Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-02-01
THE ROCKING CHAIR HABIT.
One Cause of Nervous Prostration
Among Women, Says n Doctor.

One Cause of Nervous Prostration
Among Women. says n Doctor.
you must give me something to help
me, doctor, you really must" said tho
woman patient. "Why, I'm total
wreck. | can't sit still minute. I'm
| on the verge of prostration."
She swayed listlessly back and forth
In the leather chair as she spoke and
looked at the doctor helplessly. He nod
ded gravely.
yes, Sec" he said. "Your nerves are
in a terrible condition and no mistake.
! wonder" he added after a moments
reflection, what portion Of the day you
spend in swaying backward and forward
as you are doing now?'
The rhythmical motion of the woman's
body ceased, and she stared at him in
surprise.
"Why, my land." she calculated.
what n question! Il don't do this any of
the time at home. / don't have to. We
have rocking chairs there" The latter
statement was made somewhat spitefuI-
ly, but it did not feaze the doctor.
$50 / supposed" he said coolly, land
I've no doubt that you have often felt
like dcnouncing doctors soundly for not
having a goody supply Of them in their
patients"
The woman started up the pendulum
like motion again. We'll" she returned,
II must say it would be good deal more
comfortable than having to sit in one
Of these straight. uncomfortable things"
Whether the doctor took offense nj her
uncomplimentary reference to his Office
chairs or whether he had been whetting
himself up to the point where he could
give her sharp, professional talk it
would be impossible to say, but certain 1t
is his lecture broke loose then with ve-
hemence.
Now, see 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 fraazled into strings,
and they can't sit down, and they can't
stand up, and they can't walk or eat
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 youI
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. aud three fourths of the
fnntnp hat tt,r, limo thnrf, M
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 a rocking chair on
the go. 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 a
vast amount Of strength in the course of
a day that might well be turned to more
useful and less harmful ends. Why,1 pity
the person Nho 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!'
docs 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 | clap
eyes on them, and | honestly think they
are the most pitiable objects find in
days journey. They are ever restless
and idgety and Ill at ease. and when de-
pliyed 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 cant sit there
for five minutes without getting up the
rocking chair motion. Now, ! am In ear
nest about this. IL you want to get well.
you must give up your rocking chair. just
as drunkard gives up his whisky. IL
you do that, you'll come out all right. A
rocking chair may be restful and helpful
to n certain point but IL taken to excess
it is bound to play hob with the nerves
sooner or later. New York Sun.