The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-12-17
THE CLEVER MEDICINE MEN.


Always excepting KELLEY, we suppos,
the KNEIPP curists have succesded IN
securing the biggest amount OF free ad'
vertising and inexpensive booming oi
any set OF shrewd business men on record.
BARsUM's discovery that people like to
be hnmbugged discovered no more a new
thing than was Niagara Fails when the
frst human beirg heard Il roar. The
Falls had been there and had been roaring
for some time and In the bosom OF ADAM
was born the love Of being we'll hum.
bugged. All wo ask of those who would
numbug us is that they will be clever
about IL and not do us any real harm.
And 30 We are compelled to admiration
at the cieverness Of the Kneipp cure
people. Not that there is necessarily
any humbug about the remedies that
come under the head Of Knoipp cures. Wo
don't know whether there is or not, for
we know nothing about them. They may
be the most wonderful blessings to man
kind that mankind ever had put upon ii
Willy niIly. But their introduction is
one OF the m ost delicious humbugs since
DIR. KELLEY first began to so uirt into
folks what he was pleased to call, with
the finest assurance, by an impossible
title, the bi-chloride OF gold.
The frat thing the general public knew
OF Father KyEIPP ana his cure was the
controversy aroused over the privilege re-
quested on behalf OF people who wanted
to walk oil the dewy grass in the parks
tion OF the privilege brought the Kneip-
pists to the attention of the newspapers
and all over the land their name was
made familiar, while the martyrdom that
they suffered at the hands of the park
commissioners of the metropolis swslled
their ranks with aggressive advocates.
They won the grass walking privilege
and by the time the summer wns over
matters were proceeding 80 smooi hly with
them that II would have been matter
OF only a short time for the KNEIpp
fever to have died out for lack OF atten-
tion hai the bare feet and morning dew
feature been all there was to the KSEIpp
business.
But We now learn that that was only
tho advertising feature. 1t was followed
by newspaper stories OF Father KNEIpP
the founder OF the cures, his antecedents. |
his habits and his list OF royal patients |
ana high class devotess of damp grass,
md pretty soon, suggestions began 10
creep into these pleasant stories OF the
K neipp cure press agent that grass walk
Ing was only an incident OF the true
kneipp cure. And now We know that ell
BUR Ills may be cured by Kneirp cures
of one kino or another, though like any
other cures, or pretended cures, they
,ost the patient money-which is, OF
'ourse. perfectly proper that they should.
We may still wslk on the grass without
'harge, providing the grass 10 available
% walk on, but II We really want to in
lulge ourselves In Kneipp cures for all
hey are worth we shall pay for our med.
cine just as we DO for any medicine,
'aten,ed or not patented.
In word the Kneipp cure is exactly
. much OF q business 90 thar of any
medicine or OF selling boots
nd shoes, dry goods or groceries. And
il this grass walking business that has
reated such fine furors, and oil the in
romsnces about good Father
iNE'pp have teen notning more or less
han amazingly clever advertising for
he business Of the Kpsipp cure. News
~PNs "t">s W Wv Nuiuo W huuuEtuS OI /
housand. OF dollars has simply been bad
Or nothing by the snrewd advertising
gents OF the Kneipp cure. We repeat
here has been nothing so clever since the
arly days of KERLEy. We bell vs q
neipp cure building is to be erected In
ew York. Very likely we shall have
ranch Kneipp cure establishments all
YER the United States before long, pro-
lding the business is pushed with any
ling like the shrewdness and enterprise
isplayed by its advance agents.
Alasl There are tricks in all trades but
ar own.