Evening star., 1928-04-23
KEEPING MENTALLY FIT
BIZ PROF. JOSEPH JAsTRow.

Here ia my problem: ] have. q house.
maid who is kindness itself as well as cheer.
. eiri 10 be-. But-she steals anything that
strikes her fancy. have gained her con
ndsnce. and through that THIS is VIA; .a: n:
enly when she has . desire TO steal. Then
she viii take almost anything. only % find
article ard would gladly return IL IL she
fsred q ao 50 she : vesy y n,n.nspny soons
there cure for this: Can il he apniied In
the home! MRS. z. 5.
4. Stealing is such a common practice
that cutie apart from the cases in which
Il is a symptom Of peculiar mental
makeup, we have to recognize it as a
very ordinary failing Of character In all
classes among all sorts and conditions
Of men and women. boys and girls. II
tust happens 10 be the easiest and most
attractive kind Of temptation or Of
tempting impulses
There are probably very few people
who have not at some time taken
things not their own We Just dismiss
these as incidents in growing up or
lapses from standard behavior. Stealing
is the most common form Of dishonesty,
unless 1t be lying, which is easier and
has much wider field Of operation.
The only thorough cure for stealing
not q temptation The cashier who
handles thousands Of dollars every hour
could not hold his Job If he had 10 be
resisting temptation all the time. He
handles that money as a clerk In a
hardware store handles hardware. But
taxing things because the opportunity
Is there may be the symptom of A
strong and. when resistance is low, an
iFfe&aBtibie impulse. II approaches what
Is called an obsession. and II happens
70 be an extremely inconvenient one
that causes no end Of trouble.
DT. Healy has a book on the subject
which ne calls Honesty" He finds
most stealing is done by impulse
Among those grown up 1t Is more com
mon IN young women than in yeunQ
men One victim says. L don't know
why ] DO such thighs; ! really don't
want 10 DO them; another. 4 don't
Know what comes over me II seems
e. II IL was something that / cannot
help. am ashamed of it afterward
just see something that doesn't belong
10 me, and take H." II Is only when
tnlt hsoit continues and .s more than
zn occasional impulse that one may call
~ kleEgtonsania. which means stealing
not for profit but through a strong and
wrong kind of impulse.
There are I'VE signs IN your case,
MrE. n r., that place ii as klept0mania
one, IL ls found In young girl but
not In FaJd; two. the impulse comes
only ~ times. three she steals only
TRIES. not things for their value, four.
often she doesn't really want them
i've she is aware n the inpuiAe and Is
unhappy about H. That Is ali typlcal
o. impqIsiYe stealing
Tge treatment 81 fTfts,sy s. ~ .s.3rec4
II IL q matter III sympathy and UNDER
EsShciag not of punD5me This girj
can Ee helped over ler difficulties untu
these impulses gradually suDglde and
sle gets nDre power ~ control them
waen they ccyne There vii b. no
sj6cen tst 4 gradusl cure
IN b5Ae ypting DsDDis stealing il =
sort q Substitute excitement. ana some.
Tines II substitute for ser excitement.
Thst may complicste matters When
& ny says, II steal because It makes
ne fsei gD0d ~ STEAL but am terribly
Eorry aftefwafo" Il suggests an ab-