The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-11-02
Other Mems Views
An Editorial That May or May Not Square
With The Views Of The Forum

The Christian Science Monitor: Fear is the
most prolific source of all evil. OF course if
fear were understood in its full metaphysical
significance, it would be understood to be the
provoking cause of all evil of every sort. But
even from the ordinary point Of view OF the
world. fear when it communicates itself to num-
bers, is capable of causing greater disaster than
any other phase of the human consciousness.
The pagan philosophers realized that there was
such thing as the fear Of fear, in other words,
as they stated it, the fear OF death was worse
than death itself. Centuries later Shakespeare
appropriated the idea, and put precisely the
same sentiment into the mouth OF Isabelle, in
Measure for Measure" and indeed, anyone who
knows anything at all OF history knows how
disease was spread upon the wings Of fear in
the case of that awful visitation Of the four
teenth century known as the Black Death, and
again when a pestilence Of a similar nature
swept London in the seventeenth century.
Some day the world will come to see that
what it calls contagion is a mental contagion,
and that what it calls infection is the infection
of one mind from another. Orthodox medical
practice today largely recognizes this, but it
draws back from the logical consequences Of Its
own admission, and endeavors to shelter itself
in a halfway-hous which is built partially out
of mind and partially out OF matter. ANY per-
son who has watched the ravages OF such
disease as cholera in the east must know exact
Iy what this means. The European sahib. going
about doing his duty and quite fearless OF con-
sequence, moves through the cholera camps with
perfect immunity from the disease. But the ma
tive; stricken by this disease, lies down almost
where he is overcome by it, whether in his house
or by the roadside, convinced, in the suddenness
of the shock and the confusion OF his fear that
the moment has come from which it is useless
for him to attempt to escape
such conditions il surely obvious that
the sanest treatment is to do everything possible
to destroy fear Fear in a Christian community
should be self-condemned. Some nineteen CEN
turtles of reading the Johannfne tepistles should
surely have effected this If Christendorn is un-
derstanding what it reads 1t is little to the
point to say that fear is uncomfortable, for any
person who has ever had anything to do. with
causes which produce fear knows that this is
not the case. Probably every man who has made
the sea hts profession has been through periods
of fear which he has had to overcome in order
to gain that sereneness in danger, without which
he would be a liability instead Of an asset on
board his ship. Practically every man who has
ever been into action on land can tell you some
thing Of the sickening sensations Of t4g FIRST ex-
perience Of battle. But as time goes ON the
veteran rises superior the fears Of the recruit
and daily takes his life In his hands, with
calmness which shows that he has learned some-
thing at any rate of the dominion over fear. IL
rs surely obvious then that in an hour of great
fear when the prevailing tone OF the human
mind, in the midst OF the conflict OF Arnageddon
country should rather resort to Its churches to
relieve itself Of its fear than close their doors
as to sound the top note of human agony in a
belief that Gods hand Is 80 ahortened that u
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