Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1913 — That Furrowed Brow. [ARTICLE]

That Furrowed Brow.

It- seems almost as if we modern folk studied deliberately to appear illtempered in the eyes of our fellow-be-ings, fearing lest a relaxation from our habitual frown should lower us in the esteem of those we meet. Yet surely the opposite should be the case. The sour expression is that of the beaten woman, the failure. The well-to-do, the successful, should, of all people, be the happier. There is nothing undignified in a smile; one should not be ashamed of a light heart and a clear conscience. But the world, has created a tradition that the cares of responsibility must be marked by a furrowed brow. It finds the women with a xnerry laugh, in business hours certainly, a woman to be treated with caution.“ This woman laughs,” says the world, in effect; "she cannot be a sound woman; she is too frivolous.” Dull, dour and unbending, the world, our world, plods on its way, hoarding its smiles for fear of its dignity, until at last it forgets to smile altogether. Generations of scowling faces have taught us to usspect the smiling ones. We fear their owners are endeavoring to ingratiate themselves with us for no good purpose. To regard things cheerfully is to betray a lack of solidarity and worth.