Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1888-05-14
A CRTCK IN THE BACK.
.cHAJNcEY NJ. DEPEW CONSULTs
SIR HENRY THOMPSON.

I1even Dollars for an Experience will
One of RoyaIty's Physicians-Inquiry
Concerning Daily Habits-An Explana
tiop-The Doctors Good Advice.
President Chauncey NJ. Depew, Of the New
York Central, who had been knocked out by
an effort to speak at an average Of five dinner;
a week. is now in good form again When
ever any important thing is uppermost in
Mr. Depew's mind he is pretty sure to develop
a story that exactly meets the situation. de
saws himself that he prefers stories that come
naturally in this way, and if he has had any
success as an entertainN, it is because he
tells his own stories instead of repeating those
that ere told to him The consequence Of his
being asked an average Of 100 times day
about his health and when he expects to be
well enough to undertake his regular daily
dinner speech, is that he has furnished up
his memory in regard to an experience he
had in London last summer when he became
q patient Of Sir Henry Thompson, and it
makes a very interesting tale.
"Sir Henry Thompson, you know" he says,
"is perhaps the swellest physician in Europe
While l was in London met friend one
morning who told me he was going to Sir
Henry Thompsou's.
'''What does he charger l asked.
/ "'Two guineas is his fee, said my friend.
'Well, that was only Sl1, and it struck me
| that Sl1 wasn't much to pay for an expert
ence with one of royalty's physicians, SO
said: I will go along, too Well, went to
/ a house in the West End of town, was shown
into a waiting room by a iveried servant,
who came in the course of time and said the
doctor was ready to see me. found the old
gentleman in his study, and he rose and took
my hand and asked me my name, and said,
60 my astonishment, that he knew me.
WHAT WAS THE MATTER
"'Oh,' he said, 4 have often heard of you
You are from America. What is the matter
with your
"Well, there wasn't anything the matter
with me, but had been thinking up what
should say when this question was asked,
and l was all prepared So ] replied
promptly, i have a crlck in my back Well,
he made me tell him all about that, and l in
vented pretty good series of such symptoms
as l should suppose would accompany a crck
in the back He sat down and wrote in
large book what l told him, and then told me
that he made it a practice to keep a full
record Of the facts regarding the physical
history of each patient. So he began at the
beginning and asked me about my birth and
about my parents, who, as you know, were
rugged country folks. Finally he got down
TO my present daily habits.
"Now, what do you do from morning till
nightF said he.
= Il told him that got up in the morning
early, and that at the same time friends and
callers began to fill up my parlor and other
rooms while l ate a breakfast of eggs and
looked over the morning paper
"'Wel, what do you do with all the people
that conner
"'I take them up one by one, and bounce
Them said /.
"'What is that said ne
II see each one and fire him out said |.
He looked very puzzled, and found that
that Americanism was evidently too much
for him, and explained what meant. Then
told him walked over to the office, dis /
tmce Of two or three blocks, CARRYING with [
me the friends | had not done with, and there .
found room full Of people connected with /
the railroad waiting to see me. / spent the .
day then seeing them and officials and en- /
p'oyes OF the railroad. l told him that | |
reached home an hour or so before dinner. |
had little romp with my boy, and then |
made OF my dinner what l always called
daily circus
III required some explanation 10 make Sir
Henry Thompson understand what a daily
circus meant, but | told him that my wife
i-d l. and any others who happened to be
with us, did our best to be just as funny and
l'ly as we could during that meal aud that
IA the evening l went TO my library and
rad, or walked out TO the club. or went ont
!" dinner. The doctor put this all down in
s iaoorious handwriting, and when he came
u the last word that had said he laid down
aF pen and exclaimed; Good God. Mr.
'tpow, you ought to have been dead long
,.orn e
When Mr.. Depew gets to this point. his
y eS sparkle SO, and he gesticulates with sucb
'eartiness, that his hearers easily perceive
rat IN that one remark he got his Sli worth .
,Std.
Why said the great doctor. in all this
lng story Of your life YOU make no mention
exercise You are squaudering the patri-
'ony OF those rugged ancestors who gave
on a strong constitution. You must not 90
ay longer without exercise. Ii doesn't MAJ
'r what kind It is so much, whether Won ri5s
n horseback, walk, or go through some form
manual exercise, hut something of the
'f' You must do. Let me picture Won Ia b.
'lrSet as you will be If you do exercise
ad as YOU will be il YOU don't II YOU dop't
Nef'iSe' at 90 or Is years you will have to
'Ie from business, a broken down irrits.
~ cranky old man, whom nobody loves l.
nose death many may not grieye over
a' II You DO exercise you can continue IN
ORR long past that age, but il YOU have =.
aae competency YOU can retire a rugged :
'ar'y' aniahle old gent eman, destined for
long life, godsend to your friends. a
y''suIo l., 70 yourself an honored and shining i
,ample 20 the community q
! thanked him. said Mr. Depew, "and n
orty af'srWard took my leave, well pleased Z
tn my experiment 4
And do you take exerciser' the writer q, II
hom he today told the story, asked him v
eli said Mr., DepeW, II continue 10
mn with my hay anN