The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-03-03
The New Philosophy OF Health.

upon systems Of philosophy. representing
the efforts of the human mind to account
for every natural phenomenon; but they
have usually been Of no practical bhefit
except AS consolation or mental
exercise for persons Of intellectual
taste. In modern tinics science, with Its
exact Hrcthods andsits practical Hifn, has
rather superseded phlsolophy. Science
goes slowly, step by step, proving all
things, 4" and mover building upon mere
hypothesis except tentatively, for the pur-
pose of experiment.. She throws out a
bridge of gucss-work across an otherwise
impossible chasm, but does not trust IL to
carry her weight until she has thoroughly
tested 1t. Things that cannot be thus
proven she leaves alone until such time
rs increased knowledge shall fit her to cope
with them. In the light of this distinc.
tion the new philosophy might perhaps
better be called "a science, since it employs
strictly scientific methods and has tested
its hypothesis by SO many experiments as
10 prove it's truth as II principle, even
while admitting that as a science IL is yet
I'm its infancy.
The forces of nature are only beginning
10 be understood by man, but as soon rs
the laws that govern them are learned,
man can begin to utilize them for his
own practical benefit, even while their
nature remains IA mystery to him. Thus
electricity, which until within few years
was entirely misunderstood, has been
chained and harnessed and forced 20 work
for man, while he Is still specializing
as 10 whether it is a fluid, "a force or
spiritual agency. We are beginning to
realize that there are forces all about us
and within us whose laws we do not Yet
know we'll enough to depend upon using
them with any certainty of success and
yet the recent unquestionable advance
In many departments of science
has brought about receptive
state of mind on the part of the public,
that is most favorable to the acquiring of
new knowledge. When the knowledge
that is offered us Is matter of such
practical concern as our own health, it is
impossible that any one should be quite
indifferent TO it, The enormous increase
of nervous disorders and other physical
troubles scarcely known a few years ago
outstripping the marvellous advance in
medical knowledge, leaves our doctors as
unequal to their task of relieving human
misery as were the doctors of two CEN
turies ago. Invalids become more numer-
ous insane hospitals are filed to overflow
ing and scarcely any one is free from
some more or less crippling inflrmity.
"What is the matters" we ask ourselves.
Recent investigation has pointed to more
hygienic living, and prevention rather
than cure of disease. We are told that we
should filter and -beil-watef- that we
drink, should eat no adulterated food,
should exercise regularly i'm gymnasium
or ride a bicycle, that we should fumigate
and disinfect and cleanse until we come
to the conclusion that wealth and leisure
are necessary to securing health. Deadly
bacilli lurk everywhere; we are beset
with foes on every side and as fast as one
is conquered others still more terrible APP
pear. Clearly, we are not exercising our
supposed birthright as lords of creation,
but bid fair to yield our sovereignty to
some microscopic insects that are found
when dissected, to have no brains at all
The beginning of the new philosophy
was in the discovery of mesmerism, more
properly called hypnotism, which opened
the way to vast and hitherto unexplorcd
region, the region of the human mind.
About 1910 matchmaker by the name
of p. p. Quimby began to investigate the
phenomena of hypnotism and aftcrward
gave lectures, with experiments in which
he showed the extraordinary power of
one mind TO act upon another But being
n man of originality and lover of his
human brethren, he soon began to try
to use his mental power in relieving
their physical distresses thus laying the
foundation Of the science Of mental heal
ing Yet there is vast difference between
these two uses of mental power. Hypno-
tism is the capricious and arbitrary action
of one will upon another, and is often
evil i'm its effects, because it may be used
TO countcract the natural healthy laws Of
the divine order Of things For this same
reason its power is temporary and limited,
for we can transgress natures laws
Nlti 'hiy w a. t'ItNiu
extent, and there always remains a strong
natural tendency to readiustmcnt ready
to act as soon as the opposing force Is re-
moved. Mental healing on the contrary
acts with and not against nature, and
therefore its effects are always salutary
and the possibilities open before IL in the
future are practically unlimited. 1t acts
i'm such manner upon the sub conscious
mind, or i'm more popular language upon
the nervous system, as to restore the
supremacy of that unknown vitalizing
force by which all things live.
TO explain, we see, for example, COW
drinking from n pool of muddy wa
ter, yet the cow receives no injury.
This vitalizing force i'm her is strong
enough TO east out the injurious
clements i'm that water, absorbing only
what is suited to the needs of her system.