The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1910-10-14
The Therapeutics
Of Joy
By RI. REV. SAMUEL FALLOWS,
D. D., IL. D.
Chicago, Illinois

The Bible is a wonderful therapeu-
tic book From the viewpoint of the
new evangelism of health and happi-
ness it is a new book. A flood Of light
is poured from it's pages upon the sur
passing problems Of the spiritual re.
generation of both the physical, men
tai and social life of man. These are
the fundamental notes of the present
mighty movement for the complete
deliverance of the race from the
thralldom Of baleful unrest and in
hibiting disease
The inspired word chimes in with
the latest teachings of science regard
Ing the great influence of joy upon the
human frame. Joy imparts strength.
for it belongs to happy family which
numbers cheerfulness, gladness, mirth-
fufness, contentment, pleasure and de-
light among its members. 1t excites
the whole muscular system. 1t in
creases the activity of all the vital
functions. 1t quickens the pulse
brightens the eye, flushes the cheek,
and nerves the arm. It makes play
of work. 1t removes fatigue, while
stimulating all the powers of body and
mind.
Darwin has told us in the expression
of the emotions in Man and Animals"
that with animals Of all kinds the &C.
quirement of almost all their pleas
ures, with the exception of those OF
warmth and rest, have long been asso-
ciated with active movements, as In
hunting in the search after food and
other kindred things.
Joy, therefore, naturally shows it.
self in manifestations of strength. The
nostrils are dilatted, the angles of the
mouth, the eyelids and the eyebrows
are raised, all indicative of potential
actual energy.
Joy acts powerfully upon all the oil
gestive processes and works a trans
formation upon the jaundiced dyspep-
tic. 1t expands the lungs which have
been contracted as if by the strong
grip of a giant hand through sadness
or disappointment The sigh of melan-
choly is changed to songs of gladness.
With the change comes the deepening
and expanding of these vital organs
and the oxygenating and enriching of
the blood.
While we Americans are an active
people, we are, as rule, joyless
people. We act as though we were
driven like slaves to our tasks We
take our pleasures on a boverish run
Observant foreigners have noticed
this rarity of Joy upon our faces. They
see, as a keen philosophic writer
among us has seen. Zines Of thought,
and of care and of fear-money lines
shrewd, grasping lines, but how few
happy lines" 1t would seem as If the
rarest feeling that lightened our
countenances was the genuine con-
tentment of loving. joyful soul.
It looks also as though our religion
did not agree with us. We make Of it
weights instead of wings. We have
gloomy thoughts of ourselves, OF God,
of our earthly existence, of our fellow
men, Of the life to come. We hang
our harps upon the willows. We think
this world to be a prison house. We
say we cannot sing the songs Of Zion
In this strange lanu.
But this world Is our home, our
school, oux workshop, our temple. We
have been placed in it by almighty
wisdom, power and love. We are the
children Of the Heavenly Father. And
the Joy of Jehovah is to be our
strength-the joy that He is the ever
watchful, ever providing, ever loving
mors.
Too many of us, as some one has
sail, "think black is the color OF
heaven and the more we can make
orr faces the color of midnight, the
more evidence we have Of grace
What supreme mistake we are max
ing, True religion is sunshine and
loneliness. The New Testament in
tarprets and emphasizes the Old. The
historical Christ, the real, human
divine Christ, not a Christ evaporated
into nothingness by tho wild sn""','
lions of an erratic philosopher, says.
"These words have | spoken unto !oG
that my Joy might remain in you and
that your Joy might be full. This
fullness of Joy in the heart makes life
and death radiant with brightness.
visited the home Of bereaved
Christian who had forgotten the Chris
tjan teachings of that New Testament
TO "reioice in the Lord always" The
room on the north side of the house
had every window darkened with
heavy shades. She was clothed IN
garments of blacklist black. The lines
of her face were drawn down. The
xoom was a fearsome, chilling tomb.
Nothing could be more antithetical of
a Christians attitude and environ.
ment.
Not until I had thrown the curtains
ND and let the blessed light stream in
could | speak the words of comfort,
Of hope and of assurance. Think OF
such a Christians understanding OF
the command of the light-bringing
Christ. LET your light shine" Her
light was turned to Egyptian dark
ness. which could be felt
There is no light to stream over
land or sea like the light of Joy. T
must pour itself out amid sor:0ws and
trials and tribulations. II is the one
alchemy that can turn the basest
metals into pure gold.
We were not made to live contin-
ually in the transports Of joy. AS God
carries on His work by average men
and carries on the processes of ma
ture in average ways, so He means
that our joys shall be on median lines.
Ecstacies are only for rare occasions.
Preacher and Peril.