The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-03-05

nance spoke on the relation between
mental and bodily health, taking as
his text the healing of the paralytie
He said in part: | feel that the Chris
tian minister has duty To perform in
educating people right along this line
People in general do not understand
the close relation between mind and
body. And this ignorance has Il seri-
Gus consequences.
p. L. Barnum, the famous Snowman,
used to say that the American people
liked 10 be gulled. And l think it's
true. ] believe we are the most gull
IDLE people on earth. | believe the
quacl, doctor does more business in
this country than the Virgin Mary and
all the miracle working saints in Eu-
rope. Look at our rage for patent
medicines. The way people dope them
selves. In most cases there is not
very much the matter with them eX-
cept too much medicine, and too much
suggestion of disease. AS they read
the advertisements, they begin to feel
all the symptoms they read about You
do not find much of that abroad.
There is the fad for cures of one
sort or another. Take this item which
] came on last fall. THE desire of
the American TO take some cure is
being utilized for commercial pur-
poses by the keen European. One vii.
lage in Switzerland has recently voted
one million francs TO build hydro
pathic establishment for Americans.
There argument was that eightytve
per cent OF their visitors were Ameri
cans, and 1.-The fad of taking some
cure during the summer has been
growing with them during the last few
years. They frequently can spare only
two or three days for Interlaken be-
cause they must pass three of four
weeks of their summer wherever they
take their cure We want them to
stop here for those three or four
gweeks." IF such institutions would
cure us of our foolishness and our
foolish living they would be worth
while.
And the mental healing sects. The
Christian Scientist cures the body by
curing the mind, and we Americans
open our eyes in wonder, and straight
way rush to join this or some other
sect. In Paris or Berlin or st. Peters
berg, trained reputable physicians
make just those same cures WITH
out tn eaid of medicine, simply by the
use of suggestion. Some day our doctors
in America will all learn modern psyche.
logical methods, and our people viii
learn sense about disease and how to
get it cured. | am speaking tonight
To help that days coming.
First. Let us begin with diseases of
the mind. 1t is not fair to say TO
any suffering person: You are not
sick As q recent writer says, there
is no such thing as an imaginery dis
ease; but there is such a thing as n
disease of the imagination. In thou.
sands of cases there is nothing really
the matter with peoples bodies. And
yet they think they are sick. They
suffer greatly. In some cases they APP
pear to have all the symptoms OF
some physical disease, heart disease,
appendicitis, or what not. They may
not be able to walk, or to see, or To
hear or talk. And yet their trouble
is really mental; it is disease of the
mind or Imagination. What is wanted
is not physical but mental healing
That is the kind of healing the I'M
or the trained doctor on the continent
of Europe.
Second This brings us to the sub
iect of the control of mind over body
We have been learning a good deal of
late years about this fact, this law
will begin with the simplest form OF
this, the general power of thought to
set in order a disordered body. Gen
eral Grant tells us in his memoirs that
the night before Lees surrender he
WIS StiitllilS 50 dtuttiy lIoHH hc'tu'
ache that he could not sleep. He tried
all means in vain. When the officer
bearing Lees letter reached him, 81
was still suffering from the sick head.
ache; but the instant | saw the con-
tents of the note, | was cured" Dur
ing tine battle off Santiago, while
the Oregon was pushing after the
Cristobal Colon, under forced draught
the stOkers were nearly overcome by
their great labor, under the tremen
dous heat of the hold. As vet she
had not partaken in the fight. The
chief engineer signalled up to Captain
Clark, "Give them a gun" The gun
was given-and exhaustion passed
away i'm the excitement of the belief
that the battle had begun
Modern medicine is beginning tt
recognize this law and modify it's prac
tice accordingly. The most common
form of this has been what is known
as hypnotic suggestion. ! will give q
typical instance from British ply
stefan, DR.. Cooke: He mentions 9
case of spinal irritation caused by q
railway accident. THE patient was
hypnotiZed i'm ten minutes. Suggestions