Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-06-02
CURING A CAPITALIST
His Doctor Just Switched Him
From Money Making to
Basket Making.

The experience of "a capitalist, man
of many millions, who broke down
from overwork and was sent to 'aa
occupation and exercise cure neal
New York, is told in the Outlook. He
had first consulted a famous special
ist, but an examination had shown
that he had no organic disease of any
kind.
He told the physician that he was
suffering frfom what he called lin
ward trembling" with palpitation of
the heart, poor sleep, occasional dir
illness, pain in the back of the neck,
difficulty in concentrating his atten-
ton, and, most of all, from various
apprehensions, such as that of being
about to fall, of losing his mind, of
alone, and was continually tired, wor-
ried and harassed. He was informed
that these were merely the ordinary
symptoms of neurasthenia and were
not dangerous.
One hundred per cent. of cases of
neurasthenia are curable," said the
specialist, and packed his client off to
the occupation and exercise cure
The morning after his arrival, the
capitalist was escorted to the arts and
crafts shop connected with the cure,
a forty-acre place in Westchester
county. He was introduced to an eff
ficient and businesslike young woman,
the instructress, who explained to him
the nature Of the avocations in which
he might choose to interest himself.
Here, too, he found his fellow pa
tients busily and apparently congeni-
ally employed.
In one of the shops a recent alum
nus of one of the leading universities,
down after graduation, was patiently
hammering a sheet of brass with a
view to converting it into a lamp
shade.
A matron of nearly go, who had pre-
viously spent eight years in SANTA
RUINS, practically bedridden, was set
ting type in the printing office with
greater activity than she had known
before for two decades; two girls, one
16 and the other IL, the latter in
subject to acute nervous attacks, TAX
ing the cure in charge of trained
nurses, were chattering gayly over
loom in the construction of a silk rug.
A business man from a Western
city, like the New York capitalist,
broken down from overwork, was
earnestly modelling in clay what he
hoped might eventually become jar
diniere; one of last seasons debu-
tantes among the fashionables, who
Gus gayety that had told on her
nerves, was constructing a stamped
leather portfolio with entire absorb
ton.
Half a dozen others mostly young
women, were engaged at wood cary
ing, bookbinding, block printing, tap
estry weaving or basket making, each
one of them under treatment for some
nervous arrangement.
The new patient decided to try his
hand at basket making, and although
he figured out that it would take him
about four days to turn out product
that might sell for 10 cents, he was
soon so much interested in mastering
the manual details of the craft that
he was disinclined to put the work
aside when the medical superinten-
dent suggested a horseback ride.
When, at the advice of the special
list, the capitalist had decided to try
the occupation and exercise cure, he
did so with little faith that it would
restore him to health, though he felt
that there was perhaps a slight
chance that it might help him. The
seemed to him too simple to
overcome a disease that was paralyz-
ing his energies.
To his great surprise he began to
improve at once, and though for the
first week he got little sleep, and his
with the pain in the back
of his neck and his apprehensions,
COuJluuGu " ISCul IOI MtChS5 LIISy ulu
so always at increasing intervals.
He learned bookbinding, and sent to
his library for some favorite volumes
and put them into new dress; he made
elaborate waste paper baskets and
beat brass into ornamental desk trays,
which he proudly presented to his
friends in the city as specimens of
his skill. Work with him, as with the
others of the patients, was continually |
varied by recreation.
In the summer months there was |
lawn tennis, golf, croquet, canoeing, |
rowing, fishing, riding and driving. In |
winter such outdoor sports as skating, |
coasting, skiing, snow
shOeing and lacrosse were varied by |
billiards, bowling, squash, the medi-
cine ball and basket and tether ball. |
The capitalist was astonished to
find that he could take an interest in
games. The net results of his expert
ence was that at the end Of four
months he returned to New York |
sound in mind and body, feeling
younger than he had for years.