Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1899-02-17
DespOndency-Its Causes and Cure.


And whence, unhappy youth, he cried,
The sorrow of thy breast Goldsmith.
The old Bible story of one of the greatest
prophets suggests some thoughts profitable
10 every age. AT time when his conf.
dence in God ought to have reached its sub
finest height, and when his exultation at
the triumph of true religion over idolatry
should have been greatest, we find him sunk
en- lnto the lowest depths OF dependency
What is remarkable, he fails in Just that
point of his character where We should least
have expected failure. That stern, indie
pendent, brave man, who had not been afraid
OF the wicked and weak Ahab; that Elijah
who had first Knocked and then slain the
priests of Baal, now flies from the fury OF
the execrable Jezebel, and never rests till
he has put more than hundred miles be-
tween him and the female monster Even
this is not the fullest exhibition of his pitt.
able weakness. In the wilderness OF Beer
sheba, under the friendly shade of a juniper
tree, he filings himself upon the ground, and
In tlt OF petulance requests that he may be
relieved OF q lie which has become an in.
tolerabe burden.
1t is humiliating commentary upon even
partially sanctied human nature that sa-
cred history presents numerous examples of
such defective characters. David, whose
sweet songs breathe purity, and who so de.
voutly prayed for cleanliness of heart and
hands, once committed horrible crime
against purity. Moses, the meek once "spake
nnadvisedly with his lips" The loving and
lovable John once rebuked one who was
casting out devils, because he did not join
the apostolic company. And Peter, grand,
chivalrOus, brave Peter, was once guilty OF
most contemplate cowardice, and once pro
IN FaHl ~ IhAr
tie for mean Discrimination. A sufficient re-
buke, one would think, to those grand ras
calls, and the innocent seli-deceved, who
claim the estate of sinless perfection, dwell
ling at the serene altitude of unsulled purity,
immune from every form of temptation
Elijah was the reverse OF boastfu he
was low spirited. But he was not left
to pine and wear away his spirit in
consuming sadness when he lay in n
sleep induced by exhaustion and men
tai worry, there was sent 10 him one OF the
saints body guard, one OF the spirits who
minister TO elect mortas, To bid him awake
and refresh himself with food preparatory
to proceeding to Horeb, where he was To
hold personal interview with God Per
haps the journey of forty days, which might
have been accomplished in week, the dis
lance being about 1870 miles, was intended, as
that OF Moses forty years of wandering, rs
disciplinary and purifying.
AS mental depression, with all its eneTva-
ting, disastrous, often fatal, consequences, Is
too common malady, an inquiry, on gen
eral principles, into its causes, cannot fail to
be study to profit. Some one or more OF
these causes will found operative in every
case. or these, the most apparent are pure
ly physical. The connection between the
human organism and the mental or spiritual
part is so intimate that arrangement in
either case is sympathetic Ii the stomach
Is disordered, weak, unable TO perform its
functions, the effect Of the disorder extends
to the brain. Pain Is II terrible iOe to tree,
vigorous thought The attention is drawn
off from its subject 10 the seat Of suffering.
In minds OF extraordinary strength victory
over the physical is sometimes attained, but
always at the cost OF extended inroads upon
the very foundations of vitality. Within
your editors own circle OF darling friends,
precious brethren, he has seen splendid
genius brilliant intellect, noble culture,
devoted friendship, lapse into an early-in
the shock oil grief and sens OF loss IL seemed
too early-grave Charles Y swan, OF
Newark, N. j., and James IL. Wright, OF
Rockville, Md, were conspicuous exam
pies. Any one extensively acquainted with
dIutuL DThlu WOIhtTS eau GAlCuh luC llob
into the scores. In prolonged lives OF sui
fering activity and usefulness, the superior
ity ol mind over matter is illustrated. That
the very best thinking and this very best
work is often done by men OF enfeebled con.
stitution, proves nothing other than that
gigantic will power and subimated conse-
Grafton triumph over destroying agents 1t
is somewhat like the sweet fragrance OF
flower which has begun TO fail like the
luscious fruit, which, when rpest, has not
long to be. These great intellects are pecu-
llarly the victims OF darkened hours and
Christening trials. Consciousness OF mis-
sion, mountain moving faith, and hope built
on rock, energize, sustain, crown them.
Nevertheless an entirely sound MIND, able
To beat down malicious opposition, To pre-
serve equanimity amid the rush and roar OF
conflict, TO reach out to utmost confines oil
conquest, to sway evil forces into harmony
with the good, and 10 fully enjoy the fruits
of its own loyalty and iaithlulness, needs
for a habitat sound body. What Is the
origin OF "blues" or hypochondrlaS A torpid
liver and inactive skin, imperfect excretion
OF bile, resulting in poisoned blood, are d.
rectly responsible, in numerous Instances,
Tor morbid Imagination which creates
world of horrors And this diseased faculty
~
misery endured by mOrtals, the great mass
OF evils having no existance except in dread
anticipation.
Thus do we rise i'll sights ~ see,
And 'gaInst ourselves TO prophecy;
When the prophetic Tear OF things
A more tormentng mischief brings,
More iull of soul tOrmenting gall
Than direst mschels can betall
--LGmb-Essays Of Flu.
Disregard OF the laws Of health, which
usually has done its worst before the injury
is realized, il the fruitful source Of clouded
lives. Defective ventilation, ar tight bed
rooms, re inhalation Of carDOnic acid gas,
blood contamination, that villainous modern
instrument of slow murder, patent process
flo wer, and such like mistakes OF ignorance
or Indifference, result In feversh and dis
tOrted mental vision. Many u minister,
Jealous, labOriOus, Jealous Of times loss,
shut up in close study, has thrown down
his pen in vexatiOn OF spirit, and concluded
that he had mistaken his calling. Ideas
would not hOw; his mind refused 10 work
An hours walk In the open air, or cultiVa
ton of his garden, or a visit 10 one in whose
interests his lie was spent, has treasured him,
and turned valley OF shades into delect-
able mountain. However, alphabetically
we need not turn our hair gray with wasted
worry over very many OF this Class. Max
ing necessary and Just exceptions, still, we
rejoice 10 know, comparatively numerous
body, the vast majority OF this present gen
Grafton OF preachers will never be killed by
thinking, nor ever reduce their glrth by u
fraction OF an inch.
Dependency never had more mallgn
and merciless ally than dyspepsia The
sweetest dis ositon is generally souered by
il the strongest efforts for an equable and
amiable temper yield " its stubborn, pro-
longed attack It's effect upon intellectual
effort IS akin TO paralysis. After listening
~ magnificent speech by one Of Engand's
greatest orators, a hearer asked what was
the secret Of his power. The reply was,
" Erskine's digestion IL perfect" Extreme