The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-05-28
SICKNESS Is ALL SINFUL.
An Experience Which Demonstrates That
the Theory is Not New One.


the Theory Is Not a New One.
III see that lions Herald declares itselfa
believer in what it calls corporal piety,"
said a well known New Yorker ''That is
the religion of looking after our bodies,
and it includes belief that sickness is a
proof of sim People prefer to have good
time, says the editor, rather than be
bound down by strict rules about diet and
exercise, but after awhile, when it is too
late, they find that the pleasures of sins
against the body are but for season, and
that the violation of the laws written in
our physical constitutions is visited with
very strict penalties All this reminds
me of my earliest school days. They were
spent in Newark, N. j., where I sat ct
the feet Of a vinegary old maid who was
as full Of crank ideas as she could hold. I
never will forget the first time tried to
get away from school for half holiday.
1t was bright spring day, and the songs
OF the birds and the new greenery Of the
trees drew mo like magnets from my stud
les. After vainly trying to resist the temp
tation, I announced that had a headache
and wanted to go home.
II had been taught at home that sick
person commanded sympathy, and that
was what I expected from my teacher.
What got was a spanking. "A headache,
eh?' she asked. What sin have you COM
mitted that God has sent you headache?
Have you been out without your hat, or
have you been eating pie or-what was itP
Come here and let me punish YOU. Isob-
bed out that had done nothing. Don't
add lying to your sins, said tho old bel
dame. That headache was sent to you
hot
tect your sins. You cannot escape your
wrongdoings. Headaches and rheumatism
and colds and sickness of many sorts fol-
low you whenever you do evil Then she
laid on the rod in the presence of the grin
ming Glass; and I learned new theory of
life and took the hint never again to say
that was sick while in that school,
''Sneezing runs in my family. My
grandfather sneezed from the cradle to the
grave, and my father was chronic and
in7eterate snoezer got the disease early
in childhood. fancy that the mucous
membrane Of the nose in all of us was SUI
persensitive. At any rate, sneezed upon
the slightest provocation, and of course I
sneezcd in school.
C New boy, said the teacher, step for
ward. What are you sneezing for?'
a'am, said l.
"'Of course you cannot help it., said
the old griffin Of q teacher. 1T is punish
ment for sin. What have you been doing
that was wicked? What sin is this that
you are being punished for? Tell me at
once and do not add falsehood to your
crimes
She opened her desk to get her ruler,
and screamed: Don t whip me! I caught
it from my father-ah-c hoo! ah-choo!'
Then you must suffer for your IA
TIERS sins, said she. He sneezes because
Of his defiance of the rules of correct liv-
ing, and if he has given you the punish
ment you must bear it'-whack, whack,
whack. All this and more besides came
to my mind when read what the editor
of Zion's Herald has to say about 'corpo-
real picty.' 1t may please him to know
that he did not invent the idea. New
York Sum-,