Arizona republican., 1918-10-16
Where the People
 May Have Hearing
Dominated by Fear"

Phoenix, Ariz, Oct. 15. 1918. Editor Republican,:
 In view of the great fear of the in- fluenza instilled in the public mind by statements of those who believe in ma terial methods of treating disease, I re- spectfully request space in your paper for the following letter from Mir. Bick nell Young, first reader of the First Church of Christ. Scientist, Boston, Mass. published in a recent issue of the Boston Herald.
 R. Q. GRANT. MT. Young's Letter
 Tt is most extraordinary and iron ical that in Christian country when ever there is talk of doing away with public gatherings the churches and sa- looms are invariably mentioned togeth- CT. Whether they are classed together or not depends, one may suppose. upon | the point fof view But at any rate there is nothing to show that the health of the community would be either conserved or improved by such methods. On the contrary, according | to the views of the best physicians, people are no more safe cooped up in their dwellings than they are in com modious and well ventilated theaters. halls or churches, and from the stand point of those who seek to find the real root of disease, anything which tends to alarm the public serves to spread disease and to increase it's violence.
 One only needs to travel about the streets of Boston these days to see how fear has gripped the whole com munity. The fact is that influenza breeds in fear and feeds on fear. To some extent the doctors and nurses see l a md no tn to tla rp Or but with little effect. seeing that there is little faith in a fountain that sends forth both sweet waters and bitter. Af- ter fear of influenza has been promul- gated for weeks in advance, it is found that in some instances the sick are ne- glected by their relatives through fear of contagion. and then the demand is suddenly made upon them th"t they be fearless. and they are assured that simple precautions will make them safe, and it is even hinted that the in- fluenza is not necessarily contagious Why so late with these assurances Why were they not given out before hand, instead of the flood of suggestion whereby the public mind became pro- life soil for the mental germs of in- fluenza?
 "A letter. from friend in a training
 
 the camp physicians had minute de- scriptions of the symptoms of influ- enza, and warnings as to the danger from it, given out to the camp. Priol to that time there had not been a single case. Next day there were several cases and before long several hundred Clearly this is a mere suggestion, anC it looks suspiciously like enemy prop aganda, to which the doctors lent them selves, uncnsciously of course. Is it no possible that this so-called epidemic is just that very thing? If the community could see it that way, how long would they be afraid? If people are to get rie of influenza. they need to have some thing to think of other than influenza The fact is that influenza is primarily a mental disease. The prevailing ma terial methods will make headwa, against it only in the measure tha they inspire faith and confidence. Tn, utterly helpless attitude of the healtl authorities and physicians general. seems to indicate that they are hope less to overcome the disease, and ar convinced that it must run it's cours and wear itself out.
 Those who look beyond matter fo the cause and cure of disease see tha the great need of the hour is pur Christianity, and yet at the very tim when the gospel of Christ in all it practical strength and helpfulness most needed it is proposed to close tn ] churches.
 Among the clergymen whose opin ions have been sought, to say nothin of thousands who have not been con