Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-06-23
NO SPECIFIC REMEDY FOR FEAR.
Purely Mental Condition and Has
No Physical Reasons, According to
Scientists.

Fear is coming to be looked upon
by scientists as a disease. This least
governable of emotions is one of the
most disastrous to the race of MIN.
It is responsible for countless abso-
lutte failures in life, and there is no
cure for it.
Once fear takes grip upon man or
woman, it is unlikely he or she ever
will be able to shake loose from its
tentacles. 1t grows in intensity. and
a slight mental depression only helps
To increase its acuteness.
There are the fears of disease. the
fear of failure and fear of success.
Men who have begun life in their
youths with all the mental and physi7
cal requisites for success in the finan-
cial world have. unaccountabiy to
their friends, failed mserably. And
the specific causes of those failures
never have been revealed even to their
most intimate associates. They know
the reason in their own hearts, but
man with morbid fear never lets his
secret escape from his brain cells.
While the many fatal maladies or
humanity are being combated by
"
Vicious success. little attention is being
paid to this mental disease that of all
agencies is the greatest hampering in
nuence in life. No specific remedy
has yet been found to relieve it. There
have been instances of where it has
been overcome. in great measure,
but never entirely. Fear. once part
of a human beings mentality, may
desert temporarily, but it invariably
returns in the least unexpected In
stances.
As no physical reasons for its ex-
istenee have as yet been positively
proved it must for the present be con
sidered as purely mental condition
and from the standpoint of personal
observation and experience.
1t is a subject of the utmost inn
portance. as the occurrence of fear as
a maiady in an individual may spell
his misery or happiness. his success or
failure. no matter what his calling in
life may be- 1t is of more than medi
cal interest. AS it may concern the
welfare of the lawyer banker. editor,
man of business--in fact, everybody.
often even the physician himself
A man may face cannon's mouth
as calmly as he would sit down to
lunch. with all thought of death far
removed from his mind. and yet be
afflicted in everyday civil life with the
maIady of fear
soldier of fortune who had fought
under the British flag in all parts oil
the Empire struggled for years aftel
his return to civil life against a nfys-
tertous feeling of fear. Unable to
bear with it any longer. he went to a
physician, to whom he confessed as
follows: Il have fought in II battles,
and have been decorated with the Vic.
torla Cross: have never been COW
ard, but now | am as fearful as wos
man. | dare not even venture TO
cross a street if there is single ve-
hicle in sight, and ain heartily
| ashamed of myself. Help mel"
This is one kind of fear which Is
| here considered as malady. and 1t is
| unnecessary to add that this soldier OF
| fortune suffered most lamentably from
| his unreasonable affection. The faet
| that he was relieved In fairly snort
length OF time throws some light on
| the importance of looking on such a
' condition as veritable disease.
A we'll known writer always had a
:, dread of beginning any new literary
work for fear that it might not be up
to his usual standard. and conse
| euently might not prove acceptable
He had noticed, in reviewing his con-
dtion. that whenever he commenced
anything in that dreadful frame OF
mind the result was invariably fail-
! ure.
When that fear was not present