The Woman Who Looked Ahead (The Smart Set)

by Josephine Dodge Daskam

For other versions of this work, see The Woman Who Looked Ahead.

THE WOMAN WHO LOOKED AHEAD

A FABLE FOR THE FAIR

THERE was once a Woman who Became the Admiration of her Friends, owing to the Manner in which she Employed the Period of her Engagement to the Man of her Choice. She was Far from Wasting the Hours in Matinées and Walks and Drives, as did the Other young Women of her Acquaintance. She went to Cooking Classes, Home Nursing Lectures and Kindergarten Training Schools instead.

"Marriage," said she, "is a Serious Thing. It is Sickening to me to Observe Women rush Lightly into the Solemn Responsibilities of the Home and of Motherhood, entirely Without any Previous Training." So that at the Time of her Marriage there was Very Little that she Did Not Know.

Her Husband had Regretted the Loss of the Matinées, the Walks and the Drives during the time of their Engagement. "Now that we are Married," he said, "I Hope you will Find the Time for Some of These Things. It will be a Gay Season in town this year. We will Improve the Passing Hour."

"I am Glad," replied his Wife, "that One of us can Look Beyond the Passing Hour into the Future. I am Convinced that Failure to do this is Responsible for the Wrecked Families we see All About us. For You and Me the City is all Very Well, but we Owe our Helpless, Innocent Children a Better Home. Children need the Country. They must Grow up in the Midst of Cows and Hay and Green Trees. Any Book will Tell you That. An Apartment is not a Home."

So they Bought an Abandoned Farm on the Outskirts of a Suburb and Built Up a Home there. The Woman was Sustained by her Principles, but her Husband Disliked the Country. In Time he Lost his Digestion Catching Trains. Quite Often he Lost his Trains, too. On the Whole, they were Not very Happy there. And they Never Had any Children.

This teaches us that Prevention is Sometimes Worse than Cure.

Josephine Dodge Daskam