Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-11-19

4sA Rfcci suzG - ih1uD BE lax
fact that men 10 longer feel
impeiieG TO bite the dust, or rhump their
breasts before every mosLgrown Idol Of
a cruel, an ignorant, and superzsstlous
past that uay chance 70 come within
he range Of their intellectual vision
They appreciate the fact that civiiiza-
ton Ia broader and deeper; that
Intelligence 10 infinitely higher,
that religion and humanity hand In hand
stand for more than they have ever
stood for In any other epoch OF the
worlds history. There il no sadder
sight In this day and generation than q
man standing In the glazing sunlight oil
i.s civilization with soul insensible 70 ii
truths and eyes only for past, which
we have reason TO be thankful Ia past
vainly striving to discover some faint
ray u candle light in Ia darkness u
guide his steps 10 the Illuminated paths
OF an electric age Veneration %
the antique may be carried Il
such an excess as to unfit q
MAI for proper appreciation Of the
present, and entirely sap his Interest IL
the future. Bat these cases are com
parattyely few and rapidly becoming
more 40. The march Of progress is oa
ward. strsgglers who fall behind dc
not catch up with it, The victories II
wins are achieved without them Nc
one would be surprised in this
present age To read In his morning
paper the fact that some modern Darius
Green had Invented flying machine up
on which he had actually travelled
down among the denizens Of a barnyard
but upward into the azure depth
Of space, fair rival OF the winged
creatures that formerly held un
disputed away there. Indeed there
IL. growing expectancy that thii
very feat will be accomplished In the
course OF a feg more years The day o
surprises Is fast passing away, because
people are learning 10 be surprised a
nothing. One Of the most c0Dserva
tive Of yocatl0ua even In this day. l
the medical profession. yet her
has been made an advancement that 1
almost marvellous. The physicians o
today easily effect cures where those o
Yesterday would have seen no hope
The achievements OF modern surgerl
exceed in their practical results the wild
est stretches to which the Imagination o
the ancient practitioner could POSSIBLE
have reached. These achievements hay
come as discoveries patiently worked GU
in the light and atmosphere OF an az
c0ngenlsl 10 research. 1t Is well tina
such discoveries should be subjected L
the most searching scrutiny, that thei
permanent value may be definitely de
termined. but conservatism that refuse
them the benefits OF fair and Impair
tia test, and which refuses to aC
cept the evidence OF their prac
tica re sults is conservatism tina
belongs to the past, and that is ont o
sympathy with the spirit of our age. |
has seemed to US that some Of thi
unressoning and unreasonable conserva
tism of other days has made itself appar
ant in the treatment that has beel
accorded DR.. Leslie F.. keeley's cure 70
drunkness. Whatever may be said t.
the contrary, Dr. Kelley did not com
before the public as a quack or q charla
tan. He was brought into prominene
by his own patients, people who hat
personally tested the efficacy Of his neV
treatment and were therefore the hes
qualified to speak Of It's merits. Anon;
those who put themselves under hi
charge were some of the brightes
minds in the country men eminen
10 the professions, in literature, and il
public life. The number OF these pa
tlents Is now well into the thousands
and yet among them all we have yet t.
learn of one who does not fully believ
in this cure We do not believe that 40,
imposter could show such record a
this; and having shown it we believ
thst DR.. Kelley is entitled to fair AM
candid usage. The one indictment upol
which number of periodicals hayu
fastened to reject and ridicule his dis
covery is the relapse of Col John F
Mines, whose article In the North Amer
lean Review upon his personal expert
ence with the cure attracted national at
teution. Now we submit that one failur,
ia not sufficient ground upon which t
condemn DR.. Keeley's method of deal
ing with intemperance.
Had the great medical discoveries o
the past been subjected to such test
how many OF them would ever have be
come permanently established? Becaus'
vaccinated person once in a gres
while falls victim to small pox, shat
we say that DR.. Jenner's great discover
was of no benefit to the human race
Because an occasional victim OF hydro
phobia dies in spite Of Pasteur's treat
ment shall we utterly ignore the ninetl
and nine that have been saved byi an,
declare it worthless We do not THAI
so. neither do we think that we shoult
expect of DR. Keeley's cure more thai