Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-08-02
nov TO ApoID INSANITY.
Practical Hints From Doctor of Divinit
and Law.


The following hints on the safeguard
ing of ones sanity are given in the
Century by tho Rev. DR.. James NJ,
cate, and author of christian Science,
and Other Superstitions.
Anxiety should be Systematically an
tagonized by philosophy, religion or
change of subjects of thought. The
effect of worry and suspense in driving
men wild is constantly seen in the bus
mess world, directly and by contrast,
for bankruptcy is often followed by
comparative mental respose. Hence
authorities affirm that uncertainty and
anxiety are far more liable to lead to
mental arrangement than the assurance
OF disaster.
AS anxiety is foe to clear thinking,
it is better for one approaching crisis
to resort to indirect methods of dissi
pating it, such as conversation, the
reading of an absorbing book, violent
physical exercise, or the used of tools
with which one would cut himself IL he
their use. Similar means also con-
tribute to sound sleep.
Subjects of thought should be fire.
nor insanity from mental causes will be
liable to develop when the mind Is not
constantly held upon one problem,
probability, possibility or perplexity.
Surroundings lose their power to
Withdraw the mind from care and fear.
SO from time 10 time the scene should
be changed. Those who postpone travel
| for several years often find that they
| hou mi Of lou at,f
| care is their courier and. they return
unrefreshed. A frequent vacation Of
two or three days in a month would in
many cases be more beneficial than 36
days of leisure or change consecutively
each year.
The observance of one day in seven
by complete change in subjects OF
thought. and the suspension of modes
of activity required for six days. would
be philosophical even though it had nc
basis in religion. In the first French
| Revolution the attempt was made to
| have holiday once in five days, and
again once in 10. The intervals were
too frequent under the first plan, and
did not recur often enough under the
second. Hence those who hated the
system which enforced the Sabbath
we're fain to return to it.
The superintendent of one Of the
largest hospitals for the insane declares
that 10 out of 20 of the business an6
professional men who come under his
care have heen in the habit of carrying
business on their minds for seven days
in each and every week.
Exaggerated sensitiveness is foe tt
happiness and the direct source Of
melancholy. In its earliest stages it il
amenable to self-treatment. Many {
restoration to happiness has occurred
by the revelation to ones self that by
undue, constituencies he has been max
ing life intolerable to himself and tt
II his friends. 4 ,I8uJ.N ip9l ~ N tun
| Never, except in an emergency, SHOULD
any one stake all he has upon ont
thing. Caesar aut nihil is usual,
nihil, and If Caesar, it is often only an
other form of nihil. In great amer
gencies men are often not content tt
wait. Because they know not what tt
do, they do they know not what.
Il Many become insane for want of oc
oupation; they inherit wealth, ant
with it straight jacket of convention
alities in which they are compelled /,
spend their lives This is especially tn
case with women, who generally, I'm
like men similarly situated, canno
travel by sea or land, or employ thei
energies in hunting. fishing Or athletics
Men who retire from business volun
tarily or because of advancing years
without modes of mental occupation
: are prone to melancholy. Some fea
poverty while in the midst of riches
! others are out of joint with the times
others develop strange eocentricities
illustrating the proreib, give an oil
: mill nothing else to grind aud it vii
grind flint" A habit of reading, a
J interest in science, active connectio
! with some systematized philanthropy.
profound and practical sympathy wit
: some religious cult" will postIon
, ths date of tho advent OF seuility, III