Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-08-21
Health Culture.

Rowena B. Throop: The :ssult of al
cohohc and drug poisons upon mind
and body in their use incidentally opens
a distinct field of work for, the W. c. r.
e., and'it is a citidel moro difficult to
storm than the stronghold e the saloon.
The time has comesin the development
of thought concerning them to consider
the causes whichFcreate the demand
for their use. The'facts Of their ma
llgn effects upon the human system,
their debasing psychological influence
upon the'tnind and their evil hereditary
possibilities upon Successive genera
lions are bringing forth the truth that
all diseases which are developed
through derelection of moral principle
as related to the appetites and passions
originated in common causes; and the
universal condition of either partial or
absolute invalydism among women is
coming to be- recognized as the coun-
terpart tothe prevailing state of drunk
enness among men, and that both are
the heritage pf barbafic practlces which
still so environ the home, the nation
and the world as to seriously undermine
much of Christian endeavor. The res
toration Of the health of women is pre-
cursory to the deliverance Of men from
the use of stimulants. How to accom-
plish this is a problem of primary
Importance. The great mass of women
have yet to be taught concerning the
resurrecting possibilities to present and
coming generations which inhere in
their power and responsibility as wives
and mothers to deliver mankind from
the appetite for stimulating food, drink
and drugs and'how to maintain vigor.
not alone for personal happiness but as
religious duty The ". G. T. U. with
its system Of organization, its tenticle-
like lines Of work, its literature and
leaflets offers heretofore unknown IA
%cilities for the dissemination of knowl-
edge, basis to health and also opens a
possible field for specific endeavor by
women for women and through them
for the race, which is full Of hope.
Health culture by the natural methods
of faith in Christ's love and in obedi-
ence to God's laws, must sooner or later
engage the attention of this body of
women and be made a distinct because
inevitable line of its work. The only
way to get alcohol and drugs out of use
in the healing art is to demonstrate by
actual practice better and cheaper
methods Of treating and preventing
diseases. * 4 The war with drugs
and alcohol as remedial agents "ls inev-
liable and LET it Gomez God has organ
lied the w. c. T. U. to accomplish their
extinction and nowhere is alcohol more
seductively entrenched than under the
specious guise of medicine. If along
side Of every drug store in America
some earnest woman was established
teaching the gospel truth that aman
does not liTe by bread alone but by ev-
cry word which proceeds from the
mouth of God" that the interdepend-
ence 99f mind and body is absolute, that
health in fulness depends upon Chris
tian love in in the sopl and the subjpga-
ton CT the body to that law of spiritual
living, accompanied by positive treat
ment and physiological advice, alcohol
ic and drug poisons would speedily
cease to dominate medical practice.