n knew her, however, were puzzled, for
she had never seemed to have anything the
matter with her. In these days of mys-
terious disease, nervous prostrations, insom-
MIA and hidden breakdowns, the explanation
was nevertheless accepted. She had gone,
at least, and she never came back. One
day her old schooldays friend, Mrs. Brown,
met her in a foreign land and Mrs Smith
told the real reason,
st just had to go. My reasons were plain
enough to me- but I couldn't tell them to
any one else, least Of all to my husband
and children.
tits the story of the perpetual dropping
that wears away the stone.
81 began my married life with the high
est purposes. I was full of vitality, but just
as full of good principles. I tried my best.
1 failed. If I had remained I should either
have committed some crime or have gone in
sane
1.-The trouble simply was that Henry was
an egotist He wasn't bad. He was moral.
He was even kind and generous in his way.
He never abused me. According to the
code commonly accepted l had no cause to
complain.
'I was simply slowly crushed to death
under the dead mass of my husbands ego
tism. He didn't do anything openly cruel.
He just weighed. He was what he was. He
could not possibly escape from himself, be-
cause it was impossible for him to see that
he wrong
"Slowly all my individuality, my own
proper soul, was being extinguished. [ was
compelled, not by commands, but by the
dead weight of circumstances, to do contin-
ually what I hated. My food, my Clothes
my friends, my amusements, my work, the
whole realm Of my LIES expression, came
to be settled in precisely the way that
CALLED and offended me.
Several times 1 tried to explain. I was
listened to courteously enough, but evident
ly was regarded as a mild lunatic. After
an outburst of mine he would buy me a
dress, or do some other thing to please me,
as though 1 were child. SO I gave up.
II conformed to his ways. The two chin
dren grew up to be just like their father
They could not understand me.
Il know how wicked l seem. There's
maternal affection, and wifey duty, and
Christian principle, and all that. I appre-
ciate them And l think I paid my last
debt to them. l made up my mind l would
ried.
When Clara married I set my house in
order and left I had always had property
OF my own, so the economic issue was alb
sent.
Il live here simply. My youth is gone 7
missed my life. I exercised my highest
Ideals. They, l think, are what undid me.
II had rebelled at first I might have been
happier. Still, 1 don't know
I only know 1 am happy now; not Wig
orously happy, but mildly, with a sense of
rest and-air. I go out every morning and
draw deep breaths and thank God for lib
erty.
l am not anarchistic. I never wanted
10 do wrong. l was one of those women
VINO should never marry, I suppose Or.
IOY1- Nd 7
was mistake. Nobody's to blame. I bear
him no i'll will, He could not help being
himself o
And 1t was what he was, it was what
that whole miserable, narrow world was l
lived in, that stifled me.
i am an old woman now. But I have
my garden and my books and-air-air."
Copyright, 1920