The Washington herald., 1915-05-12
Dr.. Marden's Upift Talks.
THE POWER OF FEAR.
Author Of Pushing to the Front" e
BY ORISON SWEET MARDEN.

| Author Of Pushing to the Front" etc
BY ORIsON SWEET MARDEN.
young man Of position and culture.
whose naturally buoyant and cheerful
disposition had won for him many bust
| ness and social friends. became obsessed
with the fear that he was a victim of
| cancer. Although his physicians and
| friends had tried to assure him that his
fears were groundless. tho unhappy
young man persisted In diagnosing his
own case. For months he held to his
morbid delusion and then in . moment
of despair took his own life and that Of
his devoted young wife. Thus was the
power OF the human spirit over the body
trasically demonstrated.
The very first condition necessary to
make life yield all its possibilities is
health-that Astounding vitality and visor
Of mind and body which make living
Joyous-and health Is dependent upon
correct thought. Every function. every
nerve cell. every organ in the body is
powerfully influenced by tho nature of
our thoughts.
II We could keep out the fear thought
and hold the mental attitude open to the
harmony thought. the creative. producing
thought, we could very quickly revolu-
tionize our lives and those about US.
Fear opens the door to trouble and lets
into our lives the very things which We
would keep out. Confidence, hope, as
surance keep the door closed. while every
discouraged. anxious thought tends to ad-
nit all sorts Of things which We would
gladly shut out.
We over-emphasize and wildly vizualizs
the very conditions which we should
shun. We hold such fear pictures, terror
pictures. of Ill health, poverty and fall
ure and their consequences, that We make
these things all the more real and more
difficult to remove. Instead Of antidot-
ing them with their opposites, We etch
them deeper and deeper into our con-
seriousness.
1 believe that the majority Of people
have some pet fear which often amounts
to an obsession, something of which they
stand in dread
know a man who has such a fear
of death that he tells me he has mayer
been able to get it out OF his mind for
a single day since he was boy. He
is always picturing himself as being
killed in some accident or dying with
some terrible disease.
There are many people who suffer
great mental anguish from a dread OF
tuberculosis. believing that there is a
possibility of their having inherited
this disease from some ancestor.
II everybody in the United States
could eliminate from their minds, the
pessimism and terror caused by the
frightful slaughter in Europe, the
financial condition. in this country
would undoubtedly jump up by leaps
and bounds.
Consider what we call tho United
States as one colossal composite in
dividual. made up Of all the citizens.
wheh the great mass of people are
suffering with fear and doubt and
WORRY over the business conditions. the
whole country Is Id the same condi-
tion that an individual would be who
was suffering with mental depression
and terrified with fear.
Fear is one Of tho most deadly in
struments for marring human lives. 1t
has a paralyzing, blishting influence
upon the whole being. 1t impoverishes
the blood and destroys health by i'm
pairing the digestion, cutting OF nutri-
tion. and lowering the physical and
mental vitality. It crushes out hope.
kills initiative and courage. and so en-
feebles the minds action that IL can
not create.
Q man would persist In keeping pros
perity in his mind. assume a hopeful.
optimistic attitude. and conduct his
business in a systematic. economical,
far-sighted manner, actual failure
would be comparatively rare. But when
a man becomes discouraged. when he
loses heart and grip. he IL not In .
position to make the EFFORT which ID
absolutely necessary to bring victory.
and there is shrinkase an aIons tne
line. Courage must lead in any great
undertaking. Efficiency will only fol-
low confidence.
Copyright IAs)