The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-02-13
Dr., Smiths Pills
A Story of the Mind Cure Doc
trine.

miseration on the lamentable appear
ance of the patient. Mrs. Hollis was
a member of the local ethical society,
who had lately absorbed some leading
features of the mind cure doctrine,
but who had not advanced so far as to
discard all medical advice. In minor
ailments she adhered to the school,
but her courage failed when disorders
were more ominous; hence her pres
ence in the consulting room.
"The resemblance was so extraordi-
nary as to mislead me-" replied the
doctor. II have never seen a more
perfect stimulation. l now perceive
the power of thought to produce phe-
nomena in matter. Your thought must
be very bad" he added refectively,
gazing again at the Redeemed face and
streaming eyes of the sufferer.
Mrs. Hollis WINGED little at this.
mot as bad as If / had pneumonia"
she returned, with touch of asperity.
"But how are you going to treat mew
"With thought pills." said the doc
tor.
1uOuSHL plu5' GACAdiAICu nAlc AAOA-
lis.
eyes," said he, with thought pills.
l should not feel justified in stopping
at anything short of them"
81 never heard of them. Are they
to be taken lnternallyT
"Of course" replied the doctor.
"Your thoughts are inside Of you, and
so must be the pills. We have got
to go to the root of the matter. And
now" he went on, II will ask you to
excuse me few moments while pre-
pare them in the pharmacy. l will not
be long. Do not give thought to the
pills while am gone. That will come
later on"
1t was all very well to decree that
the pills were to be excluded from Mrs.
Hollis mind, but this was soon found
an impossibility. Struggle as she might,
no other topic could be maintained.
She tried to think of the children's din
ner and of the trimming of her new
gown, but In vain. The pills swept ev-
erything before them, so to speak.
What they were like, how they were
compounded, what was the rationale of
their operation, these were questions
which succeeded each other in Mrs.
Hollis brain and excited thrills of
speculation. Whatever may have been
the doctors motive in prohibition, the
pills had certainly effected lodgment
and were by no means to be expelled.
A slight misgiving did for a moment
rise as she remembered that DR.. Smith
had some reputation as wag, but he
was too evidently serious at the time
for the misgiving to enlarge into sus-
picion. 1t was at this moment that he
returned.
81 will explain to you exactly what
you must do" said the doctor, as he
seated himself by the patient and open
ed little box 1t contained four pills,
three of quite ordinary size and color,
but the fourth much larger and very
dark. ''The three smaller pills are not
to be taken until bedtime, but their &C
ton begins at once. The great point is
that you are to follow unhesitatingly
any course to which they prompt.
They are thought pills, remember. At
dinner, for instance, you will find no
repugnance to plate of soup or to any
quantity of fruit, but the instant any
other dish is before you and you think
of the pills you will have no wish to
eat it. Before going to bed take the
three pills and put your mind upon
them The fourth is to be taken before
breakfast. Probably you will be una
BILE to go beyond coffee and fruit. Come
and see me late in the afternoon"
But what is the philosophy of the
pills, doctorY asked Mrs. Hollis.
"They have twofold aspect" he re-
piled. II should not like to use the
word duplicity"-this with a hardly
perceptible twinkle of the eye-"we
will call it duplexness. They project
into the concrete objectivity the es-
sences and powers of the supra-physi-
cal plane and thus show matter as
pole of the immaterial. But 1t is the
reflex action on which | lay most
stress. They, as it were. restore the
concrete to the abstract. Thought Is
everything: matter is mere nothing.
If the universe can be mirrored in an
atom, much more so in pill"
This certainly had the orthodox
sound. The ring of the true mind
cure doctrine was there. Even unin-
telIigibility was fairly well preserved.
Mrs. Hollis was to some extent reas-
sured She hardly liked to ask the
doctor whether he also was a disciple,
but it was clear that he was student
"But how about the rest of the
timer" she inquired. Am l to think
Of the pills all the while?"
81 should not consider that essen
tial." said the doctor after moments
reflection. But thought at meals and
at night is vital"
81 am not quite sure whether
ought to be taking medicine Of any
kind" Mrs. Hollis remarked as she
held the box irresolutely in her hand.
"But these are thought pills." said
the doctor.
"OhY' said she.
Dinner turned out precisely as DR..
Smith had foretold. The soup was
certainly palatable, but thought Of the
pills was bar to fish.
care you not well, my dear?" asked
Mr. Hollis as she declined 1t.
YES" she said; 81 am quite well, but
| have a dreadful CO.; that is,
mean, no, not any fish,"
Mr.. Hollis observed that every dish
went untasted save the berries, Of
which his wife consumed three plates.
But he was wise with years of matri-
mony and knew that the mystery
would be unveiled if patience was al
lowed her perfect work.
Mrs. Hollis was faithful in all re-
spects to the directions The three
pills were duly taken at bedtime and
her mind concentrated thereon till
sleep overcame her. Her slumbers
were not continuous, and she aWoke
far earlier than was customary, but
certainly Improvement had begun. The
fourth pill was more difficult to swal-
low. and she had to bite 1t. 1t had q
very slight taste, not unlike that OF
Boston brown bread, by no means I'M
pleasant. Nor was the Doctors pro-
vision less accurate respecting break
fast. The thought pills did seem to eff
face all wish for everything beyond
coffee and fruit. AS the day went on
the symptoms steadily bettered. The
head was less choked, the cheeks were
not SO red and swollen, eyes and nose
were palpably on the mend. 1t was in
far more pleasing condition that she
repaired to the consulting room late In
the afternoon. Little of moment, how
ever, occurred. DR., Smith expressed