Evening star., 1924-02-18
The Library Table
BY THE BOOKLOvER

/ 1t is a commonplace Of literary ant
social history that a book has often
furnished the intellectual basis OF
the emotional stimulant for many q
great reform, cause or movement
Perhaps the most striking case is tina,
of Uncle Toms Cabin" and it's in
fluence toward freeing the slaves ir
America. A less conspicuous but no.
table example Is that Of "a Mind
That Found ITSELF" by Clifford w
Beers. and it's effect on the mental
hygiene movement. So potent has
been the influence of this book to-
ward securing a saner view Of insan-
ity that it has often been called "the
Uncle Toms Cabin of the insane
II read this book when it was first
published, in 1908, and it made pro-
found impression upon me as vital
human document and also because OF
It's simple, direct and vivid style and
for it's humor-for humor it has
strange as it may seem. In the inter
| vening years ] have recommended II
to scores of readers A new and
final edition has recently been pub
lished-the sixth, l believe-and
took it up for cursory examination to
see what new matter it might con-
| tain. But l did not get away until
| had, entirely reread it-so gripping
is the story.
x \. !. X
In this autobiography of an ex-
crazy man the author, who shortly
after his graduation from Yale had
an attack of mental disorder which
| a1o in,
side story. not only of his own ILL
ness, but also Of the experiences he
underwent in private and public in
lstitutions. particularly the cruelties
he suffered and saw others suffer.
Even before he fully recovered and
while he was still confined In d state
insane hospital he formed the resolu-
tion to devote his life to the reform
jof methods of treating the insane.
His purpose became to rob insanity
| of Its terrors. to correct abuses and
raise the standard Of treatment of
the insane and to induce the benevo-
lent rich to aid in the founding and
maintenance of model institutions for
the care OF the mentally diseased.
The success which has crowned his
effortS is recounted in the appendix
to this edition of "a Mind That Found
| Itself wherein Mr.. Beers gives q
history of the mental hygiene move
ment and his predominant part in it.
| Largely as the result OF this book
amt of the authors efforts during the
| last fifteen years. not only have state.
national and international mental hy-
| giene societies been organized, which
rave published an abundant popular
literature OF on this subject, but, even
more significant. the whole mental
attitude of the uninstructed public
! toward insanity has been trans
formed insanity is no longer con-
Sidered as mysterious curse. and no
| longer is one who has been in an
asylum permanently stigmatized. Peo-
pie now understand the Importance
| or maintaining mental health and
that 1t is often just as possible to
regain mental health as it is To get
| back physical health. and that physi-
cal and mental health are intimately
tied together. Read this highly sig
nihcant and intensely Interesting
] book.
| L suggest that the reader Of A
| Mind That Found Itself supplement
| MS knowledge of mental hygiene
from DR.. Stewart Paton's Signs of
Sanity and the Principles of Mental
Hygiene" In this brief book, pub
| lished in 1922, the author attempts to
answer the question: Does man to-
| day possess sufficient soundness of
mind to exercise intelligent control
over the complicated civilization he
! has created?" He holds that on the
answer TO this question depends not
simply individual happiness, but also
! the proper settlement of social prob
Lens. world peace and racial destiny.
adjustment of life to reality. This
calls for soundness of body and of
mind. The object of the book is to
describe the essentials Of sanity The
! author recognizes that there is no
I formula for insuring that every per
j son will become healthy. wealthy and
! wise nor an invaria BILE rule for keep
ing ones head in the face of trouble,
but, nevertheless. there are useful ex-
pedients of recognized practical value
for i.I prsserving pres sanity and preventing
creative thought and creative action"
These expedients or rules for regu-
lating our mental processes. const-
| tuting the b c of the principles of
! mental hygiene. are outlined in the
, book.
! Washingtonians should he interest
| ed in reading in the February Har-
! per's the article by Elizabeth Robins
Pennell Building an American Cathe-
| cathedral. 1t is illustrated with
etchings by Joseph Pennell. Mrs.
i Pennell tells US of our good fortune
watching 1t grow.
"One thing it does give in its pres
, ent stage which not one built in the
past can give us now, and this is
| the chance to see the beauty of a
cathedral in the making.
Much of the history of the old ca
j thedrals Is told in their stones, in
| the marks of their growth through
the ages. in all that survives of the
splendor with which generations of
1.-THE devout enriched them, in all traces
generations of unbelievers dishonored
them. Also of a number there are
more or less complete archives. But
there is an important part of their
history of which we have no adequate
record. We know nothing of the
actual manner of their building, and
it is this building which today can
be watched. step by step, on Mount
st. Alban at Washington.
x 4 Y j:
Ghost stories are always popular.
whether they be of the hair-raising
type practised by Mrs. Radcliffe in
the eighteenth century, those with a
sort of pseudo-realism, like Defoes
"Apparition of Mrs. Veal" or the mod
ern psychic research ghost stories.
Camille Flammarion, the famous
French astronomer. who has an even
wider reputation as an investigator
in psychic research, has written
book on Haunted Houses" which
counts the stories of over five thou
sand haunted houses which he has
It is said that Johan Bojer. author