The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-12-02
sEw CURE FOR NERVOUSNESS.

Chinese Wear soft-so1ed Shoes and
Are Perfectly Calm.
A new cure for nervousness has been
suggested to American sufferers from
:his indef1nable but terrible malady,
Ind by Chinese student of national
and racial characteristics. The man
who has formulated the new nerve
specific says that he believes its adop-
ton will cure the worst case Of head
ache couchant over nerves rampant
known to mankind. He believes the en-
tire absence of nervousness which char
acterizes the Mongolian race to result
simply from the centuries Of practice
which his countrymen have given to
the simple cure.
And this Is the cure:
always wear soft-soled shoes and
you will never be conscious Of possess
ing nerves." says the savant from the
dowery kingdom.
To Americans but recently induced to
try the wearing of heavy, thick-soled
shoes with view to mitigating the
very conditions now under discussion
the idea would seem at first sight ridic-
1lous. Upon closer inspection, how
ever, 1t bears at least a semblance of
reason.
"a hard-Soled shoe, like a tight or a
high-heeled shoe, puts person under
a tension" says the man who Is re-
sponsible for the propound1ng Of the
new idea in America. This tension Is
naturally and necessarily wearing, and
the nerves seem to wear out first 1t
nervousness, not bracing up or tension.
I feel convinced that the theory which
l have advanced, to the effect that If
Americans will stop wearing the stiff
soles which keep them under a strong,
If unconscious, tension, they will cease
to be nervous, will soon be borne out by
facts"
In support of this theory the Chicago
people who are just now interested in
the Chinese doctors ideas instance the
facts that tight shoe will produce
more wrinkles nervous wrinkles
around the mouth, eyes and forehead
Inside of given time than any other
form Of suffering known. The sudden
adoption Of a heavy-soled shoe after
the wearing Of light kid shoes Will
sometimes insure a similar result.
Some Of the Chicago physicians talked
with on the subject, while deprecating
anything which will tend to drive the
sensible thick-so1ed shoes which have
lately become fashionable out Of popu-
larity again, declare that they believe
much truth to be enshrined in the
Chinaman's statements.
''This is the way in which / would
compromise" said one of the best
known physicians in the city not long
ago. ''Let every one, man or woman,
who steps outside the house at all in
cool or bad weather wear thick k-soled
shoes, but see that the soles are also
as pliable as possible. 1t is not the
thickness of the sole which is at fault;
that is always good. 1t is the stiffness.
Get shoes as pliable as can be found,
and rest the feet and nerves further by
wearing the softeSt shoes to be had,
real Indian moccasins If possible, in
the house and when and wherever con-
ventionality allows. Everybody real
ICES, albeit most Of US do it unconscious
ly, what a relief to nerves and feet alike
comes with the getting into slippers
process SO dearly beloved of the aver
age man. Women too usually slip off
their heavy shoes and don easy slip
pers the moment they reach their own
rooms, and this is right. Pliable shoes
furnish an easy and simple way of rest
ing for overtired and overworked peo-
pie. So far, at least the Chinese doctor
is right. The experiment of treating
the nerves by wearing pliable-and to
.pliable' 1 should add wide, roomy,
comfortab able'-shoes whenever possible
is an experiment exceedingly easy to
try, and it has better chance of prov
ing efficacious than is the case with
many popular ideas of the kind.-Chi-
cago Chronicle.
The Origin of Familiar Song.