The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-22
A WORD ON HEALTH.

1t is astonishing and somewhat alarming
to note the increasing popularity of i'll health.
Poor, indeed, is he who cannot boast an all
ment One-half of every community spends
its days in looking at its tongue, feeling its
pulse, and revealing to the other half the
thrilling details of its terrible internal cOndi-
ton. 1t is not the intention of this harmless
dissertation to wound the feelings of the truly
sick, whose suffering arouses genuine sympa-
thy and commiSeration, but to frown upon
and rout, if possible that numerous class
"a false creation proceeding from heat
oppressed brain" or from a too-idle imagination
which preys upon itself and battles windmills.
This class of invaldism does not often include
the really old, on whose frames the wear and
tear of life is necessarily beginning to be visi-
BILE, but the youthful and the beautiful come,
too, within its miserable thrall. The girl of
the period spends as much money on drugs of
various kinds as her grandmother used to
spend on her whole wardrobe, and the young
man Of the day cannot boast as his father
does, that he did not know the taste Of medi-
fact is there is too much coddling going on
among young people; too much nursing petty
ailments, and tumbling into bed on slight
provocations. Possibly the old-fashioned girl
had her headaches, and her toe-aches
as we'll; but she never men
toned them, and the churn-dasher flew
up and down, and the spinning wheel buzzed
as if nothing was the matter We would not
urge the churn-dasher or the spinning wheel
upon the modern maiden, but, assuredly, more
outdoor exercise and less indoor crazy-quilt
would rout many Of the ills that her flesh is
twenty, in comfortable circumstances, ought
to be as much ashamed Of being dyspeptic as
of being drunk Let the idea once get firm
hold that illness is stupid and vulgar, and
generation OF two-nay, even year OF two
would show marked change If woman is
ILL., let her take it for granted that it is her
business to get well, and forthwith set about
it. A good, stout will, resolute purpose,
will work wonders"
'Few persons like sick people" says Charles
Lamb. Gas for me, confess candidly hate
them" And he, furthermore, advises every
man to keep himself ignorant of his entire
inner construction-'to acknowledge no
mechanism not visible, to use exercise, to
keep good conscience, and avoid tampering
with hard terms of art, viscosity, scirrhosity,
and those bugbears by which simple patients
are scared into their graves" Emerson goes
a step further, and not only forbids Illness
but forbids the ill to talk of their ailments:
'"There is one topic peremptOrily forbidden to
all we'll bred, all rational mortals, namely,
their distempers. If you have not slept, or if
you have slept, or If you have headache, or
sciatica, or leprosy, or thunder-stroke, be-
seech you, by all angels, to hold your. peace,
and not pollute the morning, to which all the
housemates bring serene and pleasant
thoughts, by corruption and groans. Come
out of the azure. Love the day Do not
leave the sky out of your landscape"
Wherefore, brethren, since illness is so dis
reputable in certain quarters for which man
has such high regard, let the aim be to fly all
trifing ailments, forswear complaining, and
thereby popuIarize good health.