The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1885-06-23
THE MIND CURE.

THE MIND CURE.
The Vagaries of the Metaphysical
Doctors.
David Swing. in Current.
On account OF the dignity and wise
look of large words, science never used
a simple term when large one can he
impres sed into service. Thus the sleep
produced by long gazing at bright OBJ.
ject or bv the hands OF mesmer is call
ed hvpnotism while the sleep which
comes from disease is profound coma.
Following this tendency of science to-
use high sounding terms, those who dis
covered the value Of the mind in over
coming disease saw fit to name the fact
or theory the metaphysical cure. As
those who are the parents Of child
nave the right to name 1t, so these dis
coyerers OF 2 new power in the mind
had perfect right to call II by the name
that most pleased them.
1t has always been known that the
mind can exert good or bad influence
over the body The old mental philos
ophies were full OF stories which had a
tendency to show how persons had taken
to bed after having been told bv sue
cession of acquaintances about the dread
full paleness Of face or of q most un.
healthy expression Of the eyes. 1t was
also affirmed in the oldeu newspapers
that some mischievous wife made her
husband believe that be was swelling up
with dropsy. and should by all means
hasten to German Springs, and should
take her along as nurse, his condition
being so critical. The wife thus secured
a trip to Europe-her art being that o,
taking pieces out OF her husbands vests
so that it became almost impossible fol
him to make them reach around the alb.
normal body.
The metaphysical cure is, therefore,
not discovery, but the expansion into
medical practice OF power which had
once been little else than curiosity
A tendency Of our age is to utilize forces.
Nothing so pains the American mind as
the thought Of having anything 60 10
waste We are now in worry lest there
may be an electric potency that might
turn all our wheels; we are attempting
to run engines by sunbeams; the waste
OF water power at Niagara is the griei
of many; while those who have escaped
these forms of distress are made unhap.
py because The air is not as full Of bal
looms as the streets are Of cars and wag
ons.
In such day it was very naturally
concluded that il mind has power over
health and disease. let US utilize this
power. Let Us not permit the force to
escape all duty like the waters Of Ma
CARA. Let us not permit artful women
TO use it as q means OF inducing dropsy
and foreign trip. Let US domesticate
this mental influence and extract from il
valuable service.
Thus came the metaphysical cure
about eight or ten years ago. In the
hands OF extremists 1t is made partly
one of the delasinns ofsthe world. bul
In the hands of the. wise and moderate
| it is a tonic Of great value, and will dis.
place large amountof quinine and wild
cherry bitters. lis philosophy may all
be summed up in the fact that the sou
affects the body and can rouse up its tor.
pid blood, can make the liver, heart
lungs and the hrain-the nerve center
quicken their pace aud use up or crowd
out the diseased globules from the blood
and fluids. Clara Morris. has, perhaps
saved her life by acting on the stage JUS
enough to enable her mind to recon.
slruct, from time to time, her delicate
physique. One of the old poets said,
.'rAe soul doth tho bedy make"
it being a we'll known fact that the edu.
Gated and powerful mind makes the fac.
into it's own likeness.
This, then, the philosophy Of the mini
cure. 1t can do much for man. and i!
not to be reproached because it canno
do everything. If the influence of th,
mind may benefit one sick person il
| twenty-five, 1t will then surpass in vslu,
many popular medicines; and II it shal
prevent many others from falling int
an imaginary illness, 1t will confer a sec
ond benefit upon the community. Mar
is not in condition to reject any OF ma
ture's kind offers BY means o. al
these discovered helps the evils OF il
health may be mitigated, If not banish
ed from the world. Will, energy, medi
cine, fasting, good air, good food, gooe
water, are all friends of health, but AZ
one of these is master of the entire fell
of ailment. He will act wisely who EN-
ploys all these causes at different time
of need.
The instances 10 which the body i
languishing under only feeble will pow
er are very many A delicately organ
ICED lady Of Chicago lay sick q few
weeks with lung fever, and became 81
accustomed to feebleness that at last sh,
had to be told very plainly bv her ply
sician that che was we'll, and that sh
must rise, dress, and 90 down to the sup
per table She has lived to laugh owe
the absurdity of spending perhaps tw,
weeks in bed alter she had fully recov
cred.
A citizen Of Chicago WHO had been il
his bedroom for q few weeks, and ha,
no thought OF going out to business 70
a week or more, was cured by corfs
grafton in neiehbor's house. He wen
out to save lie and property, and be
/ came fully aroused that his bedroom los
its charm. He dined with his famil,
and resumed business next day, bein,
unable 10 sink hack to feebleness
With masses of such evidence OF th
power OF mind over matter, either {,
weaken 1t or to build it.up, it is higl
time for US all to invoke the aid of thi
spiritual inaience ia not a lev ways O
life; but to cali it general practice o
medicine is to attempt TO make par
equal the whole. This feat the ne,
l practitioners are attempting 10 perform
They are even attempting to cure dis
ease when it is far away from the ailege,
doctor--the doctor throwing bis ments
Iforce Thousand miles, and making !
land like bombsbell amid the works o
the enemy. This IL that reduction sb
surdum which has been common in al
,;rooo Phroooln.yu vaa an attamnt 4,