The Russellville Democrat., 1883-09-06
Discussine lIlments.

If any one will sit apart from two or
 more visitors and listen to the conver- sation, it will be found in most gases to 1, turn upon the physical ailments of
 the various members of their families.
 Only few days ago. while sitting with a friend. a woman called to see her--a very pleasant-faced, neativ-attired l woman and she talked for an hour or more of Jane, who had hAd ..rheu-
 matizr all winter, and Sarah. who suf-
 fered dreadfully from an ingrow-
 ing toe-nail. and John. who had an epileptie fit, and Jonas. who was suffer ing from felon. She said '.rheumatiZ so many times that my ears fairly
 buzzed. and by the time she was through it was easy to imagine one's self in hospital Good and kind soul
 that she evidently was. when she went out we drew long breath of relief that so much suffering was ended. The woman was no exception. but fair representative of . large class who find so much enjoyment in detailing misfortunes that their visiting talk, at least, consists almost entirely of such themes. 1 remember having 8
 visitor once who. according to her own account, had ..enjoyed bad health" all
 her life, and had suffered from every conceivable ailment but yellow fever
 and smallpox. and she regailed me with the remedies she msde use of in each case. and when l expressed sur prise that she had survived 50 much.
 she said she felt that she was indeed
 diving miracle" and proceeded to tell
 me shusf some other party who had
 been worse of even than herself. but
 had died because of not having worn certain kind of drawing-plaster,
 Ii is possible that the ventilation of our physical ailments has an advantage in prolonging human life, for it is m un- deniahle fact that persons who are al- ways sihng and always talking about their ailments usually live to the allotted age of man. and are rarely dangerously i'll. while people who suffer greatly say the least about their sufferings. and re-
 alize ths, it is indelicase to disclose and display their bodily maladiss.
 Undoubtedly the discussion of ones ailments is largely habit and if the retailer of such details appreciated how much he. CT she. violated good sense and good taste by so doing. the habit would be abandoned In this age of books and journals of all sorts there are inexhaustible sources for thought and talk that csrry us outside ourselves. and which put us into sympathy with move ments and measures that lift us into s new world Variety and change for the mind are as necessary as the same for the body, and insanity among coun- try women, particularly farmers wives. Is largely attributed by physicians to the humdrum life led by them; the same thing to-day, tomorrow. and forever, so far at least As their mental life is con- eerned IL l. rt,inous to women, ir par ticular, who are not we'll bodily. 10 be peprived of mental relief. Deprived is not the word to use; it is not so much deprivation as failure to seize oppor- tuniti.s. I have friend in Northern Pennsylvania who quite recently set herself thinking what she could do to brighten up the winter intellectually for he. self and friends, and after casting about among her resources. ended hy opening her parlor every morning for a week with course of lectures on popa- lar health topics; how 10 live health fully and happily and grow old besuti- fully. She engaged & woman physician to deliver the lectures, and sold enough of tickets to dcfray the expenses. The lecturer charmed every woman who heard her. and her ideas, most pleasant ly presented. aroused her auditors to new thoughts and discussion. and the town in which she lives was greatly en- livened and frightened up. This same friend. who is one of the brightest of women and the head of large family. with many cares. makes 8 speciality of certain lines of historical biography. For instance. while l WAS with her the death of Gambetta occurred. and she mourned as if she had been his personal friend. For some time she had made it a point to cut out from newspapers everything that referred to Gambetta. so that she had not only in her scrap book but at her tongues end vast amount of information concerning the dead statesman. She had previously made q similar collection concerning Thiers. And where is there . woman who could not in some such fashion make specially of something beyond her aches and pains and those of her friends. with which to refresh her mind by carrying il out of the dresrv grooves of everyday toil. The only difficulty in the way is to begin. At sll events swear of" on the silment talk and convince yourself. beyond all doubt. tha, people who are worth talking with care 8 great deal more about what you think of current events than they do of the condition of your lungs. your stoln- sch or your bunions. Hnrcr- FTsbcT. ssi CHrfSftaH Union.