The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-21
Father Mollinger,s Miracles.

| Father MoIllnRerS MIRACLES.
Father Mollinger, the priest at Pittsburg
who has the reputation of being faith
curer, is reported to be seriously i'll. He is
a strong man. mentally and physically, but
the strain upon him during the week end
ing June 18th was greater than even his
robust health could stand. His fame as a
curer Of all kinds OF ailments has steadily
grown, and on st. Anthony's day, fully
%, 900 people visited the church of which he
is a priest. As many as 5000 of them were
afflicted with real or imaginary ills. and
they expected to be benefited by the heal
ing influences which, it is believed, he de-
rives from st. Anthony. Some very re-
maTkable scenes were witnessed and some
wonderful cures were reported.
Father Mollinger does not boast of his
healing influence. If he believes that any
power for healing the sick is transmitted TO
him by st. Anthony he does not say so. He
has considerable knowledge Of medicine and
he is able TO tell pretty accurately the ma
ture of the diseases from which persons are
suffering. and if he is not able to produce
beneficial effect upon them by his will
power he gives them prescriptions, which
are nearly always the same, and which are
filed by one druggist. He makes no
charges, but those who apply to him are
expected to make contributions, and the
price of the prescriptions are 81 and up
ward. 1t is probable, therefore, that quite
an income is derived from Father Moilin-
gers supposed healing power.
Whether those of the afflicted who have
faith in the supposed healing influence of
the good priest receive any permanent bene-
fit or not is a question concerning which
there is a great difference of opinion. There
is 10 doubt that there are many who declare
that they have been cured by him after reg
ular ply sicians have failed to do them any
good, but the question is, had such persons
anything more than imaginary ailmentsa
And if they had, were they not such all
ments as yield quickly to hopeful frame
of mind? Regular physicians recognize the
fact that there are afflicted persons who re-
ceive no benefit from medicines, but who
can be cured if they can be made TO believe
that they will get well. Such persons are
troubled with nervous disorders of one kind
or another. and healthy, hopeful mental
condition is all that is necessary to bring
about their recovery.
Father Mollinger is not an impostor. He
makes no pretensions He simply recog-
nizes the fact that upon certain people who
are Ill he exercises health giving influence.
He does not pretend that this influence
supernatural. He makes no claim to q
power to work miracles, and it is probable
fhor ~ the fr11fh oh
of the alleged miracles said to be performed
by him, it would be found that that there
was nothing wonderful about them.
The people who resort to him for help are
ignorant, poor and superstitious. They are
the kind of people to have the faith that is
necessary to effect cures in certain kinds
of diseases. II they notice a slight improve
ment in their condition they magnify many
times what has been accomplished in their
cases. And that is one of the reasons why
it is SO difficult to discover whether or not
Father Mollinger accomplishes anything
TINT is worth more than a mere passing
notice.
This faith cure business has had q strong
hold upon the human mind for many centu-
turtles, and doubtless it will continue to
attract more or less attention, but, as a gen.
eral rule, those who have figured as faith
curers have not had permanent popularity.
They have not been able to retain the conf
dence in their healing power which they
have inspired. And che reason is that they
really do nothing outside Of ordinary expe-
rience. They accomplish nothing that
others cannot do, and most of their alleged
wonderful cures turn out to be no cures at
all. And SO, doubtless, will it prove to be
in Father Mollinger's case. In fact, his
popularity is already on the wsne, and in a
few years more st. Anthony's day will not
be an unusual one in his experience. The
thousands of disease-stricken people who
now annually make a pilgrimage to his
church will no longer believe he has the
power to make them well.