The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-26
BOOKS OF VARIOUS KIND.
The Inspiring Presentation or the
"Power OF Shcnce"-A Book About
Rascais-Some Music OF Happiness.

| According 10 "A voracious chronjcier an
1 old darkcy jabbed his big 700 with his
hoo. Naturally upon the instinct tho old
darkey dropped his hoe and grabbed his
toe, the while he yelled "Oh. Lawdy" :"
or something to that effect jumped about
on tho other foot and took on mt u fearful
rate. The torture In the the toe gave no
| sign of letting up, however and finally
| weary with the Intellectual struggle
| against pain the old darkey let go OF the
injured foot and addressing 10 indig,
| nantly exclaimed; $50 avn aching, yo'
! ole toe, yo', Of yo' wants to- you'se muffin
TO me no way'-and proceeded with the
| hoeing.
| Quite likely the old darkey who thus
relieved his mind Of concern for the
suffering OF his toe took sIIme pains TO
avoid "A repetition ot the iniliction on the
| innocent member, but the inference from
| the yeracious chronicle is that by thus
| placing its hurt out of his mind, leaving
| tho toe TO its own reflections and going
| ahead with the hoeing ho ceased TO suffer
| pain. Nothing about the toe reached the
| brain TO disturb him mentally and so
| there was no physical distur bance beyond
the toe itself which, swe take IL, was quite
| able 10 stand t without necessarily
bothering the rest of the body.
| The story is evidently plausible, SO Is
that other one of the woman who had
| been bound 90 her chair for years and
| years by somo mysterious disease,
| perhaps rheumatism. One day she
| was wheeled out in tho middle Of
| n field for summing and big
| bull discovered her and came snorting her
way. Upon which the good lady leapcd
| from the chair and made excellent speed
| across the lot ana over stone wall with
| time TO spare before the bull got there.
| Whether she ever went back To the chair
| as II steady habit deponent saith not.
| Such Incidents, in greater or lesser degree
| illustrative OF the power of mind over
matter, are generally familiar. Not all
of us, probably, regard their significance.
! Within our generation, however, "a school
| of philosophers has developed that has
| made a study Of such phenomena and
| finds that they are only the expression OF
| n universal truth susceptible of scen-
| tific demonstration.
Hence mental science" or Chris
tian science" What 1t is is plainly new
| only in name. 1t Is novelty only in its
| elucidation and in its development by
| study and active test. 1t conflicts with no
| religion, though it takes no cognizance of
| dogma or creed. 1t quarrels with the
profession of medicine, but that is only
| an incident, as IL contends against all
4 sorts of human misconceptions OF what
| it believes to be fundamental truth.
| Because most of these so-called miscon-
| ueptioDs find "a more complete and an ex
1 tensively elaborated expression In tho
| practice of medicine as developed through
| generations of empiricisin, chiefly, the new
| philosophy seems TO aim directly at the
practice OF medicine.
Either Co secure ID clear understanding
| of mental science or for an elucidation
| of the doctrine-we suppose the word Is
| permissable-at the bottom of it, or
| agasi, to supply ourselves for wonder
I fully attractive understanding of the
| faith instructive in us whatever our re-
| ligious denomination, or ii we admit none
| at all, we commend reading OF book
/ called 1.-The Power of Silence. ian in
| depreciation OF life in its relation to
health and happiness by Horatio w.
| Dresser.
| 10 every ono at some time comes
| recognition of the power OF silence. How
| tremendous Is that power Mr.. Dresser $
| book suggests-suggests rather than shows
| for all IL shows more than most of us
| have ever dared tn think. The soul and
bodily peace and refreshment that come
| from keeping stilP' means more than
| many of us unguided could guess, and
| that meaning may lie understood and ex
| planned. Mr.. Dresser gives us mis- idea as
| to whence come the peace and refreshment
| and how it Is that our quiet moments
are moments Of growth. That there
should DO encouragement, not discourage
| ment, development, not contraction,
| through the commission Of the silent hour
| the requirement. Is. TO quote another broad
ening mind. that we should "look out
| not in,'' that we should not chew over our
unhappy thoughts, but open our minds
receptive to the better atmosphere that
| Mr.. Dresser tells u.s. that Is conceivable
| aud that none can resist the desire To be-
| lieve Is all about us TO be absorbed. But
| all this Is in the nature of detail. Like
| what the writer has To say OF mental help
| iG Al "A
of the philosophy or religion that he enun-
| oiates That philosophy or religion Is
| "a most exalting thing It soems TO US that
| il can conflict with none other except
| the scheme of the materialist which 1t
| directly reduces-unless we except the idea
| of the kind of "A personal God possible OF
accurate reproduction In efligy.
| That everything in the world is part
of God and that God Is everything rather
than specific being apart from all the
created things is an idea that, wo believe,
| In greater or lesser measure, is approached
| 10y about every interpretation of the reli-
| gion that Christ taught. We do not, how
| ever, recall any other work that so
| simply, so precisely and so convincingly
| elucidates that proposition as does
| Mr.. Dresser in this book. 1t Is not
at all easy to describe what Mr. Dresser
| book could assist as illustration since the
book itself is as brief and succinot as it
well can be- we may quote two of its
many significant ald suggestive state
ments 1--WE see things as we arc
| that's paraphrase OF the formerly ac-
| cepted axiom as to seeing things las they
are, +" which hr Dresser teaches Us never
| can be So or at least not until we may feel
sure that we ourselves are in harmony
| with the things. Again: MAN never
conauers himself by self.suppression any
more than by indulgence but by adjust
ment TO the forces Of his own being
| ana how tc quicken and keep that adjust
| ment Mr.. Dresser tells us.
In the first quotation lies the key to
the proposition and In the second n
| clue TO elucidation-as nearly rs may be
| from attempting TO extract where not u
| phrase or n line is not of direct bearing
| and enlightening power on the discourse.
We repeat the work exalts in every page.
| IL gives us new faith In ourselves because
| 1t compels q recognition of our share I'm
| our God. III makes no controversy but
only instils itself into our reason and
| faith. We believe IL Is book that is
calculated 10 make the world better and
s..s az ku, ~. A,