The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-06-17
FATHER ENEIPP DEAD
The Apostle Of Cold Water
Passes Away at Woerisho-
fen--Sketeh Of His
Career.
IBy Gable to The Associated Press. j

MUNICH, June II, 1S97.-The Rev.
Father Kneipp, known throughout the
world for his water cure, who has been
suffering for some time past, died at
Woerishofen this morning
Rather Sebastian Kneipp was born in
the Bavarian village of Ottobeuern about
seventy-five years ago. He was the son
OF weaver and was educated at the
catholic Hospital in the neighboring town
OF Augustberg, where he attracted the
attention of the Bishop of Augustberg,
who obtained permission to educate him
for the priesthood Young Kneipp was
then sixteen years of age and after
few years of hard study he was attacked
with nervous prostration and returned to
the hospital There, in an old book, he
read an article on the efficacy of cold
water as cure for disease. He began
experiments in his own case and eventu-
ally effected a cure.
When 25 years of age he entered the
priesthood and was sent to the church of
ms native town, where he remained nine
years, and, in addition to attending to
his priestly duties, he taught the doctrine
OF the water-cure and met with con-
siderable success. Some AZ years he was
transferred from Ottobeuern to Woeris-
hofen, a town of about 1900 inhabitants,
near Munich, where he continued to heal
the sick by cold water-cures and at
tracted much attention. In 1889 he wrote
book detailing his theory and since that
time his name and his methods have be-
come familiar throughout the world BY
permission of his Bishop he gave up his
duties as a priest, and, with the assist
ance of three other priests, devoted all
his time to healing the sick No fixed
charges We're made and the voluntary
contributions of those who had been
benefited paid for the construction of a
sanitarium at Woerishofen, $780, capable
of accommodating about $50 children.
In the following year, second and a
third building were erected. large enough
to accommodate 1900 priests and sisters
for the church. In 1894 accommodation for
800 lepers and 1000 general patients was
added. BY this time, the revenues of the
sanitariums had SO increased that they
enriched the church and also greatly.
benefited Woerishofen. The town was
provided with electric lights. a splendid
system of water works and many other
modern improvements.
Father Kneipp has treated many dis
tinguiShed patients, including the En-
peror of Austria, the Archdlke Joseph of
Austria, the Archduke Augustin Of Aus
tria, several members of the Rothschfld
family and the Pope. Last year, 1t is es-
timated, about 10000 people were treated
by Father Kneipp and his assistants.
In addition to the cold water treatment
the simplest kinds of remedies of a
medicinal nature We're used. The pa-
tients were compelled to walk barefooted
in the snow in winter and barefooted on
the wet grass in summer. Nervous
diseases yielded readily to this treatment,
the theory of which is that the congestion
Of blood in different parts of the body is
the. cause of most of the ills people COM
cold water and the walks morning and
night are the best remedy for this state
of affairs.
There are now over $50 cold water cure
Institutions in the German Empire and
the treatment has been tried in several
other parts of the world including New
York City, where a Kneipp Verein was
started some time ago.