The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-22
. IDEAS for qMn1nen

N&&<g t1 SCN
Essh is too constantly the watchword
uita all classes of women. no less SO
with the society matron and belle thar
with the ever-busy -housekeeper ana
downtown business woman. The inevita-
BILE result il an ever-increasing number
of those in. that state of collapse which
one of our most noted specialists calls
the dreadful American malady-nervous
prostration." Though the unobservant
observer might think that the mad pace
of Vanity Fair in the season was more
conducive to total exhaustion thar the
routine duties of workers, 1t seems that
the butterflies. no matter how ce2Seless
their fight from teas to euchre parties
and from dinners TO opera and balls. arc
more exempt, according to this supreme
authority, than the overworked and anx-
ious house-mother or those who are under
the necessity of sorambling for that
which the preacher calls filthy fucre'
In the pulpit and the Observation-Disclosures
problem when collecting his deficient
salary.
Says this emphatic A-esculapius:-"lf
the mass of American women led the HE
of the -Four Hundred. specialists In
nervous diseases would find their occupa-
ton gone. For one woman who breaks
down through fashionable folly a score
are destroyed by eyerstrain in the serious
affairs OF life" He claims that it Is
worry that kills and that the butterflies
do not worry even though they be tired
to the last degree. They take most ex-
eelient care of themselves, too, he says;
bracins up against fatigue with hot bouil-
lon between engagements and renewing
their vitality by judicious bathing and
the s~leep-inducing massage.
But there-are members of this leisure
contingent as well as those who are
fighting the dollar devii'' and the over
education devil who lose the best years
of their life in struggling back to health
and strength, as this costly practitioners
patronage proves; but it is not a question
of class or of cause, but of remedy. The
important query to be answered is: How
may the woman who Is laid low by this
seemingly hopeless ailment get up again
and be of use in the world, overcoming
this dreadful american malady?"
The treatment that is most success
ful in the greatest lumber of cases, both
for the rich and for those broken down
by oyerstrain in the serious pursuits OF
life, is diversion. An absolute change
from the environment in which the COL
lapse occurs often saves the reason, and,
II there is not serious organic disease as
q primary cause, the physical being will
respond as surely as the mental to the
stimulus of new objects. new faces and a
new atmosphere.
Supplementary to changed surround
tngs, though, there must be added a per-
feet willingness to become a disciple of
the ancient but ever new doctrine of
repose. The woman who would rally
from this depressing weakness must
etraiEhtway realize that her only hope
is in following natures lead, giving her.
self up to that sort of rest which, with
nature. is perfect auiescance.
"
To be willing not to do or to think Is,
to energetic souls, a great price to pay
for recovery; but they are the only terms
of cure, whether we are willing or not,
and to resist them and try to get well
while e~ndeavoring at the same time to
keep up with the throng of busy workers
is like trying to get sound sleep on d
lightning express.
1t simply cannot be done.
But there is, perhaps. no n factor
that makes or mars the possibility of re-
covery from nervous prostration so much
as the nurse.
Be she one trained to the service or,
more fortunately, one whom ties Of kim
ship and affection render ,tenderly solicit
GUS, the patient prospers IN proportion to
tn eamount of Wholesome optimism diff
fused by the nurse, who holsters her
hopes just as she rests and strengthens
her muscles by a grateful propping with
downy pillows.
Some change or scene, however slight
or varied, is almost essential to recovery;
and If this trouble should come upon one
to whom it was only possible, like the
Vicar of Wakefield, to make migrations
from the blue bed to the brown" she
should take that little journey and as
soon as possible extend it to wider row
ings in the parks.
Her own will power and optimism will,
of course. help her more than drugs and
pills; but fresh air, fresh scenes and the
constant presence of a CHEEKY, hopeful
companion, these three elements of ma
lures healing, are the very elixir of life
to those whom our national malady lays
low for a season.
When a patient of this kind can be
amused to the point of laughing twice a
day the battle is over, the victory won.
A unique salad was invented some
years ago by an ingenious woman. 1t
consisted of slices of HARD boiled egg at
least four inches in diameter, served on
lettuce leaves. No egg but an ostrich
egg was ever so large, but the secret lay
In the fact that it was a composite egg.
Two bags Of flannel were made, one
round and the other oval, the round one
being much the smaller. Into the round
one were dropped at once the yolks of
eight eggs, nearly filing the bag. After
the yolks were boiled hard they were left
until cool, and then the flannel was cut
off. The whites of the eggs were put
into the oval bag and the ball of yolks
carefully slipped into them. When the
whites had zeooked and cooled the second
bag wasacat away.
Experimenting was necessary to find
the right size of bags for the number of
eggs and the proportionate size for the
yolk alone and the entire egg. 1t was an
other nice pafut IN alloW for tho saeand