Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-04-15

the bite OF the dog afflicted with rabies
would be tonic instead OF DEATH" IL
would say to Koch OF Berlin and Fin
sen OF Norway: Foolish men. why
hunt the bacilli or consumption and
cancer with the penetrating eye OF the
microscope? God will and can cure
disease IL we will ask him. Let us
pray that all these evil bacllll give one
gasp and die, and they will die. The
prevention OF disease Is entirely the
work OF the prayer chamber. not OF the
scientists laboratory" Is such advice
as that rational? Is II In accord with
the laws OF Scrlptural common sense?
Are all the results OF DR.. Maillot's
] investigations to go for naught? In
1892 this famous physician. who died
In 1894, was n surgeon In the French
| army, stationed in Algeria. At that
time one I'm every three and Il half men
sent by the French government across
the Mediterranean died OF African fe-
yer. DR.. Maillot went on I'm his inves-
tigation until at last by prescribing
| quinine to the African recruits the
death rate I'm the French army OF AL
gepia was changed from one in every
three and one-half men to ono in every
twenty men. Are all the sanitary In
| vestigations for the publication of the
city water supplies made by bacteriol
ogists to go for naught? If you stop
the work OF the physicians curing dis
cases. then you must also stop the sci
entific investigations of the physicians
| trying TO prevent diseases
The Poor Mans Helper.
To most OF us the old fashioned doc
tor yet lives In the memory OF our vii
lage childhood. He knew every family
secret for miles around. He had heard
the family skeleton rafting In many a
dark closet He was at every birth, at
every marriage altar and at every fu-
neral. With him the village church
bell sounded n dlrge almost as often as
IL chimed for n wedding. We knew not
when we loved him the most-when he
was gathering the rosebuds I'm the gar
den OF the nativity or lutwinlng the
orange blossoms or placing the white
lily alongside OF the pale cheek in the
casket. There was a kind OF religious
rattle In his old gig. That child was
the most envled OF the village who
could sit by his side and hold the relns
over the back OF the old mare, that
seemed to be just as old as the doctor
and to know just as many family Sc
crets, yet 1t could not gossip any more
thnn did its master. When the boy was
In trouble this kind old doctor would
place his fatherly hand upon the lads
shoulder and give him advice. The
young maiden would smile under the
twinkle or his fatherly eye as he chat
ted to her OF her first sweetheart. Even
the bees would buzz louder and the
dogs bark more happily. and their tails
would wag faster as the doctor drove
along. We remember the old black ba q
he always carried and the long white
bandages he placed about the splints
when we fell Off the haymow and
broke our arm. The strange looking
bottles filed with pills-bottles that all
looked allke-and the pills. too. seemed
to be the same.
When the minister on the Sabbath
day entered the pulpit and gave out the
nrst hymn down the church aisle the
good old doctor would walk. lie was
always little late for services. Doc
tors are always little late. think
that Is part OF their education. 1t is
never dignified for n doctor to be on
time. In prayer meeting we loved TO
hear the good doctor pray. We have
heard good many great and noted
ministers pray In our time, but we nj
ways thought the old doctor prayed
better than any. He seemed TO be so
near 10 God-he had seen SO much trou-
bic. When the poor family over the
hill was starving he bought them food
out or his own pocket We never knew
how much good he did until after the
funeral. He was part OF every ones
life. He was the poor mans helper.
He was the rich mans friend.
The con.ecrated Doctor.
One day the news went flying over
the country roads, 1.-THE doctor. tho
good doctor is sickt'' Was Il not too
bad that he could not prescribe for
himself and take his own medicine (?
III he had we know he would have be-
come well. But he could pray. How
he did pray In his own sickrooml
Then one day the news went over the
country roads that the old doctor was
dead! While We were gathering I'm
the home where lay the wornout body
or the tired old physician / cnn imag-
Inc that the good doctor went up to the
gates OF the New Jerusalem aud timid
ly knocked. The gateman called out.
who is there;" The old Christian
answered: only poor. vermont VII
iage doctor, who Is advancing in
Christs name. Can come in?" Then
the Lord God Almighty from his
throne called out: LET him in! Let
him In! Let the village doctor come
inr And the angels in the celestial
choir began to chime: .'Let him I'm,
Let the village doctor come inr' Then
ali the redeemed spirits over whose
earthly deathbeds he had lowered
cried: let him in, Let our village
doctor come in!' Then Christ himself.
the great Physician, came forth and
LED the WORKOUT man to one of the
highest thrones in heaven as he said:
Come In, friend, Come in. This Is
your throne. For ] was sick and We
visited mer nf
Will you not believe In such A conse.
Grated physiciapf VIII you not be-
neve That by the sick bed faith can 60
hand In hand with works and the sur
eeon's knife and that the physicians
prescriptions have part In the civil
hzation and the Characterization OF the
worlds And will not you, o physi-
clan, be Christian doctor as well as
you. y iayman. Christian patient?
All honor. then. to our Christian
physicians. whose calling and Office
are thus divinely consecrated. and NAV
blessing rest upon their earnest ef
forts for the alienation of the physical
Affections of the human race.
copyright. l9oi by Louis Klopschl