Evening star., 1923-01-20

Suggestion OF suggestions; all is
suggestion" I am tempted to exclaim
as 1 let myself be whirled through the
seething current of American life. The
preacher was a pessimist, but if he
lived now in America he might change
his mind and hesitate to condemn every
thing as vanity. Reality, on the con-
trary, appears to me to be the domi-
nant factor in life over here; reality,
built up, moreover, by accumulated sug-
gestibility.
Strange to say, I have never had oc-
casion in Europe to observe the enor-
nous effect of suggestion on the ma
tional life of a country. Here in Amer
ica 1t has struck me most forcibly.
Are Americans exceptionally suscepti-
BILE? Are their subconscious minds par
ticularly sensitive? 1t is quite possible.
| am bound to state, in any case, that l
have rarely met with such constant sue
cess in teaching patients how to get
rid of their ailments as l have done at
my American clinics. Naturally, one OF
the principal reasons of this success is
the wide publicity given TO my methods
beforehand; people read of them long
before coming to me, and their minds
are already fertillzed by the thought
of cure; the thought grows into a
belief, and by the time the patient
formed through imagination into a real
ity.
Force OF Suggestion.
The mechanism is no more compli-
Gated than that! In Europe no such
faith-inspiring publicity existed, except
perhaps, quite recently-and then only
in very small way. Nevertheless, /
do think Americans in general are more
responsive to suggestion than French
people or English. I SEQ that in the
solution of their national problem.
For instance, l don't believe that
any amount of suggestion would ever
persuade my countrymen to become
dry! Yet l am told that prohibition
was imposed upon a majority by a
strong minded minority, and that, in
reality, almost every one longs to
slake his thirst again. in something
stronger. honeSter than the Scotch
brew" which catches my eye on the
restaurant cards of suggested bever-
ages. See the force of suggestion,
however. Jugs OF iced water have
taken the place of the onceEindis-
peRSable bottle of iced champagne on
the tables at the most famed haunts
of luxury And what is even more
astonishing is that the effect seems
to be almost the same. Diners sip
their crystal glasses of water with
evident pleasure. and their merriment
and vivacity of conversation as the
SOSS OH COuIu hdTuly De
greater were their glasses filled with
sparkling wine of Rheims or Epernay.
Now, that requires an explanation,
for there's some little difference be-
tween water and champagne! Well,
| will submit that it's due largely to
suggestion and auto-suggestion.
Firstly. people are accustomed to be-
come merry and talkative over the
glasses, and the subconscious mind
doesn't really care what they contain.
Secondly. leading spirits (needIng no
artificial ones to stimulate them)
having set the example of contented-
ness and readiness to enjoy them
selves even without the aid of liquor
others respond to the influence OF
suggestion, and imagine they are
having the peuce of 4 time on a jug
of New York Nature 1928"
Iced Water VS.. Wine.
My theory is strengthened by the
popularity of the dancing places
They are all tat least those at which
have been able to take a glance in
my inquisitive peregrinations) crowd
ed and animated and full of laughter
and merry talk. and the only differ
ence between them and similar estab-
lishments at Montmartre is that the
music and buzz of gayety is not pune