The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-10-30
THE ROCKING CHAIR HAL
One Cause Of Nervous PrOstration
Among Women, Says u Doctor.

Among Women, Says a Doctor.
"You must give me something to belr
me, doctor, you really must" said the
woman patient. "Why, I'm tota
wreck. | can't sit still a minute. In
on the verge Of prostraton."
She swayed listlessly back and forth
in the leather chair as she spoke and
looked at the doctor helplessly. lie nod
ded gravely.
Yes, sce," he said "Your nerves are
in terrible condition and no mistake.
! wonder" he added after moment >
reflection, what portion of the day you
spend in swaying backward and forward
as you are doing now?'
The rhytllmical motion of the woman's
body ceased, and she stared at him in
surprise.
"Why my land" she calculated.
"What question: don't do this any of
have rocking chairs there" The latter
statement was made somewhat spiteful.
ly. but it did not feaze the doctor.
80 l supposed he said coolly. "and
| I've no doubt that you have often felt
like denouncing doctors soundly for not
having a goodly supply of them in their
Offices for the accommodation Of nervous
patients
The woman started up the pendulum
like motion again. well" she returned,
Il must say it would bo good deal more
comfortable than having to sit in one
OF these straight, uncomfortable things
Whether the doctor took offense at her
uncomplimcntary reference to his Office
chairs or whether he had been whettins
himself up to the point where he could
give her sharp, professional talk it
would be impossible to say, hut certain it
is his lecture broke loose then with We
hemence.
"Now, sec here he said. 81 have
scores of women patients just like you.
They come in here and tell me all about
how their nerves are fraZZled into strings,
and they can't sit down, and they cant
stand up and they cant walk or cat
or sleep or do this, that or the other
thing Oh, they're in terrible condition.
Well, that's right. They are in bad
fix. And so you want me to cure you?
Well, I'm willing, but you've got to do
your part. You cannot very well remove
these deplorable defects without roofing
out the cause, and you cant dig out the
cause without throwing away rocking
chairs. Oh, yes, mean it-throw away
the rocking chairs. They send more wo-
men to the grave and the insane asylum
each year than all the sewing machines
in the United States. They are at the
bottom of more than half this nervous
trouble you women are always complain
ing about, and if l had my way fully
two-thirds of the rockers that now clut-
ter up our houses would be split into
kindling wood, and thrce-fourths of the
factories that are now turning them out
by the hundred would be shut down
People who have never given the matter
thought have no idea how much energy
is wasted in keeping II rocking chair on
the so. The pretty. graceful things
move very easily, admit, being the best
substitutes for perpetual motion yet in
vented, but for all that they eat up
vast amount of strength in the course Of
d. .t-.-. .--ses-- -r~s. ~ .---a -
useful and less harmful ends. Why,l pity
the person who suffers from the rocking
chair drunk as much as l do the topper |
who burns his gullet out"
The sufferer from nervous prostration
suddenly found her voice at this point
"Oh, DOCTOR" she protested, don't put
it that way. Don't say We get-get |
drunk. 1t sounds disgraceful!'
"Does it?" said the doctor calmly. |
"Well, unfortunately always did believe
in calling things by their right names,
and that's what it really amounts to. !
can tell people who are addicted to the
rocking chair habit the minute l clap
eyes on them, and honestly think they
are the most pitiable objects l find in a
days journey. They are ever restless
and fdgety and i'll at ease, and when de- !
prived of the chair their distress is man
ifest They simply don't know what to
do with themselves. Take you yourself
now, for instance. You can't sit there
for five minutes without getting up the
rocking chair motion. Now, | am in ear.
nest about this. If you want to get WELL
you must give up your rocking chair, just
as drunkard gives up his whisky. If
you do that, you'll come out all right. A
rocking chair may be restful and helpful
to n certain point, but if taken TO excess
1t is bound to play hob with the nerves
sooner Or later."-New York Sun.