The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-07-21
ROBERT DALE OWEN.
LETTER FROM MISS OWEN IN REGARD TO
HER FATHERS ILLNESS.

LETTER FROM MISS OWEN IN REGARD TO
HER FATHERS ILLNESS.
To THE EDITORS OF THE EVENING PosT:-
feel that l owe both TO the public and to my
father, q statement concerning his recent misfor-
tune and the cause OF IT, Some three years ago
my father began 10 write his autobiography, en-
gagng to furnish an article for each number OF
the Atlantic Monthly. This task, with other liter
airy pursuits, forced him to give six or eight
hours TO intense work daily and his leisure mo-
ments, If one may reasonably call them so, were
filed with reading or conversation on some alb
struse subject AT the end Of few months his
health, which up to this time had been almost
perfect began to fail; but he still persisted In his
labor he tried many remedies without ayau,
and at last he went, four months ago, confirmed
nervous dyspeptlc, to Dr. Jackson's Hygienic
Institute, in Dansville, N. Y. During the
first weeks or his stay there he wrote sew
erai articles for newspapers and magazines,
and delivered lecture IN Rochester. In snort,
he kept his brain constantly as WORK. The result
was low, nervous fever. He was very Ill FOR many
days, out passed the crisis safely. with return
ing strength his old restless activity came back,
and IN spite OF the warning OF the physicians and
Of my earnest enlreaties, he insisted upon resum-
ing his writing, or rather dlctasIon, for he WAS
too feeble TO sit up or 10 hold pen. lie was
engaged upon work to be called "The Unity OF
God.n His mind was at this time clear and Logical,
his style peculiarly concise and lorcible, and his
dyspeptic symptoms had entirely disappeared;
but an irritable excitabitty began to show Itself
which soon became alarming. He slept but little
at night, and could not rest during the day,
Both his mind aud his body were constantly az
WORK,
His thoughts from this time forward ran in q
new channel-the buying OF land, horses, &c.
-Four weeks ago the nrst symptoms Of actual de-
rangement appeared. From that time TO this he
has peen growing more and more incoherenr.
l have watched my lather through these
changes with great care and Anxiety and see
no foundation for the assertion which has been
made in various newspapers that the Kate King
unar is the cause of nis insanity That IL was
both notifying ana vexing TO aim s undoubtedly
true, and Tor week or two 10 did throw cloud
over his 0u0yant hopeful temperament But this
was all. Toe deception OF Two persons has not
shaken my tatner5 faith one whit IL would be a
poor iaiti indeed Il 10 had. lie mas not mem
toned Katie King for me last six weeks, and since
his insanity he seldom speaks OF any matter con-
neced with Spirtualsm. HIS mind seems to
nave run back thirty or forty years, to q time
wnen no passed many OF HIS leisure days on his
stock farms. lie carries about constantly his
torcal drama which he wrote at that time, and
this aud the first part OF "Threading My Wayu
are the only books Whlch ne now seems TO care
aDont
Inc cause OF the calamity which has befallen US
is slmple-an overWOTked brain. My latner De-
leved that his strong Scotch constitution could,
even IN us old age, endure all things; but ricuy
endowed teoush lie was with physical and men,
tai YigOr, ne could not break Gods laws oil health
with impunity, aud we, his children, cannot, with
all our love and care, shield him from the effects
OF his error. May my iatners tate be a lesson to
the undisciplined brain dyspoptics III / may uso
sucn term WHO are so numerous throughout
this morDldly active land.
R0sAMoND DALE OWEN.
NEW HARMONY md, July ID, 1875.