Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22

drives on.
John meditates upon the idea of his
not looking well, meets No. 2 further on,
who exclaims without any preliminaries,
Why, John, what's the matter? You
are sick"
No." answers John, less confidently
than before; I'm not sick, though not
so pert as usual this morning" No. 2
hens, shakes his head, looks wise, and
John passes on, thinking about their
words. and really beginning to feel ILL.,
Meets now No. 3, who cries out in a
voice almost of terror, GOOD heavens,
John you're dead man You've got
the fever" John, already pale and with
great beads of perspiration upon his
forehead, reddens, then blanches, and
allows that something ails him, and
that he'll call at the doctors in town"
Nos. 4 and corroborate the previous
statements, and No. 6 finally helps the
sick young fellow down from the load
and into the doctors.
| Here the story was privately related
to the physician, who, making a simple
prescription, cheered the young man,
while No. helped unload the hay and
rode back with the convalescing John,
fully convinced of the important role the
mind plays in physical disease.
| 1t is well known that cholera is often
! induced by fear, and fatal termination
of this disease may be almost surely pre-
dicted where the patient is of gloomy,
trouble-foreboding disposition, or breads
death. During a season of epidemic
cholera two of our family connections,
men of good intellect, were absent from
home upon business that detained them
several days. Learning that cholera had
| broken out in the city where they re-
sided, they became much troubled about
their families, and. finally, impressed
with the idea taey should find their
wives i'll and dying, they started home,
thinking and talking of the horrors of
| this terrible scourge. Before reaching
the city both were taken sick and expired
soon after arriving at home, without hav-
ing been exposed to contagion.
Again, the mind has great power in up
| holding and Strengthening, through
trouble and disaster, those possessing
courage and determination. This may
be proven by the records of expeditions
of discovery, when accident or stress of
weather has brought suffering and hard
ship. The respondent, weak-minded
ones are the first to break down and die,
although their physical strength and
power may have been Of superior
order; while those of weak, slight
physique, upheld by an elastic, hopeful
spirit, and the force impaired by cult
waited, help-devising mind, will survive
incredible labor and privation.
An instance OF the power of will in
prolonging life has fallen under my own
observation. a young man who had con-
tracted consumption was for many weeks
to all appearance just at deaths door,
and no physician believed it scarcely
possible for him to survive from day to
day. But he said, q must live till | am
twenty-one."
why, Henry" said a friend, " are not
you resigned to go when God calls
you?"
"Yes," was the reply, but for one
thing, and shall try, and l believe God
will help me live to that day. If l do
not live to twenty-one the property my
grandfather left me will go out of my
family-my mother and the children will
have nothing to live upon. have wJ4 Ned
for them since was twelve years l. :;
God will certainly let me stay till L can
do this for them"
The days went by and Henry fingered
The night before the birthday came; the
papers were brought; the Notary waited
in the next room till the midnight hour
had passed and the few minutes besides
that made the youth legally of age. Then
the thin fingers clasped firmly the pen
and wrote the name which made mother
and helpless children free from want.
Now | can go to God in peace; my
work is DONE" he said, and the morning
light shone in lovingly upon the calm,
painfree face, for God chad given his
beloved sleep"
Now, what do these and hundreds of
similar examples prove, except the great
power of mind and will in inducing or
repelling disease and in fastening or re-
tarding death? The obvious conclusion
is, that all who would avoid contagion
must add to dietary and sanitary precau-
tons cheerful, courageous spirit; that
those who would enjoy general good
health must keep tranquil, care-free
minds, and cultivate unenvious, chart
table feelings. Revenge, hatred, anger,
malice, all tend to reduce the tone of the
system and produce actual disease. "A
merry heart dOeth good like 4 medicine.
A visitor to the sick should enter with
Good-nlorning or evening" greeting,
pass at once TO some pleasant subject OF
conversation that will draw the inyalidfs
attention from herself without creating
excitement Or WEAKNESS, and, not larry
ing longer than ten or fifteen minutes,
withdraw, leaving the patient cheered
and helped.
The sick must always be encouraged
and made to "look upon the bright
side" Doleful tales of sickness and