Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-05-17
LITTLE ILLNESSES.
Kate Epson Clarke Discusses the Immor.
ality of Sickness.


aiity of Sickness.
The head of n well-knOwn seminary
used to say to her pupils: The time
will come when men Will be fined anC
imprisoned for being sick. In this age
| OF intelligence and light. it is a crime
to be sich." In a country and a race
where hereditary weakness. dense ig-
nOrance and unavoidable accidents are
responsible for large portion of the
Illness suffered, this excellent lady s
sweeping prophecy will not come true
at present. But. leaving out of sight
the classes named. is she so very far out
OF the way? Among US who read and
think. and are supposed to understa and
something OF the law of our own bodies.
! IS there not vast number of ailments
which we might avoid perfectly we'll
except for blameworthy carelessness. or
wrong indulgence of appetite, or silly
fear of the criticism of our friends?
A prominent and respected citizen of
one of oar inland towns had very nice
pie for dinner the other day. and was
helping himself to second piece, when
his daughter said: Take care, father,
or you will surely bring on one of your
headaches" Il declare" he said Gas
we have all heard people say some
times under similar circumstances. }.
this pie is SO good that it is worth a
little trouble. I've got to have another
piece, any way" He was laid up for
three days afterward. and paid for
three visits from the d octor during their
painful course. Was not that man
directly 10 blame for all the trouble he
made others as well as himself?
DR.. Johnson says: Every man is a ras-
cal as soon as he is sick" 1t is sure that,
with the exception of some of earth
heaven-inspired saints. most of us do
lose what little virtue we possess under
the spell of wearing pain, the con-
sciousness that our business is going
awry, and the other trials attendant
upon illness. Our sanitary experts de-
clare that the vast majority of the
crimes committed in the world are due
a well-established fact that very many
men and women acquire the drinking
habit from the craving of the stomach.
which there is no nutritious food to
satisfy. A thoroughly-sane mind can
only exist in thoroughly-sane body.
In view of the facts here presented,
which are only types Of hundreds fa-
miliar to us ali, we are forced to ad-
nit that by exercising the faculties
with which q kind Providence has en-
lowed us-our Intelligence. our self
may avoid By far the
greater part of physical ills which our
desh is heir to. Since these ills bring
:rouble to our families. from the actual
exertion they are forced to make Cto
say nothing of the endurance of all our
invalid whims and caprices); cause ex-
pense which we can often ill afford to
bear; presumably shorten our lives Gin
other words slow suicides). and make
rs less able to do useful work and bear
hard strains in the future, and, above
all, l,strengthen the always strong enough
tendency in human nature to center its
thoughts in self rather than in higher
and altruisiic channelS-since these
,hings are so. most of our little illnesses
become absolute immoralities in us, and
we should hate them sincerely, and
'hun them by every means in our oow-
er.- -COngregGtionGIiSt.