Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-01
SundayMorning Talk
Religion and Health,

The time has gone by, if it ever existed,
! when there was any inherent connection
| between faded and diseased body and a
pure and lofty spirit. when the pensive
invalid, the wasting consumptive the
enfeebled "shut-in' was any nearer the
Kingdom of heaven merely because he or
she happened to be the victim of some
real or imaginary disease. Moreover,
methods for developing spiritual life
through Ill use of the body have to a
large extent disappeared.
That the soul and body ought to be the
best Of friends is the truth now generally
perceived. Whenever they are not every
| thing possible should be done to make
them friends. So gymnasiums have
sprung up in connection with Y: NJ. c.
AS. and such organizations as well as
Sunday schools have their basket ball
adm base ball teams. while a prominent
member Of the Yale foot ball eleven does
not think it beneath him to confess pub
licly that at critical point in a great
game he lifted little prayer for strength
and guidance
The body has gained its rightful recog-
milton and many and powerful forces in
modern life are devoted to it's develop
ment and welfare. Never were the medi-
cal schools SO well equipped, never were
triumphs of medicine and surgery more
noteworthy. President Tucker of Dart
mouth College is on record as saying that
in his judgment no other learned profess
sion has made such signal progress in the
last quarter of century as that of medi-
cine. Think. too. of the collateral agen-
cies working in behalf of the public health
the methods of sanitation. the pure food
laws. the inspection of factories and tene-
ments.
Aside from medicine and measures bear
ing on the public health. we have today
various PHILOSOPHERS and projects that, by
their Independent working. have undoubt-
edly restored health where it was lacking
for multitude of persons Such simple,
sensible device. for example. as that Of
masticating we'll ones food before it is
swallowed has its special valiant apostle
whose writings and example have led
many all over the land to initiate him.
much to the benefit of their digestive ap-
paratus. and In some cases the method
has altogether reconstructed the physical
and nervous basis of life. Still more
| widespread is the doctrine that disease
| and pain are altogether negligible and
negative factors in the scheme of things
and that all we need to do is to think we
are well and presto. we shah be we'll
And whether or not the philosophy be
sound, unquestionably the practical out
come of the belief has been in many cases
beneficial.
Now all this goes to show the extensive
modern interest in health. the growing
conviction of humanity in general that
of the comparatively brief span of earthly
years 1t is wrong to devote any portion
to invalidsm. Health is coming to be
recognized the normal condition for
human things, and every other interest
that appeals to men for acceptance and
support must be judged by it's effect on
health and by what it contributes to
health and by its own underlying con-
ception as to Importance Of physical we'll
being In comparison with Entertainments
of the mind and the spirit.
The Christian religion. when rightly
understood. meets all these tests The
man whom it seeks to produce is well
man. Within 1t are forces as remedial as
medicine itself. Other things being equal,
the more religion there Is in community
the more health there ought to be there
as 1 shall try to show in another talk
THE PAKSON.