Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 2, Number 24, DeMotte, Jasper County, 5 January 1933 — You Can’t Cut Out a Disposition [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

You Can’t Cut Out a Disposition

By THOMAS ARKLE CLARK

Late Dean of Men, University of Illinois.

It was admitted by everyone who knew her intimately that Mrs. Craw-

ford had a crotche t y disposition. She was, to use a common phrase, “hard to get on with.” She often arose in the morning with a gloomy countenance, and as the day wore on and difficult situations arose her * brow did not usually clear. If you had business with Mrs. Crawford it was as

well to consult her weather flag before bringing up anything of importance. Her immediate state of mind or temper was likely to determine her decisions. Mrs. Crawford's friends' who felt called upon to condone her weaknesses of temper and her pretty general lack of graciousness of manner, explained that she was really not well. For years she had been suffering from goitre or gallstones. Constant pain should excuse a great many slipk of disposition. There was Nettie Crane, young, beautiful, and ambitious. She lay for years with a chronic and incurable rheumatism or arthritis which twisted her bod^ and stiffened her Joints and kept h^r immobile almost and constantly suffering. She never complained; she suffered silently, and there was always on her face a quiet, gentle look. Suffering seemed to make her more patient, inore considerate of others, more resigned and quiet of spirit. Not so Mrs. (.'rawford. Pain stirred her up apparently. But she came ultimately to the point of get ting rid of her irritation. Only “a slight operation.” the doctor assured her would be necessary to remove the source of her trouble. After a month In the hospital, she was back at work “She’ll be a very different woman." her friends asserted, “now that the cause of her trouble is removed.” It setmed entirely reasonable to me. “How is Mrs. Crawford since she came' back from the hospital?” 1 asked a friend of hers. “Oh. she’s just as hard to* get on with as ever. You can’t remove a bad temper by a surgical operation.” And I guess you can’t. ©. 1932. Western Newspaper Union.