Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1912-02-14
The Nerves" Bugaboo.

HE is probably nervous and high
strung child" l suggested, referring
to youngster who had just had a
tantrum and been sent out of the
room.
had hoped by this tactfuIexplana-
tion to soothe his fathers displeas-
ure, but strangely enough, my re-
mark seemed to produce just the op
posite effect. Across the fathers
face passed thunder cloud of disap-
prevail. "He is NOT" he affirmed
vigorously, land what is more, he
isn't going to be told that he is. |
am glad he didn't hear you say that.
My wife said it once in his presence,
but only once. | let her have her
way about good many things, but
that's one matter in which I'm firm
as Gibraltar. | will not have that
child get the idea that he is nervous
and high strung, and that is an ex-
cuse for all kinds of naughtiness
"You seem to feel quite warmly on
"Well, think | have reason to-" he
said ruefully, 81 lived in a family
once where this talk of nerves went
on all the time. The whole family
had them except the father, and
how l did pity that poor man, for
his women folks didn't do much else
except have nerves and talk about
having them. His wife had nervous
! indigestion and one of the daughters
had hysterical spells and another
had all kinds of nervous feelings
sometimes she'd think she couldn t
swallow and then again her eyeliis
would twitch and all that sort of
thing -and when I came away the
youngest girl was just about to have
St. Vitus' dance. Of course, they
weren't a very strong family any
way, but | think a good deal of the
trouble was simply that they all
heard nerves talked SO much that
they had to have them. If | hadn't
gotten out when [ did. [ think !
might have had them myself. | car
! tell you my children aren't going tc
hear the word nerves spoken if
/ can help it,"
wonder if my friend is going tc
succeed in carrying out his theory
If he does, congratulate him and his
progeny just as heartily as | know
how.
What one of US doesn't know fami
/ lies like the one which he described
families in which "Nervas," with 6
capital N, are made a Moioch. The
children hear their mother tell witt
pride how nervous and high strung
they are, and they naturally think oil
nerves as omething to be proud o.
and nourished. instead of as a cause
for shame, like bad teeth, indiges
ton, or any other indication that we
have transgressed the great laws O.
health.
Perhaps the children are none to-
strong to start with, and by-and-by
from having dwelt on the thought O
nerves and nourished all the symp
toms they or their parents have heel
able to find in the nseives. they com,
to actually suffer from the grea
American malady. Whereas, if thes
children had never heard the wor
"nerves" spoken, had never hear
"highstrungness' and spiritednes
deifed, they might have graduall
grown away from any inherited ter
dency towards the neurotic tempera
ment.
Now. please do not misundersta
me. l am not denying that man
people actually are afflicted with mel
vous diseases and can't help it any
more than people sick with organi
LFOuUl6S. dtIl IlOt Ocuy Ing LIE
much of the crossness, and unlo,
9 ableness, the blueness and discourag,
p ment in the world is due to disease
: nerves. and can be cured only b
building up healthy body wit
g healthy nerve centers.
8 But l do think that nervousness
?. sometimes used as a pleasant SYM
= nym for ''cussedness. AS Do
Melagari says, "In my youth. ne
\ vousness was usually called plain b.
temper.
And furthermore, I believe that
great deal of unnecessary nervou
ness is stimulated and developed
i allowing children to get the ner
thought, to hear nerves constant
& talked about, not as disease to
ashamed of. as we really ought to
n ashamed of all disease, but as an
8 teresting popularity to be parad
a and exploited. Exchange.
q Foley Kidney Pills will cure any case
81 XII fnev or bladder trouble not beyo'
j cn of medici No III d icine can