The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-01-21
Speaker Addressed Gathering of
Mankato Commercial College
Students Last Evening
Fro,r e-,urdsy's Daily

ture of fascinating interest delivered
at Richards hall last evening by DR..
II. V. Adams of Los Angeles, under
the o--'pices of the Mankato Com
lnercial college. DR.. Adams has been
lecturing on the chautauqua circuit
during the past ten years.
The topic of his lecture was Gold
en- Grapes" He named his discourse
after an old Japanese legend, which
told about a young man seeking the
golden grapes that would bring happi-
ness. After a long quest he was at
length informed by wise old prophet
that the golden grapes lay within
mans heart and mind, and that there
was no use seeking them outside.
The golden grapes were cheerful,
optimistic thoughts, determination
to make the best of everything, and
disposition to look on the bright side
of all things.
The speaker laid great stress on the
power of suggestion. At the opening
of his lecture he sprinkled some
liquid on the floor and began talking
about ventilation and currents of air.
He asked any who could smell the
odor of the peppermint to raise their
hands. A few hands went up near the
place where he had sprinkled the
liquid. Later few more hands went
up, and at length there were hands
up in all parts of the hall. One young
lady was heard to say that although
she did not detect the odor, it hurt
her eyes a little. DR.. Adams had out
his watch He observed that it took
two minutes and ten seconds for the
odOr of the peppermint to get all
through the room, and he spoke of
that as a demonstration of the cur
rents of air that moved through the
room. But, later in the evening, he
told his hearers that all he had
sprinkled on the floor was water, and
that it was just by the power of sug-
gestion, that they smelled the pepper
mint There was no peppermint.
As another illustration of the pow
er of suggestion, he told story of a
man in Southern Missouri, who was
made i'll by his friends, who carried
out conspiracy to make him be-
lieve he was sick. The first that met
him spoke sympathetically with him
and said he did not look we'll. Each
that he met spoke in the same way,
and after few hours the man
thought he had q very bad case of
the grip, went home and went to bed,
showing every symptom of that
disease.
The speaker dwelt on symptoms
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ments of patent medicines. He said a
man could study over this literature
and soon could believe that he him
self felt those very symptoms, and il
would not be long before he would
feel that he had appendicitis, grip
tuberculosis and about all the other
ills that ever afflict the human flesh
The speaker said mirth and merit
ment were a great medicine He said
even insane people had been brought
back to reason by being made to laugh
He spoke of one case where an in
sane man was cured by another man
who stood outside the cell anG
laughed for days and DAYS. At length
the insane man caught the spirit and
laughed steadily for three hours, then
his reason returned, though he tired
, himself all out i'll the process.
DR.. Adams said any person VINO
was inclined to be of melancholy
disposition should devote ten minutes
, each day to laughing Il did not make
any difference whether he had any
thing to laugh about Or not He should
go off by himself, if need be, and
laugh as hard as he could for ten
minutes. The effect on his general
feelings would be wonderful. It would
make his disposition infinitely bright
er and his general health would i'm
prove wonderfully.
Most Of the audience consisted OF
students and the doctor laid stress on
the point that laughing now and then
made students brighter. A good laugh
here and there, made the minds more
ready to grasp the serious thoughts OF
the school work. This is true of all
kinds of work. The relief of laughteI
made people more efficient mentally.
Or. Adams spoke of Abraham
Lincoln's habit Of telling funny stories
and laughing, even in the darkest
hours of the great Civil war. He was
asked once how he could be so mirth-
full, when there was so nouch misery
going on around him and he replied
that without his jokes he could not
possibly keep up under the terrific
strain. He had to have such relief
from time to, time. 81 must laugh or
die he said.
Another lesson that the speaker
drew from the life of Lincoln was the
latter's silence to the criticism and
SANDER that was heaped upon him ny
his political enemies. particularly
certain newspapers. He was asked
why he did not have recourse to law,
and sue those who maligned him.
What is the use?' he said. eff what
is said about me is untrue. time will
vindicate me. If it is true, there is no
use of my saying anything about it. .
With reference to the power of
bright thoughts in restoring the
health, DR.. Adams told an anecdote
about General Grant at Appomattox
A messenger came with the news of
Lees intended surrender. General
Grant had bad attack of rhumatism
at that moment. The news that the
war was about to end so chaered him
that he forgot entirely about the
rheumatism and the illness dis
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