The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-04-28
The RED PEPPER.

What ais the human throat in this
latter day, and what has become of the
old-fashiOned red pepper Men who are
now forty years old knew little of throat
troubles in their bOyhOod. There was
aIfttIe sore throat occasionally, and once
in while little qu:nsy, and you would
hear at long intervals of putrid sore
throat. Children were not as daintily
cared for in those days as now. Few of
them ever had underclothing to wear,
and scarcely a boy who had an overcoat
TIL he was old enough to earn the mon
ey for it himself. Group was the par
entail horror of that day, and yet as but
ter and alum were early found sure
remedy for that trouble, warping or con-
tracing ard so breaking the false mem
brane as it was forming, parents had no
great dread of that. Children had few
colds. and no serious sore thToat-and
when they had, cup of red-pepper tea
sent the ailing boy to bed sweating, and
brought him out well in the morning.
The red-pepper of our grandmothers-
what has become of it? Who that lived
in those sensible days does not remem-
Der the shining string of alternate red
and green peppers that hung from the
rafters over the kitchen fire, and which
had been planted, raised and strung up
bv grandmother's own hand, and hung
in the place of honor, all to cure the
children's colds, coiics, and cramps. and
the older folks congestion or chills-
death to all the c's. And who does not
remember how perfectly the pepper ac-
complished its wOTk-a little hard to
take, little hot after it was down, and
vet bringing you all right in the morn
ing. and lending a halo of pride 20 gram
mas face at the breakfast table that the
puzzled face of the modern doctor sell
dom shares. All, it was a rare old mag
ic-the red peppers that the grandmOth-
ers raised and used. 1t cured all the ju-
yenile ills we have enumerated and
many more. So great and quick was its
magic that many boy, who had such
sore attack of collie, Group or cold that
he was sure that he couldn't possibly go
to school, was cured at the mere sight
or smell of the steaming tea, and sent
bounding off to school as sound as a tTi-
vet. and as merry as cricket. Indeed,
sudden cures have been made at the
mere mention of it. Older people, too,
men who were a little afraid of work
ing out all day in the damp or of dig
ging in a well, and who now think whis-
KEY the medium of warding off possible
chills. were often saved by grandmothers
red-pepper tea.
What has become Of the red-pepper
And how did it happen that just as it
went out of fashion diphtheria came in,
and with il a dozen other throat diseases
with long and mysterious names-and
none of which medical science, which
has made the slOwest progress of all the
sciences, is able to treat with much sue
cess Our grandmOthers kept the old
and young thr0ats of our generation
cured up with red and cayenne pepper,
and warded off many other diseases
with them. What, since they have dis
appeared, has taken their place, or is do
ing their work Something, whatever
it is, that doesn't cure,
"A gentleman who was a boy thirty
years ago, said yesterday 'The reason
there is so much diphtheTia is because
the people have quit using the red pep
per. . The man he was talking to had a
sore throat. and was trying to stave it
off till night, with some of the gargles
and washes of the later day, so as to get
his days work done, and was growing
worse all the time. The apostle of the
red pepper said Throw that stuff out
and send and get little vial of brandy,
and fill it One-fOuTth full of cayenne
pepper, and put the cork of it to Your
tongue every half hour, and your sore
throat will begin to heal at once, and
your voice cease being squeeky." 1t
was done and il did. Later in the day
a gentleman trained in medical science,
but not practicing it, and so not cOncei-
ted in its latter day nature, came in and
was asked "HOw does this red pepper
cure my tmOat-that is, how does it
act ?'' He replied 1T acts as q local
stimulus and in two ways strengthens
the diseased part of the throat and pre-
vents the growth of any false matter
heats and relaxes, stimulates and tones
red pepper always does that" He
added The world would be a great
deal better of and a great deal health
ier, if it used more of it,"
So, while the modern doctor stands
puzzled and perplexed and unsuccessful
before diphtheTia, and while medical
science can do no more to control OF
cure it than when it first appeared some
twenty-five years ago, and while some
times four or five die of it yet in a sim
ple family, why not revive the good old
plan Of grandmOther's-of watching the
children's throats all the time. detect
ing the first trace of trouble, and then
using the old fashioned red pepper to
fight and ward off the disease while it is
incipient and before it becomes rooted
Doctors will laugh at it. But doc
tors always have laughed at the best
people to cure the sick-and ward off
sickness in the wOTld-the good old wo-
men, wise in experience, healing in
their nursing, and those who have rails
ed large families of their own, and help
ed to raise and save all the weakly chill
dren in the neighborhood, and any of
them is worth more in the sick room of
q child i'll with children's troubles than
all the doctors in town.
We propose the Testora tion of red
pepper to its old place in family favor,
and to its Indoubted usefulness. We
believe grandmothers can take it, and
with proper care by beginning in time,
beat all the doctors yet in fighting the
dread diseases of the throat, and in saw
ing the children from their ravages-
Dss MoiHes State Register.