The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-10-02

death, or at least of prolonging their stay
in this world, invalids roam up ond down
the earth seeking a panacea for
disease, and a restorer of wasted ener-
gies. There is just now craze for cures
and every new scheme has it's army of
advocates and followers.
ALL SORTS OF QUEER CURES.
We hastily pass over that innumerable
class known as patent medicines such as
Royal Germateur, B. B. b.. and others OF
that class, which by mixing a few cents
worth Of coloring matter and drugs,
harmless, | hope, with gallons OF water,
yield at least a good revenue to the
owners of the nostrum, and perhaps do,
according to a principle of which | shall
speak later accomplish some cures.
Then there is the cold water cure, where
one pays a good round sum for the ex-
quisite torture Of being subject to varl-
Gus duckings and douchings under the
idea that these extreme shocks will stir
up the dormant energies of the Invalid
and thus restore him to health Then
there is the barefoot cure, instituted
by Father Kneif, among whose patients
were some of the crowned heads and dig
nitaries of Europe. So in his humble
home princes wet their feet in the early
dew and kings, at his command, walked
unshod on the bosom Of mother earth
Then there is the grape cure, which If
not more rational, is at least more pleas
ant than many other cures of reputed
value. After drinking the alkaline wa
tiers of Carlsbad for awhile. it is the Gus
tom for patients to linger in the adjacent
country, which abounds in vineyards, and
there live on grapes for a season. This
diet of grapes following the drinking Of
the mineral waters of Carlsbad is known
as the grape cure. We have also the
music cure, whereby disease is cured by
the sweet strains of music. 1T seems that
the Empress of Austria was, some years
ago, relieved of neuralgia of long stand
ing by certain strains of music repeated
at frequent intervals. Since then the
music cure boom has grown into such pro-
portion that a music cure hospital has
been established at Munich. in Bavaria,
where the only remedial agent employed
is music. DR.. Paul Riviera. the discov
erer of the music cure, predicts great
things for it, and insists that in the next
few years music cure departments will be
established in all the great hospitals.
THE MUSIC CURE NOT NEW.
The curing of disease by the use of
music is, however, by no means a recent
practice. For it seems that Saul in the
Old Testament times sent for David and
his harp to relieve the ennui of weary
hours, and to drive off the evil spirits
that haunted his dreaming.
Away up in the mountains of Georgia
is a beautiful waterfall called Amicolola
The word Amicolola is from the beautiful
language of the Cherokee Indians and
means mind-healing. They tell us it was
long ago the custom of the Cherokees to
carry to these beautiful falls their des
pondent, their nervous ones and their
demented. AS they listened to the misty
music of falling water hope came again
to the despairing soul, languid eyes grew
bright again, and strength came to the
invalid, and reason was restored to the
demented.
Then there is the exercise cure, which
perhaps finds its fullest expression in tho
Swedish movements, where by the aid
of machinery the muscles are exercised,
kneaded and subjected to vibratory move
r1ents. We. have also the rest cure,
where the sick are enioined to lie in bed
as motionlesS as possible. This is often
cCnformed with the massage treatment,
and frequently with forced feeding, where
one is compelled to eat all he can and
then to eat little more This is, / sup
pose, a sort of protest against the social
ed dietary or hygienic cure, where ones
rations are reduced to a minimum until
verify starvation stares one in the face.
Now to these are to be added the vari-
GUS theories of medicines, including the
Bontanic or Thomsonian, the Electric, the
Homeopathic, the Metaphysical or Physi-
cal, and the regular Allopathic. To these
might still be added a large class of ir-
regulars, charlatans, quacks and impos-
tors whose only aim is to deplete your
pocketbook and to render plethoric their
own. Besides there are the magnetic
healers and the Osteopaths
THE THREE FAITH CURES
Even yet we have not exhausted the
cures and pretended cures that are thrust
upon the attention Of weary invalids.
Three others at least remain to be added
the faith cures of the Sanctifcationists,
the miraculous cures of the Romish
Church by the use of sacred relics, and
the headings wrought by Christian
Science. These last three while differing
among themselves in some particulars do
agree in this-all insist in one way or
another that their cures are connected
with religion and grow out of it. They all,
with greater or less insistency, fall back
upon the Bible to predicate the proof Of
their healings; and their cures employed
as means of propagandism, are quoted
as a proof of the genuineness of their
religious views. They all insist that they
should be believed for their works sake.
This brings us to consider the question,
does the Bible give us reason to believe
in or to expect extraordinary and mirac-
ulous healings either as the result of our
own faith or the faith of others as
taught by those who practice faith cures
Have we any well grounded reason from
the Bible to expect unusual healings by
looking on so-called sacred relics, such
as nails from the cross. or pieces of the
wood of which the cross was made as
is taught and practiced in the Romish
Church? Have we reason to believe
from the teaching of Revelation that by
any system of faith that ignores the re-
ality of sickness and death, that denies
the existence of matter and repudiates
even the being of a personal God, we
may SO far master ourselves that disease
will become only a dream and death a