The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-30
NEWS OF THE BOOK WORLD

NEWS OF THE BOOK WORLD
Fine Art Of Being Done Good, by Rheu-
matlc Who Has Taken a Four Years
Course, Covering Studies in Pills and
Paints, the "Barbarlc Features" OF
Regular" Medicine, and Christian Sell
ence--Poem by Arthur Epson.
Edward B. Lent, Brooklyn newspapers
man, has written a book on the fine art Of
being done good He calls it, however,
just Being Done Good, and the average
teel that ne has been done good. We must
emphasize the point that we are speaking
or The average reader. There must be
except1ons-subaverage or superaverage
readers who will condemn the book and
resent ! aa the mild raillery with which Mr..
the ills that flesh is heir to or that mortal
mind thinks 1t Is heir to.
But Mr.. Lent deserves hearing He
has spent more than four years at little
else than being done good, and, tho that
four years has been filled with the pains
OF rheunatism from which he has not yet
recovered, we believe that his book is 1.-THE
Instead of settling down ito heartily dis
approving outlook upon man. medicine and
the universe" he has shown that good
nature may triumph even in pain and suf-
fer1ns-a lesson of which the world needs
to be reminded not infrequently. So, de-
spite the fact that there may be some
regular physicians who will not like Mr..
Lents adventures with his DOCTORS"
Which, he says present some thrilling,
barbaric features; some friends who
won't like his way of taking their advice;
some osteopaths who will seriously object
to his view that they seek ito make a
string of beads of the spine"; some Chris
tian Scientists who will think he never
honestly struggled to get 'the pain kinks
out of his thought despite the fact that
there may be all these to decry the book,
we are prone to say it is good, that it
will do sick man good to read it, and
will do well man good to read it, like
wise a regular practitioner Christian
Scientist, or even clairvoyant or
'yarb" doctor.
Just ''to show readers of this column,
we give away below a few sample pack
ages.
Among other things, while in the hands
of regular practitioner, Mr.. Lent had
to undergo the joys of being blistered
with Spanish fly plaster. He describes
the experience thus:
When this is placed over the joint which has
put the walking mechanism out of order, wonder
ful changes seem to take place. Joint? Why,
1t would animate an opium joint! This appli-
cation of the alloDath gives the victim some
thing entirely now to occupy his thoughts
In all the thirty three degrees to be
passed thru to become an adept in rheumatism,
device. Still, when you realize that you are
being done good, You don't mind SO long as they
skin YOU in two-by-two patch at time
but the human joys on, full of cuss words and
hope. - In philosophic frame of mind,
dozen or so of blisters are no great matter.
Look at Job!
In his extremity Of pain Mr.. Lent went
to another extremity of treatment-Chris-
| tan science-and tried to get rid of his
pain error" in. that way. This took him
into metaphysics and Mrs. Eddy's dis
cussion of matter, which discussion he
takes up In his book in the following
manner:
What lis matter? Mrs. Eddy says: can.
other name for mortal mind, illusion
| The opposite Of Truth; the opposite of Spirit;
| the opposite of God; that of which immortal
Mind takes no cognizance; that which mortal
mind sees, feels hears, tastes and smells only
in belief.
Until you get the first lesson wedged in your
fintellects it Is not worth while to go on. A
few stop right there. But take it slowly
for it with Eght. = The definition
says that matter is mortal mind''; it also says
| that matter p that which mortal mind believes.
be omethhs,' ! Summarize these, for On then ID
depend the law and the prophets profits:
Mind is the only substance.
Matter is illusion.
Matter is mortal mind
Matter is that which mortal mind believes
Mortal mind is nothing, claiming to be some
thing
7 See if it IS possible for your reason to assmi.
late this: That matter is illusion, and, being
illusion, it can actually think, in the phantom
form Of mind!
We do not undertake to analyze either
Mr.. Lents statements of facts or his logic,
nor that of Mrs Eddy. Let the reader
Of the book Judge Of all that But when
man has been exploring all sorts OF
sciences and isms for four years in search
Iof relief from pain and can tell whittier
he has gone and what he has observed
in as cheerful a way as Mr. Lent, The
Uneasy Chair Is glad to have chance
to know what he has to say. 1t gives
The Chair a chance to hold its own prob
able course under like conditions up be-
| fore 1t for observation, and the view Is
not without good effects.
i Will Irwin, who collaborated with Gelett
Burgess in The PIcaroons and The Reign
of Queen IsyI, has recently left his ma
tive California to come, east and join the
forces of the New York Sun He was
formerly Sunday editor of the. San Fran
cisco Chronicle A rather t.spooky'' Incl
dent lies behind his. decision to accept Me
Sun offer. short while ago letter
/ came to him, and when he opened it
he received quite shock of surprise in
recognizing the handwriting of his friend
the novelist Frank Norris, who had beer
dead some months. The friend to whom
the letter had been entrusted had delayed
In mailing 1t. In it Norris advised Irwir
to get to New York. and the delayed
epistle arrived just in time to help Irwin
decide to accept the offer to come east.
Herbert p. Turner, & Co. announce for earl,
publication a novel entitled 'Pineyy Home. b,
George Selwyn Kimball. 1t is a story of til,
woods of Maine. redolent with the fragrant odo
of the pine. Its motives are as pure and natu
1 raj as their environment. There is plenty O.
action and adventure, aud all is pervaded by {
love Of nature.
The Uneasy Chair
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