Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-13
For Sunday Reading
Ill Sorts Of Obinion,
A Common Sense Bible.

lIsCS. JOS0pA ~ W0lfDuIu.J
A common sense Interpretation Of
the bible involves the recognition Of
its relative values. With some people
reverence bears with an equal tender
ness and an almost equal superstition
upon every book and every verse Of
every chapter. read the other day Of
a clergyman In Chicago who said that
Jonah and the whale must meet with
literal acceptance by all faithful chris
tians, that the word Of God was an in
teger and that we had to accept 1t all
unquestionably and without diminu-
ton. Personally, can not accept this
inclusive theory of the inerrency of all
the scriptures, for to me the Jonah
story Is not Of vital significance so far
as mans salvation Is concerned. The
spiritual world, so far as understand
1t, is not and can not be pivoted upon
wonders that subserve no adequate
moral purpose. s''Ra
Learned Gainsayers.
Not all the reverend doctors Of
Boston look with favor upon the
clinics Of the reverend doctors, Bos-
toms Herald" tells us, tho some
OL IHcIl 10. lHueeu, dCCoIuHl5 " OuI
contemporary, the Boston physicians
who uphold the Worcester-M Me Comb
clinics are small minority. 'The
concensus Of opinion in medical
circles" we are now told, SIS that the
Emmanuel movement has holted with
it's promoters and is running riots
doing much harm"
DIR. Putnam, professor OF nervous
diseases in the Harvard medical
school, was consulted by Rector Wor
cester before the clinics were started.
Either the rector misunderstood him,
or he misunderstood the rector. II
wish to protest against the use OF my
name in any manner in connection
with the so-called Emmanuel move
ment," he says. II consider the whole
affair an injury to the progress OF
scientific medicine, especially neurol-
ogy" He continues:
.The crowd Of unframed and untitled
clergymen who at once jump into the
role OF medical men and preach and
practice what they call psychothe-
rapeutics is going to do great harm,
Is an injury to the public welfare. This
dealing by unframed diagnosticians.
this attempt to treat unstable men and
women by those who hace no basic
knowledge Of the physiology or anat-
omy Of the nervous system, should
be stopped. The whole affair is
breeding superstition; it does not APP
peal to the intelligence, and, repeat,
has not the aid or backing: OF the
medical profession. The Herald"
can not too forcibly impress this fact
upon the world. know there are
few good and conscientious physicians
who recognize that there is splendid
opportunity for some clergymen to
work under the instructions of doc
tors, and by their aid be Of great as
sistance in lifting certain individuals
out of the slough of respond. But this
work must go along quietly, each case
carefully considered by itself, and the
work he devoid Of notoriety or COM
merctaltsm."
DR.. Phillip Coonbs Knapp. clinical
instructor in nervous diseases at the
Harvard medical school, backs up his
distinguished colleague. In his opin-
ion the Emmanuel clinics are doing
harm now and are opening the door
for much greater harm. He would
stop them If he could. Every wise
and true physician will welcome the
assistance in suitable cases OF the ou-
dtcious and tactful clergyman" says
DR.. Knapp, "but the physician must
he the master; in other words, make
the diagnosis and direct the treat
ment."