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Title: The Eugenic Marriage, Volume 3 (of 4)

Author: W. Grant Hague

Release date: April 11, 2008 [eBook #25044]

Language: English

Credits: Produced by K.D. Thornton, Jason Isbell, Josephine Paolucci
        and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
        http://www.pgdp.net.


*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EUGENIC MARRIAGE, VOLUME 3 (OF 4) ***




Produced by K.D. Thornton, Jason Isbell, Josephine Paolucci
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net.








[Illustration: "Mother and Child," by Lorado Taft

So strong is becoming the ambitions of the mothers of to-day to give the
world children that will be an honor to-morrow, that this piece of
marble statuary was erected by the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago to
express the ideal of the most wonderful thing that can come to any
woman--motherhood.]




The Eugenic Marriage

A Personal Guide to the New Science of Better Living and Better Babies

By W. GRANT HAGUE, M.D.

_College of Physicians and Surgeons (Columbia University), New York;
Member of County Medical Society, and of the American Medical
Association_

In Four Volumes

VOLUME III


    New York
    THE REVIEW OF REVIEWS COMPANY
    1916

    Copyright, 1913, by
    W. GRANT HAGUE

    Copyright, 1914, by
    W. GRANT HAGUE




TABLE OF CONTENTS


CHAPTER XXIV

THE FORMATIVE PERIOD

The best age at which to marry--Incompatibility of temperament--A happy
marriage need not be a successful one--The evils of early marriage--The
wedding night, its medical aspect--The honeymoon--When marital relations
are painful--Times when marital relations should be suspended--The first
weeks and months of wifehood--The formative period--A true marriage--A
wife's true position in the household--Only 5% of happy
marriages--Period of adaptation--Differences of opinion--Differences of
principle--The attainment of success--Arguing trifles--You must know
what you want--The right kind of wife--Contributing to her husband's
efficiency--What are the requisites of efficiency--Good
health--Thoroughly cooked meals--Rest at night--Having a system--Enough
exercise--Freedom from worry--Do your part--The first quarrel--Fault
finding--The husband's efficiency depends upon the wife--Work must be
interesting--The wife's part ... PAGE 331


ADVICE TO YOUNG WIVES


CHAPTER XXV

HOW TO ACHIEVE

What the young wife owes to herself--Why was I born--What are the
personal qualities necessary to success--What are the personal qualities
necessary to happiness--Self-control--What is a thought--The evil habit
of hasty judgment--The bad thought habit--Training the mind--"Go about
it in the right way"--Be sure your husband's friends are your
friends--Be a good fellow--Two kinds of people in the world--Everything
depends upon what we do with our mind--The most popular woman--The gift
of flattery--Choosing your friends--True friendship expects and demands
nothing--True friendship is necessary--"By your friends shall ye be
known"--Making resolves--The formula of success--When fortune knocks.
... PAGE 357


CHAPTER XXVI

SPARE MOMENTS

The study habit--The germ of self-culture--Millions of tiny cells in our
brain--The economic value of the study habit--Two ways of gaining
knowledge--Happiness in the company of those striving for higher
ideals--A young wife's incentive to self-culture--The difference between
moral and mental disloyalty--The study habit creates its own
interest--Nosophobia, or the dread of disease--"Keep still and be well"
... PAGE 375


THE HOME


CHAPTER XXVII

DOMESTIC QUALITIES

A good housekeeper and home-maker--What constitutes a good
housekeeper--Preparation and selection of meals--Washing dishes--Pots
and pans--Dusting and cleaning--Work cheerfully and be thorough--Don't
be a dust chaser--Don't get the anti-sunshine habit--Air your rooms--The
ideal home--The medical essentials of a good meal--What makes the
home--Working for something--The average housewife's existence is
slavery--What shall we work for--Making ends meet--Rest and
recreation--Try a nap--Get enough sleep at night--Go out of doors--Take
a vacation now and then--Life insurance--Owning a home--The cheerful
wife and mother--The indifferent wife and mother--Husband and wife ...
PAGE 389


CHAPTER XXVIII

HOW WE CATCH DISEASE

How we catch disease--How germs enter the lungs--How germs work in the
body--The function of the white blood cell--How an abscess is
formed--The evil habit of spitting in public places--Sunlight and
germs--Why it is necessary to open windows--Facts about
tuberculosis--The tendency to disease--The best treatment for
tuberculosis--Consumption is a preventable and a curable disease--When
delay is dangerous--What to eat and wear in hot weather--Scientific
dressing--Drink plenty of water--What to drink when traveling ... PAGE
409


DISEASES OF WOMEN


CHAPTER XXIX

DISEASES OF WOMEN

Diseases of women--The beginning of female disease--Ailing women are
inefficient--as home-makers, as wife, as mother--_Few ailing women
become pregnant_--The chief cause of female disease--The existence of
the average mother--Female diseases are avoidable--The story of the
wife--Women who don't want children--Abuse of the procreative
function--What the woman with female disease should do--Cancer in
women--Cancer of the breast--Cancer of the womb--What every woman should
know about cancer--Change of life--The menopause--The climacteric--The
average age at which the change of life occurs--Symptoms of the change
of life--Importance of a correct diagnosis--Danger signals of the change
of life--Conduct during the change of life ... PAGE 433


THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL


CHAPTER XXX

THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL

What mothers should know about the patent medicine evil--Tonics--Used by
temperance people because it could "stimulate"--Stomach Bitters--Blood
Bitters--Sarsaparilla--Celery Compound--Malt Whisky--Headache
remedies--Pain Powders--Anti-headache--Headache Powders--Soothing
syrups--Baby Friend--Catarrh powders--Kidney Pills--Expectorant--Cough
syrup--Lithia Water--Health, wealth and happiness for a dollar a
bottle--New Discovery for Consumption--Consumption Cure--Cancer
cures--Pills for Pale People--Elixir of Life ... PAGE 451


CHAPTER XXXI

THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL (_continued_)

The ---- Consumption Cure--Personals to Consumptives--Nature's
Creation--Female weakness cures--Various compounds and malt whiskies ...
PAGE 467


CHAPTER XXXII

THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL (_continued_)

How patent medicine firms and quacks dispose of the confidential letters
sent to them. Patent medicine concerns and letter brokers--The patent
medicine conspiracy against the freedom of the press--How the patent
medicine trust crushes honest effort ... PAGE 481


CHAPTER XXXIII

THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL (_continued_)

The patent medicine evil and the duty of the mothers of the race--"Blood
money"--The people must be the reformers--Mothers' resolutions ... PAGE
489




CHAPTER XXIV

     "The achievement of an object is dependent upon our
     determination. Effort is a matter of will. Failure is a product
     of misdirected determination."

THE FORMATIVE PERIOD

     The Best Age at Which to Marry--Incompatibility of
     Temperament--A Happy Marriage Need Not Be a Successful One--The
     Evils of Early Marriage--The Wedding Night, its Medical
     Aspect--The Honeymoon--When Marital Relations are
     Painful--Times when Marital Relations Should be Suspended--The
     First Weeks and Months of Wifehood--The Formative Period--A
     True Marriage--A Wife's True Position in the Household--Only
     Five Per Cent. of Happy Marriages--Period of
     Adaptation--Differences of Opinion--Differences of
     Principle--The Attainment of Success--Arguing Trifles--You Must
     Know What You Want--The Right Kind of Wife--Contributing to Her
     Husband's Efficiency--What Are the Requisites of
     Efficiency--Good Health--Thoroughly Cooked Meals--Rest at
     Night--Having a System--Enough Exercise--Freedom from Worry--Do
     Your Part--The First Quarrel--Fault Finding--The Husband's
     Efficiency Depends Upon the Wife--Work Must be Interesting--The
     Wife's Part.


THE BEST AGE AT WHICH TO MARRY

In order to determine the best age at which to marry, we must be guided
by certain fixed standards. We must find out from statistics the average
age of the parents of the best babies. We must determine and analyse the
qualifications of what constitutes the "best" babies, according to the
eugenic ideal. We should give heed to the fixity of temperamental
characteristics in order to determine their adaptability to conditions
that prevail at certain ages. We should select an age in advance of the
period at which science has determined individuals to have outlived any
hereditary tendencies.

We have abundant proof that the best babies are born of parents between
the twenty-third and the twenty-sixth years. We know also that the age
which responds, with the fullest degree of plasticity, to temperamental
characteristics, is in the early twenties. We know, likewise, that
inherited tendencies may be said to have been outlived at or about the
twenty-second year. The ideal marrying age, therefore, is, for both male
and female, approximately the twenty-third year.

The physical, mental and moral development of both men and women, at
this period, evidence a high degree of adaptability, and are responsive
to the institution of marriage. Their hereditary traits, if any
previously existed, assume a dormant form at this age. They have
cultivated the temperamental qualities which they will retain, with few
modifications, throughout life. On the other hand, their dispositions
are responsive to reason, and are capable of readjustment. Their
temperamental characteristics are plastic, and under favorable
conditions it is possible for both to evidence a degree of sympathy and
toleration that bespeaks future harmony and success. No marriage can
result in mutual happiness and success if one of the participants is
temperamentally incapable of changing his or her convictions. One of the
fundamental essentials to peace in the home is the quality of adaptation
to circumstances, and no other virtue will be called into existence
oftener than this quality. At this age, a man is eager to contribute to
the contentment and happiness of his partner, even if it is necessary to
sacrifice his own whims and opinions, and a woman, at this period, is
temperamentally so constituted that she will respond to the same
impulses.

Incompatibility of temperament simply implies that two individuals are
so constituted that they cannot, or will not, adapt themselves to the
temperamental characteristics of each other. This condition is one of
the most prolific causes of unfortunate marriages. Age has a great deal
to do with this situation. Men over thirty have unconsciously developed
habits of judgment and are too set in their opinions and ways to
accommodate themselves easily, or without friction, to the temperamental
differences that will undoubtedly exist in their wives. The spirit of
adaptation, which is a characteristic of younger years, is lacking, and
a mental readjustment is scarcely to be expected. We, therefore,
frequently observe in the marriage relations of certain individuals a
spirit of friendship existing rather than that of companionship which
should be the quality that binds them together. Statistics prove that
"affinities" creep into the lives of those who marry early, or in those
who marry after thirty. This form of domestic infelicity may be rightly
regarded as a product of "incompatibility of temperament."

A happy marriage need not be a successful one. Some couples attain
happiness through sorrow, grief, and failure. The so-called happy
marriage, like happiness itself, is only a myth, made up of anticipation
and memory. You have only to look into the calm and wrinkled faces of
old women, and talk to them to discover that the outcome of
unselfishness and abnegation forms the nearest approach to happiness in
married life or out of it. It is the bearing of the burdens of life that
constitutes its happiness.

THE EVILS OF EARLY MARRIAGE.--No woman has the vitality to stand the
strain of maternity before the twenty-third year. If a girl marries at
eighteen years of age she gives the world children totally unfit to
struggle with its problems. At about twenty-two years she may give one
child of value to the world, but all others following will be
increasingly unfit. In early marriages children are apt to come too
frequently, and this is one cause of infant mortality. Statistics show
that children born with an interval between them of only one year have a
mortality of one hundred per cent, higher rating than those born with an
interval of two years. And if these children are the progeny of very
young mothers the percentage is even greater. The percentage of children
who are malformed and idiotic is greater among those born of too young
parents. It has been shown that the child can only inherit what the
parents possess. If the parents are not of an age when all the powers
are at their highest, the child is robbed of just this amount of growth
and force lacking; no amount of education or training can supply this
loss.

There is another feature of early marriages that should receive serious
consideration. A girl of eighteen or twenty has not reached that period
of growth where certain inherited tendencies will show. If she has
inherited a predisposition to consumption she may outgrow this period
provided she is permitted to reach her full growth without subjecting
her constitution to any strenuous physical or mental strain. If,
however, this girl marries and becomes a mother, the incident effect
upon her health will most likely weaken her to the extent of bringing to
the surface the inherited tendency. Many mothers succumb to just such
conditions, where had they remained single until a later period they
could have assumed the responsibility of maternity without any evil
consequences.

The idea that by an early marriage a woman can train and change the
inborn characteristics of her husband is a mistake. Few women can reform
a husband after marriage. If she cannot reform him before marriage she
will never do it afterward. These inborn traits will have their way
despite anything she may be able to do to change them--only the man
himself can control and govern them. During the period of this
temperamental transformation the function of parenthood should not be
exercised. Only when a man's character is fully matured should he be
permitted to transfer it to another generation.

The idea has been advanced that early marriages will tend to preserve
youth from sowing wild oats. The woman who is the victim of this
delusion will reap a harvest of discontent and misery. Any man who needs
the sacrifice of a woman to cultivate the art of self-control is not a
fit citizen, far less a fit husband or father. A man who is willing to
bring children into the world before he is a self-governed animal does
not understand the first principles of race-regeneration, and it is the
duty of parents to educate their sons and daughters in this fundamental
idea. To be an efficient parent one must be mentally, morally, and
physically developed.

THE WEDDING NIGHT;--ITS MEDICAL ASPECT.--The fundamental object of true
marriage is the propagation of the species. Woman plays the more
important part in the consummation of this duty inasmuch as she is the
origin and depository of the future being. It is, therefore, most
important that she should not be wholly ignorant of the nature and
responsibilities of her position. Suffering, disease and death may
result as a consequence of ignorance of these matters. It is the duty
and the privilege of medical science to state, in language which all may
understand, the facts regarding this interesting human event.

It would seem as though suffering to some degree, characterized each
epoch in a woman's life; menstruation, marriage and maternity. Much may
be done, however, to lessen the pain necessary to the consummation of
marriage. Not infrequently difficulty is experienced in this respect and
great care, forbearance and gentleness must be exercised or unnecessary
pain and injury may result. It is quite possible to cause serious injury
by unrestrained impetuosity and this must be guarded against. It is
sometimes absolutely necessary to consult a physician, especially in
cases where greater resistance is experienced than is to be expected.
These are rare cases.

The first conjugal approaches are usually accompanied by a slight
bleeding. They may not be so, however, and the absence of blood has no
significance or meaning. The most suitable time to select for marriage
is midway between the monthly periods. This is a season of sterility,
and as the first nuptial relations may be followed by indisposition,
pain and nervous irritability, it would be well to select a time when
these ailments shall have an opportunity to subside before the
appearance of the disturbances incident to pregnancy.

THE HONEYMOON.--From a medical standpoint there is great need of a
radical change in the way in which this nuptial period is spent. For
many weeks previous to marriage the bride's existence is a long
drawn-out period of nervous tension. Instead of enjoying mental and
physical rest and repose, every moment of the time is crowded with
exacting incidents, which, ordinarily, would wreck the nervous system of
a robust individual. If this exciting preparatory experience ended in a
period of rest and recuperation, it might not prove physically
disastrous, instead of which, however, we know that the bride is
subjected to a series of physiological tragedies which few weather with
impunity. At no time of her life is she more in need of being surrounded
with all the comforts of home and the intelligent direction of
sympathizing friends who understand and appreciate the crisis through
which she is passing. Custom, however, dictates that she shall be
hurried from place to place at a time when the bodily quiet and the
mental calmness and serenity so desirable to her should be the only
object in view.

Marital relations still continue painful and will be so for a few weeks.
Too frequent indulgence at this period is a fruitful source of various
inflammatory diseases, and often occasions temporary sterility and ill
health. In many cases constitutional disturbances and nervous disorders
have their beginning at this time and these unfortunate conditions are
directly caused by the discomforts incident to the silliness of the
social custom which deprives the woman of the rest and quiet necessary.

The awakening of the sexual function is a tremendously important medical
incident in the life of any woman. The simplest mind may adequately
understand why such an experience should be consummated in a cheerful
environment of domestic comfort and peace. To drag a girl around
sight-seeing, when her nerves are on edge and supersensitive; when she
is physically unfit, weary and not at all interested; when her brain is
apprehensively busy with secret conjectures in which her husband even
may not participate, is a species of torture which the average bride
submits to with the best grace possible because social custom dictates
the stupid programme.

Mothers should approach this subject with tact and diplomacy, but they
should, nevertheless, approach it with firm intentions to persuade their
daughters to consider the situation from a common sense standpoint. The
custom of the honeymoon survives because young brides do not appreciate
the facts involved. It is the mother's duty to acquaint them with the
truth, and no sensible mother will plan, or agree to a honeymoon that
involves continuous discomfort and possible serious consequences to the
health of her daughter at the beginning of what should be the happiest
period of her life.

WHEN MARITAL RELATIONS ARE PAINFUL.--Nature did not intend that the act
by which the earth is to be replenished should be painful. If therefore,
pain is a constant characteristic of this function, it is an evidence
that disease exists and it should be given attention at the earliest
possible moment. A displaced, congested womb is most frequently the
cause. Such displacements most likely are a result of imprudence in
dress, constipation and general negligence on the part of the victim. To
delay or postpone assistance in such cases is dangerous, while on the
other hand, relief is prompt and as a rule satisfactory if taken in
time.

TIMES WHEN MARITAL RELATIONS SHOULD BE SUSPENDED.--There are times when
such relations are eminently improper. There are certain legitimate
causes for denial by the wife.

Intoxication in the husband is a good reason for refusal. Idiots and
epileptics have been produced as a result of one parent being
intoxicated when fecundation took place. Many cases are on record whose
history is well authenticated where the mental faculties of the
offspring have been totally destroyed.

Convalescence from a severe sickness is a just cause for sexual
abstinence. The existence of any local or constitutional disease which
would be aggravated by marital relationship is also a just cause of
refusal. The existence of a contagious disease renders a refusal valid.
Sexual intercourse should never be permitted during the menses.
Pregnancy is unquestionably a just cause for refraining from all
marriage duties.

THE FIRST WEEKS AND MONTHS OF WIFEHOOD.--The daughter is established in
her own home: she is now the young wife, the prospective mother. What
can we say that will be helpful at this period--those wonderful first
weeks and months of wifehood? Her guiding star will unquestionably be
the unconscious lessons she has absorbed from the tactful talks with
mother. She will unwittingly pattern her conduct, to a large extent,
after her, and follow the routine mother adopted in the old home. But
there is a new factor to be considered. Her life, present and future,
her possibilities, her very happiness, is dependent upon the husband.
The old saying, that, "you must live with a man to really know him," she
will find to be all too true. The story of her future life might be
safely told if we could know how she will meet the new vicissitudes. She
has known her husband only as a sweetheart, she has clothed him with
virtues that exist only in her imagination, will he measure up to her
expectations? She is watchful and tactful,--the little mother-talks she
remembers. She did not believe when mother told her, that he had
qualities which she would only find out after marriage, but she knows
now. She is learning that household duties are exacting and fretful;
that, though married, life still has a few thorns. She finds out also
that the long day, when husband is at business, affords many
opportunities for reflection and serious thought. These moments of
seeming leisure are the moments of destiny. They are the introspective
moments, when she weighs and measures out for herself sympathy, if she
is not made of the right stuff, or she makes strong resolutions, and
prepares herself mentally to win out in the new life. They are the
moments when her subconscious intelligence is trying to express itself
in the spirit of truth and honesty, when she weighs and measures and
analyses the exigencies of the new environment. Her destiny depends upon
the inspiration that is impressed upon her brain as a result of these
self-communings.

Most of us would not follow exactly the path we trod had we the
opportunity to live our lives over again. The young wife has the chance
to "do it over again." She has the opportunity of a new beginning. She
should regard this opportunity as the most precious gift she will ever
obtain. Many would give untold wealth for her chance. Happiness and
riches lie at her feet. All the experiences that make life worth living
are within her grasp. It all depends upon herself. An enthusiast is apt
to be insistent. If his cause is just we gain by his insistency and
determination. We are enthusiasts on this subject, we want you to
believe in our disinterested sincerity. We believe,--in fact we know,
that the first few months after marriage is the critical period in every
woman's life so far as the attainment of happiness and success is
concerned. No physician can practice medicine for years and fail to have
this truth impressed upon him again and again.

Every intelligent person knows that most young girls enter into the
marriage relationship without a real understanding of its true meaning,
or even a serious thought regarding its duties or its responsibilities.
Maternity is thrust upon these physically and mentally immature young
wives, and they assume the principal role in a relationship that is
onerous and exacting. We know that the duties of wife and mother require
an intelligence which is rendered efficient only by experience. We know
that young wives acquire habits which undermine their health and their
morals unwittingly. And we also know that the product of this
diversified inefficiency is what constitutes the decadence and the
degeneracy of the human race. Is it any wonder that mistakes occur, that
heartaches abound, and that homes are degraded?

What is the remedy? Education! Systematized instruction; an efficient
and everlasting propaganda of education carried into the homes of the
thousands of young wives and mothers who are willing, but who do not
know how to play their part creditably and efficiently.

THE FORMATIVE PERIOD.--The period prior to marriage is the formative
period, the character building years. Matrimony is to be the test of how
we have built our castle. The success of the matrimonial venture--for
every marriage is an experiment--depends absolutely upon the result of
the first year. We would, therefore, seriously, and earnestly, request
the young wife to think deeply upon this problem and not to ignore the
fact that the success of the venture is absolutely dependent upon her
efforts to a very large degree. Some may assert that the husband is the
essential equation, so far as happiness and success is concerned in the
matrimonial venture. We do not think so. A home is what the woman makes
it. A man may not be an ideal husband, or even a good father, though his
home, to his children, may be heaven itself if the wife is a born
mother and a good woman. On the other hand a man may be patient, hard
working, self-sacrificing, good father, but he cannot make a happy home,
for his children, if his wife is not the right kind of a woman.

A true marriage implies love and confidence, and in the vast majority of
marriages these qualities can be regarded as tangible, and may be used
as any other business equity is used, for a certain time. The length of
time depends upon the use to which this asset is put during the early
months of marriage. It is the utilization of this time, how best to
employ it, that concerns us here.

A word as to a wife's true position in the household may be opportune.
There is no question but that her status has changed in the last
generation. Whether this change is for the better is a matter of
opinion. It is too large and too intricate a problem to be fully
discussed in a book of this character. Any opinion on such a subject
must of necessity, in our judgment, be a warped one. There are few, very
few, absolutely happy and congenial homes. It has been estimated that
only five per cent. of all marriages are successful. If five per cent.
make a success of marriage why could not the other ninety-five? The
reasons are not fundamental or serious--they are trivial as a rule. It
is making the right beginning that counts. If this is the secret, and
every married person of experience will testify to this truth, the young
wife should give the matter her serious consideration. In the life
history of every couple there is a period of adaptation, which is sooner
or later passed through at the expense of one or the other, or both,
resigning themselves to an acceptance of the stronger, or positive,
elements in the other's disposition.

DIFFERENCES OF OPINION.--If a woman discovers, for example, that her
husband has very decided views upon certain matters, and these views do
not in any way conflict with the law, moral or otherwise, and the
adoption of them does not necessitate the denial of a principle, it
would be far better for her to acquiesce in these views, rather than to
obstinately adhere to her opinions,--especially if she cannot, in a
friendly way, offer an argument strong enough to convince him he is
wrong. One or the other of every married pair will have to be willing to
give in, in all trivial matters that come up from day to day, if a
harmonious degree of existence is to be reached.

It is certainly natural to assume that ordinarily the wife will be the
one to concede most. She is supposed to be endowed with all the gentler
attributes. Therefore our advice,--irrespective of all the arguments
which may be made, and which we need not even hint at, here, but which
are at the tongue's end of every so-called advanced woman,--is for the
young wife to gratefully concede a great deal to her husband.

If a man's daily life is clean, and if his ambition is to work in order
to provide a comfortable home for his wife and children, he is deserving
of the love and confidence of any true woman. And inasmuch as you have
chosen this man for your husband, for your guide and for the father of
your unborn children, it behooves you to find out how you may quickly
accommodate yourself to be his helpmate, his friend, his confidant and
companion, throughout all the years of your life. Let us assure you
without fear of contradiction, that you will endear yourself to him by
your willingness to be advised and guided by him. Such an attitude will
engender a tangible confidence that may be drawn upon to weather
temperamental contests that might otherwise prove to be serious
obstacles in building up a mutual respect and trust and which is
essential to peace and happiness. He will look for your word of cheer,
and he will willingly tell you more and more of his inmost thoughts and
ambitions, and unconsciously he will rely upon your judgment, your
womanly intuition, your help, in every move he makes. The time when you
will have to "give in" will have passed away. You will have made
yourself part of his life, his mentality, you will have reached the goal
of domestic happiness, and that is as near paradise as most of us reach
in this world. It all depends upon "how you go about it" in the first
few months of married life.

Consider the other picture. If a wife cultivates, or has the inherited
inclination to argue trifles, to bicker over mere matters of opinion,
even if she wins occasionally, what does she gain? Nothing! The husband
resents the tendency to argument. His pride is wounded at the thought
that his wife needs to be convinced of every opinion he advances. Such
an attitude completely breaks down the tangible confidence that is
essential to peace and happiness. Soon he begins to keep his opinion to
himself; the serpent enters the home; the wife finds he is interested in
things of which he does not inform her. Jealousy, lack of confidence,
doubt,--the skeletons of all domestic peace and happiness soon
accomplish their terrible and tragic work, and the end is not difficult
to imagine.

Most of the things regarding which husbands and wives quarrel are of no
special moment. They are not momentous subjects,--it is usually a trifle
that mars the domestic peace. It takes but a few years for most women to
appreciate that many of the things that cause heartaches are not of any
consequence at all. They originate, as a rule, in one or the other
failing to appreciate that the other has certain individual rights which
demand some degree of respectful consideration. The ego element in human
nature is responsible for a very considerable portion of the domestic
infelicity that mars the home life of a large proportion of the people.

TRIVIAL DIFFERENCES.--Many homes have been broken or rendered
permanently wretched by trivial differences. The husband may like to
play games, the wife may want to read. One may like to go out to parties
and theaters, the other may want to stay at home. Before marriage these
differences appear to merest trifles and are the subjects of
good-humored bantering; after marriage they cause constant dissension,
constant friction. A trifle is the usual beginning, a divorce may be the
end. A little lack of tact, an unwillingness to sacrifice self in a
small measure "at the right moment" and friction would have ended.

It is a reflection upon our intelligence, and it is rather significant
that it should be the little, trifling things that cause most of the
troubles and heartaches in the world. We rarely quarrel over the
important episodes Of life; the real things, the things that constitute
the measure of our manhood and womanhood. Ask any of your friends, be
they Jew or Gentile, Catholic or Protestant, Baptist or Episcopalian,
Democrat or Republican, whether, in their best judgment, it is better to
be honest or dishonest, clean or dirty, false or true, intelligent or
ignorant, an idler or a worker; whether it is better to be gentle and
kind or brutal and cruel, a gossip and scandal monger or to mind our own
business and to speak kindly of our fellow-man, whether, in short, it is
better to be good or bad? And yet these are the real, the fundamental
qualities that brand a man, or a woman, or a race of people, as worthy
and true and Christ-like.

To the eugenist, a thought obtrudes itself at this point. It is the
logical, the link between the cause and the effect. Why do we waste so
much time arguing and fighting over non-essentials? Why is the world
such a big quarreling-pot over nothing? And the eugenist suggests, if it
is not possible, that the explanation may be found, in the fact, that
the human family, as a race, is below par; that so many of us are
incomplete; that it is the product of the combined mental effort of the
unworthy element that makes all the trouble? It is scarcely logical to
assume, that an individual who has been brought into the world by
healthy, worthy parents, and whose ancestry for generations have been
clean, honest people; and whose upbringing and education has been
adequate to fit him to become a respectable, decent citizen, could, or
would be a trouble maker. On the other hand, can we expect, or are we
justified in hoping that an individual whose ancestral record is bad,
whose environmental conditions are faulty, whose education has been
neglected, who is in all probability physically and mentally deficient,
will be capable of conforming to the standards of the other individual?
From an imperfect whole, may we not naturally expect bad parts? From a
diseased body and mind, may we not look for a low standard of thought
and action? And may not these conditions account for the greater part of
the little, as as the big, troubles that mar the peace and progress of
the race? Will not the elimination of the eugenically unworthy rid the
world of its heartaches and sorrows? It is not only a suggestive
thought, it is an inspiration for the exercise of the supreme
intelligence of the statesman, the sociologist, the teacher and the
preacher alike.

DIFFERENCES OF PRINCIPLE.--There are more serious differences than those
of taste, however. There are differences of principle.

They do not reveal themselves before the promise "for better or for
worse." The sentimental days of courtship did not bring them out. But
now that they have settled down to the routine of ordinary living,
nature brings them to the surface and the issue must be met. It is
discovered that the wife is a devout Christian and a faithful church
attendant while the husband insists on his wife spending Sunday in the
country, or at the seashore. The woman tries to get her husband to go to
church but she fails. He tried to get her to accompany him but he does
not succeed. There is a rift in the lute, little sorrowful heart pangs
on the part of the woman, and the man feels sore and grouchy and wanders
away alone, then finally open quarrels and indifference. Two lives are
pulling apart. Someone must give in; but which one? The observance of
her religious duties to the wife is a matter of principle. The husband's
method of spending Sunday is simply habit. He has no right to interfere
with her liberty in this respect. The one to give in is the one whose
conscience is not trampled upon. If the husband refuses to go to church
with his wife, he can do so amicably, and in such a tactful way that his
wife cannot reasonably feel permanently offended, but he must not object
to his wife going to church, nor has he the right to insist on being
accompanied in his outing by his wife. On the other hand, the wife must
not nag or quarrel with him continuously on the subject of religion.
Those little incidents will come up in the experience of every married
couple. They are not serious or insurmountable in themselves, but they
can be made serious by mismanagement.

The true wife is the home-maker, not simply the housekeeper. She is
responsible for its attractiveness and its comfort, its morals and its
existence. The marriage vow "does not make a wife, but comradeship in
the bearing of the burdens of life, does." She must be Love and Justice
and Truth to her children, and companion and friend and helpmeet to her
husband.

We, therefore, advise the young wife to begin wedded life with definite
plans and ideals.

THE ATTAINMENT OF SUCCESS.--In the first place, you do want your
particular matrimonial venture to be a success. Success in one sense is
getting what you want. You must, however, know exactly what you want.
Very few people know what they want, but those few are the ones who
manage to "get there." If you ask a dozen of your friends what their
plan of life is, what they are working for, what they really want, not
one of them probably could tell you with any degree of exactness. Most
people go along in an indefinite way, working from day to day, more or
less dissatisfied, and with absolutely no feeling of certainty as to
what the future holds in store for them.

Human effort is an example of energy misdirected and it is the greatest
potential energy in the universe. Really to want something means that we
must be willing to sacrifice everything necessary to attain our wish,
and to concentrate and direct all our efforts in its attainment. To do
this, we must be efficient, we must be healthy, we must strive day and
night, and we must want intensely to achieve success.

During the first few weeks of married life the young wife, if she is a
wise little lady, will take stock. She will begin to think, and she will
naturally speculate about the future. She will try to determine the
facts in her particular life that are the important ones so far as the
attainment of success is concerned. Her material success of course is
dependent upon the efficiency of her husband. Now, a married man's
efficiency depends almost entirely on his wife. If a man attains great
material success, he will acknowledge, if he acknowledges the truth,
that his wife is deserving of most of the credit. The husbands of most
good, sensible wives are successful. If a man is, unfortunately, married
to a woman who is not a helpmeet, who is not a well-balanced wife and
mother, and achieves success, he does so by reason of his innate
strength of character and in spite of the unjust drain on his
efficiency. Most men under these circumstances however lose heart and
interest and become failures.

The young wife, therefore, will definitely plan in just what way she can
contribute to her husband's efficiency.

WHAT ARE THE REQUISITES OF EFFICIENCY? GOOD HEALTH.--He must have
regular meals. The food must be carefully selected and suitable to his
personal needs according to the character of the work in which he is
engaged. The food must be properly and thoroughly cooked. If he does not
understand the science of eating, the wife must educate him. Remember
his success means your success, his failure, your failure. If you were
in charge of a highly complicated machine, you would not allow it to be
ruined by careless misuse. You may have married a healthy animal, but
animals are tricky and uncertain. He is still your lover and he will do
anything reasonable for you, if you "go about it in the right spirit and
in the right way." Be sure you "go about it in the right way." Be
tactful, be patient, don't nag. Don't tell him of his faults, simply
note them then determine what you want to accomplish. In a little while,
he will become enthusiastic and will be telling his friends how to eat,
and what to eat, and, later, he may try to convince you that he thought
of the idea first. This is the typical man. You will learn how to manage
him, and your first success will encourage you--he will be a child in
your hands--if you only "go about it right." And this applies to
everything you do that has any relation to domestic peace and happiness
and final success.

The woman who grasps the meaning of the following truism and determines
to practice it, is well on her way to happiness and success. "It is the
man that has a system in both life and business that wins the battles."
The struggle of life has become so strenuous that most everyone's nerves
are always near the explosive point,--the man who has a system in life
has discovered that there is nothing to be gained by being
disrespectful or discourteous, or by butting rough-shod into the affairs
or interests of other people; tact, diplomacy, flattery, the
temperamental capacity to wiggle around the explosive corners of other
peoples' irascible nerves to gain your point, is "having a system," and
it wins battles. The young wife who knows how to do this, is so far
ahead of the army of ordinary young wives, that she need not take time
to look around to see if the others are gaining ground. They will never
overtake her.

REST AND SLEEP.--The husband must get enough rest each night, so don't
drag him away to parties and balls and late suppers. Be a
philanthropist--give him the care you would give a thoroughbred horse
with which you hoped to win a big stake. Let him think, however, that
you are doing it for his sake. To you the prize is a greater stake--it
means life's failure or success. Remember you are in this fight to win.
The gratification of whims and fancies during the first year of married
life leads to the establishment of expensive habits, and may be the one
factor that will mean failure in the future, when you will wish, with
all your heart that you had begun differently. The time to sacrifice, to
work hard, to plan ahead, is when one is young; when hope is strong and
health is good--not when ambition falters, when age grows weary, when
efficiency is impossible, and when regrets crowd in on us and failure
crushes energy and hope and happiness. The struggle of life is a real
one to every soul born, but it is worth the fight, and the glory of a
fight won is the greatest human satisfaction this side of the grave. Try
it, try to win.

ENOUGH EXERCISE.--Be sure your husband is getting enough exercise. If
his work is desk work, think out some plan to compel him to take the
exercise every healthy animal requires. Make up your mind definitely
what is necessary and exactly what it is you want him to do, and then
begin to work in your own successful way with that object in view. It
may be systematized gymnastic work he needs. If so, suggest to him the
advisability of becoming a member of a club or gymnasium, or get two
sets of exercisers and begin work on them yourself if necessary. Devote
ten minutes every morning and night to exercise. He will soon follow
you, and many happy contests you will have and profitable ones too.
Working together is the secret of domestic peace. Even if this reads
like slavery or self-immolation, what do you care? You are happy, you
are working for something, the time will come when you will have
realized your ambition. Domestic happiness and material success are
worth all we are asked to pay for them and they are never obtainable on
the bargain counter.

It may be outdoor exercise he needs, try golf, swimming, baseball,
tennis, anything to gain your point; and, all the time, remember you are
leading him by your apron-string because you have discovered the secret
of "how to go about it."

FREEDOM FROM WORRY.--A man cannot work efficiently and worry at the same
time. Modern business methods are conducted on such a strenuous basis
that, to keep "in the ring," a man needs every ounce of reserve he can
command. Don't imagine your husband is totally free from cares and
responsibilities just because he is not at business. He may have left
his office a few minutes earlier than usual to get away from trouble.
Encourage the system. When a man feels in his heart that there is one
person in the world to whom he can always turn, and be sure of a loving,
sympathetic greeting, one who understands and believes in him, one place
he can always go and feel certain of enjoying peace, and comfort and
contentment, there is little danger of any friend supplanting the wife,
or any club or saloon taking the place of home.

DO YOUR PART.--The moment you know your husband is in the house, change
the expression on your face, smile, even if it pains you, and go to him
with a familiar word of greeting and give him a kiss. Do this every day
of your life, unless when you are sick in bed, when he will go to you.
Establish this habit, and if ever the day comes when he returns from
work and there is no greeting, no kiss, stop the whole domestic ship,
regard it as a tragedy. Don't let the first entering wedge of discord
come into your life. If there is no first quarrel, there will never be a
second. If you are at fault you had better right matters at once or
take the consequences. Take our advice. Don't experiment with a man.
Deep down, every man is a brute. There is a certain elemental devil in
every male animal. Don't rouse it. You are only a woman. Don't invite a
quarrel. You will get the worst of it. Keep on the peaceful side of the
street. It is always a mistake to talk too much. Words are poison when
silence is golden. You cannot make a mistake by leaving the husband
alone if he is at fault. Time is a wonderful physician; she will heal
almost any wound. Your tact, your silence, your seeming fear (in other
words, your method "of going about it in the right spirit and in the
right way"), and an opportunity to think it over, will make him ashamed
of himself. He will want to crawl back into your good graces and the
lesson will be a long remembered one to him,--if, and this is
tremendously important--the wife does not glory in her triumph and nag
him about it. The temptation to err is great and there are few young
wives who can resist it. Keep silent, however. Don't refer to it and you
will win more than you know. Blessed is she who can forget what is not
worth remembering.

You will have averted the first quarrel and, inasmuch as the "first
quarrel" is an historic event in every married woman's experience, it
may be worthy of a little further consideration.

THE FIRST QUARREL.--Some women become weak in a crisis and spoil their
own chances of success, despite the fact that circumstances may have
been working in their favor. Some women meet a crisis bravely and do
exactly the right thing at the right time but falter and fail after the
crisis has passed. Take, for example, the incident we have just
narrated. When a husband brings into the home a sample of his real self,
for the first time, it is not really an unexpected event, though it may
be an unpleasant shock to the young wife; and she must not render it an
important incident by mismanagement. Nevertheless, it is in itself a
momentous occasion, and it may prove to be the moment of destiny. The
spirit of the lover has been the dominant spirit so far, the atmosphere
of the honeymoon has continued, there has been no friction, no quarrel.
To-night the husband has carried a business _grouch_ into the home, his
militant impulses are just below the surface, the slightest unfortunate
word, the least lack of tact, a failure to "sense" the situation
correctly, will explode the mine and wreck a dream. Deep down in the
man's heart he does not want a quarrel but the brute in him will fight
if the environment invites it. It takes two to quarrel. Silence on the
part of the wife, therefore, is the only solution of the problem. If the
first quarrel never takes place the second will never have to be
dreaded. Silence, no matter what the provocation may be; no matter how
acute the sense of injustice may be, silence is the only safe way out.
The husband if left alone, will be ashamed of the situation his lack of
self-control has created, the lover spirit will conquer the brute. He
will regret the pain he has caused; he will want to forget and be
forgiven quickly though he may not go through the formality of an
apology. A formal apology and reconciliation will, in his judgment,
dignify the episode and make a mountain out of a molehill. The wife will
be wise to so regard it though it is an injustice to her. The husband
will not underestimate the importance of the event, however, and in many
ways will be a better husband in future, but he does not want to talk
about it or be talked to regarding it. This is part of the psychology of
the male, and the successful wife discovers it early and acts
accordingly.

Having safely piloted your craft through the troubled waters, don't
prove weak and silly when you reach a safe harbor. When the moment of
passive reconciliation arrives, when it is necessary to resume the
domestic routine, don't show the spirit of resentment. Be pleasant,
don't cry, don't become hysterical. Be strong, ignore the whole affair,
leave it in the hands of time and forget it. The victory is yours, don't
lose it.

FAULT FINDING.--At a later date, when, in all probability, the wife will
be the one whose conduct will incite trouble because of the worries
incident to her more or less monotonous, domestic existence, much care
will have to be exercised so that an unwitting fretfulness may not cause
quarrels. When a man comes home at night tired and hungry, longing for
peace, and comfort, and pleasant conversation, it is worse than anarchy
to not only get no greeting, but to note the discontent on his wife's
face, and to listen to a tirade of fault finding. Your husband has
troubles of his own. The maid's impudence, the crossness of the baby,
the noise of the neighbor's children, the toughness of the meat from the
butcher, do not interest him. He is hungry, he wants to eat, and above
all, he wants rest and peace. We are considering this subject from the
economic standpoint. The young wife must recognize that if she is a
fault finder, if she worries her husband, she interferes with his
efficiency and jeopardizes the attainment of success,--her own success.
From a purely selfish standpoint, it is a bad investment.

It may interest many young wives to know, that a number of large
corporations have recently begun to systematically investigate the
domestic environment of their employees. If it is found that they are
not happy, or that they do not enjoy a restful and congenial home life,
they discharge them. They claim that a man who is worried cannot be
efficient, and if he is not efficient he is not a dependable individual
to have in their employ. Some railroads will not allow an engineer to
drive a passenger train after it is discovered that he is unhappily
married. The young wife should, therefore, appreciate that she may be
directly responsible for her husband's efficiency and success. If a
woman is guilty of conduct that interferes with the earning capacity of
her husband she is erecting an obstacle to happiness and success that is
fundamental, permanent and insurmountable. In justice to herself and to
her husband and to the future she should promptly decide if the
conditions are such that a change is impossible, and if so she should,
in order to avert a tragedy, seek a separation.

WORK MUST BE INTERESTING.--No man can exert the highest degree of
efficiency if he is not interested in his work. This has become a
business truism. How can the wife aid in this matter? By coöperation, by
tactful advice, by suggesting new methods, by originating new ideas that
may open the way to new possibilities.

Even menial work is interesting if we regard it as a stepping-stone to
something better. It must be done thoroughly, however, to justify this
hope. Life is a struggle, a struggle in which many are vanquished and
few survive. Only those few survive who fit most perfectly to their
environment. If a man is getting proper nourishment and sufficient
exercise, and is free from worry, if in other words he has vitality, he
cannot possibly fail to give full value for what he receives. His work
will at least be satisfactory. If his lack of interest in his work is
because it does not fully satisfy his ambition, this is a splendid
opportunity for the tactful and resourceful wife.

It was suggested to an enterprising little wife, whose husband was
earning a small salary as a bookkeeper, to advise him to study
stenography and correspondence at the Y. M. C. A. He did so, and is now
the private secretary of the president of a large corporation, at a
salary of six thousand dollars per year. His wife encouraged and cajoled
him during the long winter nights when he studied late. She sacrificed
herself by giving up all social entertainments and other pleasures. She
catered to his tastes and comfort, and she talked so entertainingly
during spare moments of what the future would be when he was a great
success, that he was simply compelled to make good. She got her reward,
and the very struggle and effort strengthened their characters,
broadened their sympathies, and taught them the true meaning of love and
affection.

Other young wives may achieve similar success if they "go about it
right." That is the secret. That was the secret of this young wife's
success. She first knew what she wanted, she then prepared the way by
tactfully showing her husband how he could increase his efficiency. She
kept the subject diplomatically before him by directly praising him,
assuring him that he had the ability, that he would find it easy, that
he was meant for "higher things." Then she drew word pictures of where
they would live, the kind of house she would like and the new furniture
she would buy, and where they would spend their vacations when he was
earning the salary which she knew he was worth. They began to live in
this future, it became part of their life, his pride was awakened, he
would be ashamed to fail, he was whipped to the post and spurred to the
finish and he won the race, because he had married the right kind of a
woman. "The right kind of a woman,"--the woman who knows that "the
marriage vow" does not make a wife, but that comradeship in the bearing
of the burdens of life does.

THE WIFE'S PART.--Having read the preceding pages some young wives may
ask if that is really what being married means? If it is all work and
sacrifice and no pleasure? That is exactly what it means and if there is
no pleasure in work and sacrifice, then there is no pleasure in married
life. The young wife who fails to see the significance of this
interpretation of what has been written has a fundamentally wrong idea
of what married life means.

A woman who begins her wedded life with less loyal ideals than are
depicted in the performance of the duties we have enumerated is imposing
on her husband and is false to herself. She will not attain happiness
and success. To marry in order to have a good time should be a state's
prison offence.

Happiness and contentment and success are products of duty well done.
They are the logical recompense for effort and sacrifice. Individual
happiness is not the chief object of existence in this life. To work
efficiently is the supreme obligation. It is naturally to desire
happiness and to labor for it; but it is absurd to be annoyed and angry
because we do not find it. Happiness through marriage is never attained
except by never-ending self-abnegation and effort.

We must struggle or we will degenerate. A correct interpretation of
racial progress proves this truth. Effort is the supreme law. All good
things have been given to man at the price of labor.




ADVICE TO YOUNG WIVES




CHAPTER XXV

     "Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed
     in you temperance, self-control, diligence, strength of will,
     content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know."

                                        CHARLES KINGSLEY.

HOW TO ACHIEVE

     What the Young Wife Owes to Herself--Why Was I Born--What Are
     the Personal Qualities Necessary to Success--What Are the
     Personal Qualities Necessary to Happiness--Self-control--What
     is a Thought--The Evil Habit of Hasty Judgment--The Bad Thought
     Habit--Training the Mind--Go About it in the Right Way--Be Sure
     Your Husband's Friends Are Your Friends--Be a Good Fellow--Two
     Kinds of People in the World--Everything Depends Upon What We
     Do With Our Mind--The Most Popular Woman--The Gift of
     Flattery--Choosing Your Friends--True Friendship Expects and
     Demands Nothing--True Friendship is Necessary--"By Your Friends
     Shall Ye Be Known"--Making Resolves--The Formula of
     Success--When Fortune Knocks.


WHAT THE YOUNG WIFE OWES TO HERSELF.--If the young wife is making a
conscientious effort to do her duty, there are certain things she owes
to herself, to her husband, to her unborn children. She too must
preserve her health, her efficiency. In guarding the health and
contributing to the efficiency of her husband, she will have done much
in this direction. She will, however, have many spare moments at her
disposal. We have already remarked that these are the moments of
destiny. In the coming years she will look back upon these moments with
real pride, or regret, according to how she spent, or misspent them. Let
us begin all over again, with renewed interest and enthusiasm, and try
to understand just what is meant by this.

Every human being asks himself, or herself, at some time in life, the
questions, "Why was I born? For what purpose was I created and put upon
this earth? Is there any real object or purpose in living, except to
pass the time from day to day, and year to year?" To most, the reply is
perplexing,--and not at all satisfactory. All great minds who have
deeply studied this problem, unanimously agree that there is a purpose
in life. We are not a thing apart,--an isolated entity. We are part of
the living whole; every thought, every deed, every spoken word, every
sentiment, every passion, every prayer, is inter-related with every
other thought, deed, word, sentiment, passion and prayer of every other
living thing in all eternity. We have an ideal to maintain, and if we
are untrue or fail, we interrupt, we desecrate the everlasting scheme of
the universe. We will therefore be held responsible for our manner of
living,--for the sum total of our existence. We have a purpose to
fulfill, a responsibility to sustain. If we are false to that purpose,
and fail in our responsibilities, we rob the world of the help we should
bestow, and, in a far larger measure, we deprive ourselves of benefits
and pleasures, every moment of our lives, greater than we can conceive.

The world is many centuries old, and many millions of human beings have
lived and died during that time. A certain percentage of these men and
women lived lives which bettered the world. They left a thought which
will live through all the ages. They proved the truth of some basic
unchanging principle. They drew the attention of mankind to the reality
of a certain immutable fact. These truths, these principles, these
facts, have all been tested, and they have been found to be everlasting.
In other words, we find there are certain truths, certain principles,
certain facts, that every living thing must obey, must subscribe to,
must live up to or perish. Every thought, every deed, every movement, of
every living thing, is regulated by unalterable laws which govern our
lives and to which we must conform or pay the penalty in failure. Human
nature is God's riddle!

WHAT ARE THE PERSONAL QUALITIES THAT EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN TO BE
NECESSARY IN THE ATTAINMENT OF HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS?--Experience has
taught us that certain personal qualifications are essential to the
attainment of success and happiness. We must, for example, be master of
ourselves. We must have acquired the art of self-control. Self-control
is an evidence of a high intelligence. There are many gradations of
mental progress before complete self-control is reached. Complete
self-mastery in matrimonial conflicts is a long and difficult
acquisition. Probably it is fully acquired in the fewest possible cases.
The one who acquires self-control, who gives in during the adaptative
period of which we have written, is not the weaker. The young wife
should always keep in mind that the underlying principle to be
vigorously adhered to in the home, is justice. There will arise many
occasions that will severely test your disposition and your patience,
but, if you have yourself well in hand, if you understand yourself, you
will emerge from the conflict successfully and as a consequence a little
stronger. When we acquire the determination to efface self in these
domestic squabbles we begin the building of a character.

WHAT IS A THOUGHT?--The greatest product of creative inspiration is the
human brain. The very fact that each human being possesses one of these
marvelous products implies responsibility, the responsibility of what we
will do with it. A thought is a creation of brain or mind activity. It
may be a bad or evil thought or it may be a good thought. Let us now go
back to the young wife just as she is about to begin the hour or so of
recreation in the afternoon. Her work being done for the time, let us
suppose she elects to do a little fancy needle work. She finds a
comfortable seat and is soon apparently engrossed in her work. Is she?
Doubtless she is, and a very commendable, harmless, inviting picture she
presents, but a thousand thoughts are passing through her mind. It is
not the sewing that she does, that will be weighed in the balance, it is
not the patient stitch, stitch, stitch, that she takes, that will mark
the hour well spent. It is the one thought that will predominate over
all the others, that will tell the ultimate tale, because of its effect
on her own mind. A thought once created, even if it is never expressed,
is as much a created entity as a deed executed.

Suppose this young wife attended a social gathering in some friend's
house the evening before, and for some trifling reason she formed an
unfavorable impression of another lady guest; during the hour of her
sewing, which we are discussing, she goes over in her mind all the
incidents of the gathering, and because of the previous impression, she
still thinks unkindly of the lady in question. She passes judgment upon
her in her own mind. What has she really done? She has created a thought
an opinion, which now becomes a part of her mind, because it is recorded
in her brain cells forever, and, inasmuch as she was not justified in
passing judgment upon a person's character in this hasty way, she harmed
herself by establishing a bad habit,--a habit of hasty judgment,--which
will have an effect on her method of judgment as long as she lives. The
evil effect may not end here,--it seldom does. A chance remark,--still
the product of the hasty opinion,--made to some other woman regarding
this lady, will give this other woman an unfavorable impression of the
person, and if you could trace all the little gradations of the first
unjust opinion, through all the stages of a gossiping community, you
would be astonished at the growth, and the evil accomplished by the
thought, born amidst the apparently innocent and commendable
surroundings of an hour's sewing. If you educate your mind to create bad
thoughts you will become a victim of the habit. Each bad thought makes
the creation of another bad thought more easy, because a bad habit is,
as we all know, a difficult thing to live down. Therefore a bad thought
unexpressed does harm only to the individual who creates the thought. If
the bad thought is expressed to another party, it is impossible to tell
or estimate the harm it may do. Life is what we make it. If we get into
the habit of thinking unjust, unkind, selfish, bad thoughts, we live in
that atmosphere. Your whole life will be a reflection of your mental
attitude. If you feed your mind on such food how can you hope to grow
into a contented, happy woman? Let us not dwell upon the dark side.
There is another picture, one more inviting, more difficult to realize,
it is true, but more perfect as a consequence.

TRAINING THE MIND.--There never was a time in the history of the world
when so many people were striving after definite knowledge,--some scheme
of mentality, some mental atmosphere,--some spiritual or idealistic
phenomena,--which would satisfy the craving, the hunger of the restless
and dissatisfied human mind for absolute enlightenment regarding the
mysteries of life. It is a curious fact that to attain such knowledge,
all these various bodies, no matter how they may differ as to the method
of procedure, concede that the education of the human mind and the
recognition of its exact capabilities is the ultimate province through
which final enlightenment must come.

We must, therefore, recognize that on whatever we do with our mind, in
our own little way, will depend the measure of success and happiness to
which we may aspire. Success is not attained without effort, but every
little effort we expend will help wonderfully in the task. Train your
mind to think just, kind, good thoughts. Do not dwell upon the bad side
of any problem, search for the good side, because every problem has a
good side. So also has every human soul. When the unkind, the unjust,
the bad thought is conveyed to you by another, do not admit it, do not
dwell upon it, render it negative at once by assuring yourself that
there is another side to the question. We all know how easy it is to
kick the under dog. We all have in mind some friend, some acquaintance,
some old lady, perhaps, who is famous in her community for her kindly
ways, and for her kindly thoughts. The two go together. It is well known
among her friends that she will not tolerate any unkind, unjust, evil
report, of even the humblest or lowest member of society to be expressed
in her presence, without instantly defending the maligned victim, by
picturing the possible other side. Her life has been an example, an
inspiration in the community, because she has always exerted a kindly,
sympathetic, helpful influence. It is this atmosphere, this environment,
that checks gossip, stifles scandal, saves heartaches, and prevents
domestic tragedies.

The most interesting study you will ever engage in, if you are true to
yourself, will be the working of your own mind.

The resourcefulness of your brain will be a constant pleasure to you.
You will be aided by books and you will find a lesson in every thing you
see and hear. Life will appear different, and you will rise above the
plane in which the little routine annoyances of daily life seem burdens
and sorrows. A woman, if she goes about it "in the right way," can do
with her lover-husband what she pleases. If she uses that power for
selfish motives, or for a wrong purpose, in the end she will be the
loser. If she is far seeing, and uses her power to build up a home, and
is just, and respects her husband, and honestly gives him his true place
in her scheme, and loves and honors him, and is tactful, there is no
limit to what she may accomplish, so far as the personal happiness of
herself and husband and children are concerned. We all know that law is
not always justice. We likewise know that there is no such anomaly as a
perfect human being. The ability to gain a point, without apparent
coercion, or a sacrifice of truth or honor, depends upon the successful
qualities that go toward the building up of a complete and harmonious
personality. It is an axiom in psychology that to attain the highest
success, one must first understand, and, understanding, conquer the bad,
and develop the good features in one's own temperament, before
attempting to rule the conduct of any other person. You must understand
yourself before you attempt to understand your husband. Many of his best
qualities,--qualities that if rightly understood, will go a long way
toward making your life a happy one,--can be misunderstood,
misinterpreted, and become incessant factors for doubt, jealousy and
quarreling.

Because your husband prefers to do a thing in a way that does not quite
satisfy your taste, does not necessarily mean that he is wrong, and such
a condition does not justify an argument. Consider the matter seriously,
in silence argue it out with yourself and give his side the same justice
you hope to get. If you can develop convincing proofs, that his way is
not the best way, even though it isn't really wrong ethically, he will
probably concede the point, provided,--and don't overlook this,--you "go
about it in the right way, and in the right spirit." It isn't likely you
will be given a patient hearing, if in the past you have been in the
habit of nagging and browbeating him. Don't look upon tactful ways of
gaining your point as evidence of weakness. It is distinctly an evidence
of strength of character, and, each time you win a point in a friendly
debate with your husband, you will have gained much. He will respect you
all the more because of your justice; and will secretly admire you
because of your ability to protect yourself. You will gain confidence in
your judgment, and you will see things in a broader, and from a less
selfish standpoint.

YOUR HUSBAND'S FRIENDS SHOULD BE YOUR FRIENDS.--Be sure your husband's
friends are your friends. Business or professional exigencies do not
always permit a man to choose or select his acquaintances. You can be
sure, however, he will not ask or expect you to associate with any
doubtful person, though it may be necessary to extend a welcome to an
undesirable business, or professional associate, for the time being.
When these occasions occur, do not mar the opportunity to help by any
exhibition of temper, or dissatisfaction. He may be trying to make the
best of an unfortunate incident. Help him. Do not discourage him for at
heart his object is to gain some business advantage that will redound to
your advantage as well as his own.

Nothing pleases a man more than to know that his wife is "a good
fellow," that no matter what seems to be questionable on the surface, he
can rely upon her to know that everything is right underneath,--that his
motive is good.

Do not invite him to tell a lie in order to avoid a scolding. Nothing is
more unfortunate, nothing is more easy for an ordinarily good, but
misunderstood man, than the tendency to fib about little things, if he
feels in his heart that his wife will scold,--that she will fail to see
the point. It wounds his self-respect to have to do so, yet he selects
the minor evil as he sees it, he sacrifices his manhood in the interests
of domestic peace.

TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.--Roughly, there are two kinds of
individuals in the world, the individual who will, and the individual
who will not. There are individuals who will not see the truth, who
fail to see the point in an argument, who are obtuse and obstinate. This
trait is largely wilful perversity and ignorance. We cannot help noting
them in the passing, but we scarcely hope to interest them, though we
cannot restrain our sympathy.

Young wives who come within this category will remain the laggards, the
degenerates. Their evolution is revolution, they become the
fault-finders, the discontents, the gossips. They do not love themselves
nor are they loved by any human being. They are the domestic failures.
As wives they dishonor the sex, as mothers they dishonor God.

In reality, there is but one thing in the universe--mind. By "mind," we
mean the ability to reason. Every human being comes into the world with
this ability. Our health, happiness, efficiency, success, depends
absolutely upon how we utilize this birthright. There is no limitation
to this ability. Heredity and environment have little to do with it. It
is a personal equation. "It depends upon how you do it," has been
frequently reiterated in the preceding pages. This implies, to what use
you put your mind, and this is the secret of the young wife's efficiency
and success. True happiness is a mind product. It is a creation of mind
activity. The evanescent pleasures are not character builders, but a
created thought is a pregnant possibility. The young wife who begins her
wedded life with ideals with the determination to succeed, with certain
well thought out plans, will progress. Her world is her husband and her
home. Her husband must succeed, her home must be comfortable and happy.
She must contribute her full share in achieving these results. If she
permits her personal amusement to be the dominant purpose she will fail.
She cannot transgress the law and remain immune. How can she begin
right? Give her best to her home. A woman who gives her most gracious
smiles and her most captivating manners to society, is false to her
husband and her home. The prettiest gown and the brightest jewels should
grace her own dinner table. To bring them out only to attend a
reception, or a tea party, is a desecration. Many women expend their
moral and spiritual strength upon the "club," and bring the withering
remnants as a sacrifice to the blighted home fireside. We have no right
to help build a church, or foster a philanthropy by depleting our
strength and resources in the effort, only to give the frazzled ends of
our talents to home and home-making. Nor has a woman any right to
exhaust her strength in the toil of mere housekeeping, and reserve for
the evening hour of conversation a bundle of quivering nerves and an
exasperated temper. These women are not home-makers. Their ideal of
wifehood and motherhood is fundamentally wrong. Every power of the body,
and of the mind and spirit, should be devoted to the achievement of a
home atmosphere. It is the creation of this quality that spells
contentment, peace, happiness, and no other.

A young wife with an ideal, with a definite plan, and with a true
appreciation of her dignity and importance, will never find time to
daily gossip over the back fence with her neighbor, nor will she join
the sewing circle whose function is well known to be scandal bartering.
"Give your best to your home,"--one of the great advantages of having a
specific plan is that it wholly engages our mind. If we have an object
in view, if we want something, it implies interest, and if we are
interested deeply in something we think about it. Every spare moment
will be used by the mind in devising ways and means to achieve our
purpose. We will not find time to seek the questionable amusement of
gossip. The women who are eternally poking their noses into other
people's business, who burden their minds with other people's affairs,
who are busybodies, always neglect their homes and their children. They
have no ideals, they are the derelicts of the community. Remember that
"Satan finds some mischief still for idle minds to do."

THE MOST POPULAR WOMAN.--The most popular woman is the one whom a
majority of all women would vote for in a popularity contest. Many women
are so notoriously vixenish and jealous of members of their own sex,
that, it would seem to be worth while to analyze the qualifications of
the most popular woman, in an effort to discover the one quality which
appeals to her own sex. After exhausting the list, we find the most
popular woman possesses, in a high degree, the quality of tactful, or
diplomatic flattery. The art of flattery is an acquired habit. Statesmen
and politicians know its value. Even the little seekers after public
office cultivate it assiduously. It is undoubtedly an asset of much
value in every sphere of life, but it must not be overdone. Every member
of the human-family will tolerate a large amount of it without showing
resentment. This is the reason why it is a valuable asset and of such
general usefulness. Sometimes a woman will boast that she detests
flattery, yet she is highly pleased when you tell her that the one
quality you admire in her is that she cannot be flattered. If,
therefore, the young wife desires to become popular, for her own sake,
or if she regards this as one way to contribute to her husband's
efficiency, should his success depend upon public approval,--she may
cultivate the art of diplomatic flattery. The cultivation of any art is
not a one-sided accomplishment. It is beneficial in many ways, and aids
distinctly in character building. No one, for example, can acquire the
art of tactful flattery and retain a sour or mean disposition. To
flatter efficiently you must seem delighted, and the delight must
express itself in smiles and kindly words. These habits will impress
themselves upon your inner consciousness, and before you know it, the
habit will be a constituent part of your temperamental armamentarium.

The most popular woman will acquire the habit of making some flattering
observation every time anyone's name is mentioned, and she will never be
guilty of criticising a living person or a dead one. She will make it
her rule in life, in order to sustain her reputation, never to make an
enemy. She will cultivate the insinuating art of shaking hands, of
smiling sweetly, and of making apropos remarks. No one will ever leave
her without feeling that she is an exceedingly gracious person. She will
even convey to them, in her inimitable way, the impression that she
thinks they are "just right." She will use "blarney" as a science in an
artful way. The flattering remarks she will make regarding others will
be passed along by those to whom she makes them, and she will be
responsible for an epidemic of egoism all over town. It is a wonderful
art.

If the young wife keeps this up for some time she will begin to notice
certain things. She will be accorded much flattering attention herself
and she will be treated with marked consideration wherever she goes. She
will be received cordially, and every aspiring other woman will make
strenuous efforts to include her among her friends. She will be invited
to participate in public functions when members of her sex take part,
and she will be favored and her interests furthered in all social
organizations.

She will, without doubt, wear her laurels becomingly, and her success
will be easily acquired. Her spirits, and her health will promptly
respond to the elixir of her interesting labors. Life will be full of
new and surprising interests and it will be well worth the effort
expended. Sleep will be more refreshing, she will not be troubled with
nerves, and her appetite will be a source of profound thankfulness to
her. She will radiate a quality of good-fellowship that will be
infectious, and her whole philosophy of existence will be charity
itself. Surely it is worth while.

CHOOSING YOUR FRIENDS.--The young wife should choose her friends with
caution. Remember you are beginning a new life in which even trivial
matters may exercise an influence that will be bad. One should
appreciate the difference between true friendship and indulging in
friendly relationship with promiscuous acquaintances. A physician has a
better opportunity of observing the conduct of the feminine element of a
community than any other person. We have come to divide young wives into
two types: those who attend strictly to their own affairs, and those who
mostly attend to their neighbors' affairs. It is not too much to say
that a young wife's time will be wholly occupied if she has begun her
housekeeping career with the intention of becoming a home-maker. She
cannot, therefore, afford to waste her time with promiscuous
acquaintances. Women who become promiscuous in their friendships have
time to waste for a number of reasons,--

1st. Their husband and home is not their whole existence. If success and
happiness depend upon how the first year of wedded life is employed,
then husband and home should be the young wife's whole existence.

2nd. Women with time to waste have no ideals. Women without ideals are
not home-makers. A home-maker cannot acquire any information from a
woman who wastes her time in idleness.

3rd. Idleness creates mischief. One who is idle is a mischief maker. An
idle brain is looking for amusement, and as the impulses of an idle
brain are evil, these women are gossips, and scandal-mongers, and
home-breakers.

4th. True friendship demands nothing. Promiscuous friendship on the
other hand does demand something, and as these women live in the evil
atmosphere, they live mentally on scandal and gossip. This is their
mental plane and they give and take nothing higher than that which they
understand.

The young wife will, therefore, be wary of this form of friendship.
Infinite harm is being done in every community in the country in this
way. No home, no person is too sacred for the vituperative tongues of
these scandal-mongers. They are densely ignorant though they may be
fluent talkers. They ingratiate themselves into the confidence of a
willing victim, learn the victim's secrets, and rend her to pieces on
the next street corner. Many a man has begun wedded life with the
laudable intention of helping to mold his young wife's mentality, of
preserving her innocence and purity of thought, only to be undone by the
evil machinations of these human derelicts. He will be amazed and
astonished at the opinions she gives utterance to, and if he does not
find out where she is getting them, and check the desecration going on,
she will be beyond his reach in the very near future. No self-respecting
woman will tolerate such acquaintances. There are, however, many
innocent, pure women, who are innately too gentle to assert themselves
by insulting another woman at this stage of their experience, who have
the makings of a good wife and mother, who wittingly become victims by
reason of their very gentleness, and consequently lose their ideals, and
drift into failures.

True friendship is necessary. Many men and women rightly attribute their
whole success and happiness to having had the right kind of a friend or
friends. Charles Kingsley when asked by Mrs. Browning to tell her the
secret of his life, said, "I had a friend," A friendship that is not an
inspiration, an incentive to higher thoughts and nobler deeds, is not
true. "True friendship demands nothing." It gives. We should cultivate
the friendship of those who know more than we do, so that we may learn
and profit by the relationship. Some people radiate sympathy and
helpfulness and inspiration. Instinctively we can tell those people when
we come into their presence. We leave them, not once, but always, with
the feeling that there is something about them that energizes and
inspires. They draw out our better selves. We are conscious of our
shortcomings and faults, and in their company we strive to give
utterance to worthy thoughts. We feel capable of great deeds. If we
could surround ourselves with these friends, we feel that life would
mean more, and that we could accomplish much. "He that walketh with wise
men shall be wise." This is where true friendship is valuable. These
moments of inspiration help us to pull ourselves together. We climb a
little higher; we see further and clearer; we learn the meaning of
life's duty; they change the whole complexion of living. The little
things, the annoyances, the disappointments, the failures, the pains,
the sorrows, the passions, we see in their true perspective and they no
longer usurp importance, because we are beginning to learn the
significance of the things beyond. The incidents of life are no longer
life itself.

One friend, one true friend to the young wife, will indeed be a tower of
strength to her. Every young wife needs a friend. The desire for
sympathy dwells in every human heart. Even the assiduous person needs
encouragement and a little praise. It is wonderful how a mite of
laudation will prod us to be more worthy. Even our joys never
intoxicate save in the telling. By sharing our happiness and joys with
another we double them. True friendship means confidence, affection,
harmony, love. To be in harmony with one person means that we invite the
harmony of all mankind.

If man is made in the image of God every human being must be more or
less divine. Confidence, affection, harmony, love,--the attributes of
true friendship,--are the divine sparks in our humanity. True
friendship, therefore, is growth in the divine sense. There are real
things in life which we seldom acknowledge but which are, nevertheless,
real. We do not often admit the existence of the divine in ourselves,
but it is there. If we did acknowledge it oftener we would live nearer
the truth, nearer God.

When we read in the public press the story of the _Titanic_ disaster,
how after all the boats had gone, and the ill-fated ship poised, before
she took her awful plunge, how the doomed souls stood on her decks and
lifted their trembling voices in unison with the brave orchestra to the
strain of "Nearer My God to Thee,"--something clutches at our
heartstrings, and we find the divine reality trying to come to the
surface to express itself in that universal friendship out of which
heroes are made. When we stand by the bedside, watching the fitful,
final breaths of a well-loved child, or of an old, honored and faithful
mother, there creeps into our consciousness feelings with which we are
strangers, but they are ours, part of the divinity in us which in the
work-a-day-world we stifle and crush. Friendship and no other human
quality brings this divine element into our actual life. Those who have
never had a friend have never solved the riddle of human nature.

We must remember, however, that there are those whose lives are denials
of this divinity. They are incapable of true friendship, and they, in
prosperous days, deride the sentiment involved and consider any
reference to such matters as silly and mawkish. These blustering heroes,
however, are the ones who shriek the loudest when fate places them on
sinking decks.

Strive to be worthy of a true friendship. Be willing to give of the best
that is in you. We need the inspiration of the divine that is hidden in
us, we should not crush or fail to acknowledge the presence of the
still, small voice that speaks of love and for love. Remember, that, "By
your friends shall ye be known."


EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS

Used in the Following Three Illustrations

[Illustration]

A     Alcoholic--meaning decidedly intemperate, a drunkard.
B     Blind             I    Insane        Sy   Syphilitic
C     Criminalistic     M    Migrainous    Sx   Sexually immoral
D     Deaf              Neu. Neurotic      T    Tuberculosis
E     Epileptic         Par. Paralytic     W    Wanderer, tramp
G     Goitre


HEREDITARY FEEBLE-MINDEDNESS[A]


[Illustration]

The above chart illustrates the first great law of hereditary
feeble-mindedness; that if both parents are blighted all offsprings will
be blighted. The family represented is plainly very low grade. It is one
of that kind found in every community, growing like rank weeds to menace
society. It is small wonder that with production like this permitted
criminality springs full-fledged into the world.

[Illustration]

This chart is particularly interesting, showing as it does the marriage
of a normal man with, first a normal woman, and subsequently with
feeble-minded women. The taint of the feeble mind is inevitable. Whereas
the grandchildren by his second marriage appear normal there is always
the danger of their progeny being blighted by the taint that is in their
blood. The horror of the third marriage is too evident.

[Footnote A: "Feeble-mindedness; Its Causes and Consequences," Goddard,
The Macmillan Company.]

MAKING RESOLVES.--In a preceding chapter I remarked, that every human
thought, deed, act, prayer, etc., must conform to certain laws, if by
their use we desired to achieve results. We know this is true, but we do
not always obey the rule, and in the end we wonder why we are failures.

Psychology has formulated laws, based upon actual experiment, regulating
every department of mental endeavor, or every branch of systematized
mental achievement. These laws show that there are fixed rules, by which
mental effort is regulated, systematized and classified, and that the
human mind conforms to these laws even when working in ignorance of
them. No matter how we may deduce facts, or reason from analogy, we obey
fundamental principles.

In a recent magazine article I read the following:

     "This is my own story of why and how I rose, fell and rose
     again. It would not be told but for the fact that I have
     learned by an Experience mixed with some bitterness, that all
     such things are governed by fixed business laws and rules and
     move always in obedience to them. There is as I know, a law of
     failure and a law of success. There is even a law of
     mediocrity. Every man is controlled by that one of these three
     laws which he elects to invoke and to follow."

     "The laws themselves are fixed and unchanging; man is the only
     variable unit in the equation. He succeeds, he fails or he
     slumps into mediocrity according to the law with which he
     voluntarily or by predisposition puts himself in harmony. This
     is my belief, based on my own adventures with these laws and my
     observation of other men who have dined and lived with them on
     intimate, though not always friendly, terms."

This was written by a successful business man in an article reviewing
the "ups and downs" of his business experiences. It does one good to
read such confessions. To the thinking individual it suggests the need
of serious, whole-souled, conscientious effort. If these laws exist,--as
they most certainly do,--what is the use of trying to achieve results
in a wrong way? Why not conform to these laws and concentrate our effort
in the right direction? A prodigious amount of energy is wasted in
efforts to beat the game. One may scheme and contrive until all ambition
withers and hope fades, but no one will ever find a satisfactory
substitute for hard work. Many lives have been frittered away in the
foolish attempt to find the "easy road." It is doing the little things
of life conscientiously that counts. The humble hen does one thing well.
She lays eggs to the extent of three hundred million dollars per year,
in this country alone. If we combine her egg yield with her chicken
industry we find her harvest yields the enormous sum of six hundred and
twenty million dollars per year.

We are precisely what we deserve to be: we fit for what we are fitted
for. Weaklings are sent to the rear, fighters are always in front.

The young wife may resolve to win; it depends upon how she begins to
mold herself for larger possibilities. If she cannot succeed in small
things she will not fit when the task is bigger. Suppose you resolve to
be considerate and agreeable to every soul you meet for one month. For
one month you will subject yourself to a rigid test, you will be
considerate and agreeable, no matter what the conditions are or the
provocation may be to break your word.

It is a fact that most failures are directly attributable to laziness
rather than to lack of ability or poor health, or any other cause. It is
the most difficult thing in the world for some people to exert
themselves to "make the effort" to succeed. They just do enough to "hold
their job" or to earn a living, though the possibilities around them are
rich in promise. Many know what they ought to do, but they don't seem to
be able to do it. Their ambition is lacking; they elect to travel the
road to failure.

If the young wife resolves to be considerate and agreeable for one
month, she is the right kind of young wife. The right impulse is working
within her. The very fact that she makes the resolve proves this. Most
people are influenced by two motives, necessity and pleasure. They work
because they have to work to exist. But a great deal of the work is
indifferently done. The woman who skims over her household duties in a
disinterested and frequently slovenly way, will spend much thought and a
great amount of time to excel in appearance and in attaining results at
a church fair, for example; or she will work assiduously sewing every
afternoon and evening on dresses, etc., to shine during a two weeks'
vacation at the sea shore, while her husband is being indifferently fed
and her home all but neglected. To attain pleasure one will actually
work efficiently though the method and the motive may be ethically
wrong. So, when a young wife actually resolves to do something which has
a high moral significance and which she is not compelled to do she is
being actuated by the right kind of principle, she is following the law
or instinct of success.

THE FORMULA OF SUCCESS.--Successful men and women are frequently asked
to give their formula of success. There is no formula of success except
hard work. Every successful man or woman is a hard worker. There is no
exception to this rule. We often personally know of men or women who
"rise in the world" and sometimes we look upon them as lucky dogs, and
wonder why fortune does not favor us. If we analyze the daily life of
these seemingly lucky individuals we will find that they plan and work
and scheme while you and I play and amuse ourselves. They have a certain
system which they adhere to under all circumstances. They have worked
hard so long that it has become a habit,--a habit that brings happiness
and success. All of them have had their ups and downs, their worries and
battles, but they have faced them in the front ranks, they have never
become discouraged, they have been inspired and impelled by the
conviction that some day the tide of battle would change. On that day
they were determined to be ready and willing to take advantage of the
turn of the wheel of fortune.

Study the work of the next successful man or woman you meet, and see if
the rule does not hold true. It isn't the kind of energy that is
generated that makes the distinction between success and failure: it is
the way in which the energy is used. To win means concentration of
energy; let the energy be dissipated over many things and failure
becomes a certainty. There isn't a really successful man or woman in
existence who does not deserve success, and who has not worked hard for
it.

Success, fame, and the efforts of friends may not give us the happiness
which we yearn for, but there is one thing that will always steer us
safely into port--one thing that will bring us the blessing of happiness
though all things else fail us--and that is hard work.

WHEN FORTUNE KNOCKS.--Fortune is said to knock at the door of every man
once in a lifetime. That once is all the time, for the truth is that
fortune is knocking at our doors every day. The trouble is that we are
not prepared to take advantage of her importuning habits. Fortune has
her laws, and we cannot enter her chariot except by obeying these laws.
The young wife who resolves to be considerate and agreeable for one
month is obeying one of her laws, because, if she keeps her promise, she
will have learnt more than she ever did in any preceding month of her
experience. She will find, for example, that people are really more
amiable and agreeable than she ever thought they were; that, because of
the restraint she is exerting on her temper and self-control, she is
growing stronger temperamentally. She has more patience, and she is more
thorough in little things; her environment is enlarging and life is more
interesting. The month's experience will teach her something of her own
capabilities and resources, and she will be so interested and encouraged
that she will determine to experiment more and in other directions. She
is experiencing the psychology of character building--the most
fascinating study of that most fascinating riddle, human nature. Fortune
always favors the brave--it will favor her because she is working in the
right direction--she is obeying the law of success.

To resolve is to obey--to know what you want, to desire to succeed, to
be willing to sacrifice self, to attain results, to smile at adversity,
to be patient, truthful, honest, unselfish, sympathetic, in short to
work hard every minute and all the time.




CHAPTER XXVI

     "Habit is a cable: we weave a thread of it each day, and it
     becomes so strong we cannot break it."

                                        HORACE MANN.

SPARE MOMENTS

     The Study Habit--The Germ of Self-culture--Millions of Tiny
     Cells in Our Brain--The Economic Value of the Study Habit--Two
     Ways of Gaining Knowledge--Happiness in the Company of Those
     Striving for Higher Ideals--A Young Wife's Incentive to
     Self-culture--The Difference Between Moral and Mental
     Disloyalty--The Study Habit Creates Its Own
     Interest--Nosophobia, or the Dread of Disease--Keep Still and
     Be Well.


THE STUDY HABIT.--Every individual differs from every other individual
according to his habits. The nature of our habits fixes our status in
the struggle of life. If we get into the habit of thinking evil
thoughts, we live in that atmosphere. Health is a habit, so also is
success. Honesty, virtue, vice, procrastination, contentment,
fault-finding, grumbling, candy eating, gossiping, drinking, sleeping,
religion, friends, life itself, are habits. Life is what we make it. "As
the man thinketh in his heart, so he is." Some habits are good, others
are bad. Certain habits are constructive, others are destructive. If we
get into the habit of doing our work thoroughly and regularly, according
to some definite system, we encourage the habits of contentment,
calmness, efficiency, and happiness. If we do our work spasmodically,
irregularly, without system, if we gossip between times, we are
eternally trying to catch up, so we encourage the habits of
procrastination, discontent, inefficiency, fault-finding, and failure.
We must be master or victim of our habits. We must succeed, or we must
fail. The immutable law of life permits of no standing still. We are
either progressing or we are retrogressing. One of the best habits, if
not the very best, that the young wife can cultivate in her new home is
the study habit. It is eminently a constructive habit.

The germ of self-culture is latent in every healthy mind. It is an
exceedingly virile microbe. It may begin as a fad but intrinsically it
grows as a virtue. Environment may give it birth but its roots may not
be circumscribed. They seek nourishment from every far and near spring
and well, and its branches spread out to the north and south, and east
and west, and its leaves suck into its heart, health and strength and
color and fragrance, from the everlasting sun.

In our brain are millions of tiny cells. Each cell is capable of a
single thought. When we begin as children, we learn letters first, then
words, then sentences or thoughts. In due time we have a sufficient
number of cells, each with its photographed letter or word or thought.
From this stock we reason and think and plan. These are the letters and
words and thoughts of ordinary life. We have millions of cells left, and
the brain is a tireless, ceaseless worker. If we keep on feeding it more
letters, more words, more thoughts, it is satisfied, but if we stop, if
we stagnate, it keeps on working, but it can only use the words and
thoughts we have given it. Ceaselessly it rearranges these words in its
effort to live. We are feeding it nothing, its circulation becomes poor,
its vitality weak. Some day it arranges its limited number of words into
a new thought, a bad thought, our idle mind grasps the significance of
the new thought, and we give birth to a new piece of scandal, or we
commit a crime. The brain is pleased, because the execution of the new
bad impulse brought more blood, more vitality to it, and it gets the
habit of thinking bad thoughts and conveying evil impulses. They were
the product of idleness of mind. And as a matter of statistical fact,
all tragedies, crimes, vices, scandal, gossip and misery are direct
products of mental inertness or idleness.

The minds of the grumbler, the gossip, the thief, the criminal, are
poor, empty, starved, wayward minds, and their brains are small, poorly
nourished, sickly brains. The young wife with a moment of leisure who
has a starved, empty mind, is a victim of her passions, her
surroundings and her ungoverned impulses. The young wife whose brain is
being fed by the study habit, is self-contained, is master of her
impulses and her passions. The mental latitude of one is limited to
caprice, envy, discontent, hate and jealousy; the other is
light-hearted, charitable, just, contented, and happy.

Shut the two in a dungeon and the owner of the starved, empty brain will
go mad. The other will find hope in her heart, and in her brain, the
children of her thoughts will troop in, bringing solace and cheer and
courage.

From a practical standpoint the study habit has an economic value. It
preserves health and peace of mind, it enhances efficiency, it broadens
our sympathies and charities, and it unifies the home circle. It is an
easy habit to acquire, and it sustains its interest: it is inexpensive.
The Carnegie libraries, correspondence schools, the university extension
plan of lectures, etc., contribute in a large measure to its easy
acquirement, and to the success with which it may be pursued.

TWO WAYS OF GAINING KNOWLEDGE.--We gain knowledge in two ways. First, by
experience, which means mingling with people, exchanging ideas,
discussing topics, listening to lectures, sermons, talks, etc. Second,
by reading and studying. We must read and study in order to really
understand and assimilate what we learn from experience, and what we
hear discussed in lectures, sermons and talks. As soon as we become
interested in a study we begin to rise above what we may call the
everyday plane. We desire to know more, and when we know a good deal
about one subject, we want to know something about kindred subjects, so
we extend the latitude of our knowledge. It is marvelous how the habit
grows. It is not work, it is pleasure. We long for spare moments to
renew the study, and as we experience the pleasure the growth of our
mind affords, we improve in all directions. Every cell in the brain
sends out vibrant impulses, new life, new hope. Health means more, life
has a meaning. We find happiness in the company of those who are
striving for higher ideals. We perform even our menial tasks with more
care and with more interest, because we grasp their true meaning, and
we know that we cannot aspire to higher ideals if we are dishonest in
little things. So the study habit makes better men and better women of
us, and it adds to the pleasure of life all the real pleasure there is
in living. The power to analyze, to conceive, and to create are the
highest pleasures mankind possesses, and they can only be attained in
any degree by education and cultivation.

It is not easy to explain to the average superficially educated person
the satisfaction to be derived from original or creative thinking. One
must progress far enough in mental self-culture before it becomes a
pleasure, almost an intoxication. Up to a certain point the acquirement
of knowledge is a task, an effort, a seeming self-sacrifice; beyond that
point it is a labor of love, a pleasure, a consecration. The crude,
discordant efforts of a child, when it first begins to acquire a musical
education, very convincingly illustrates the condition of mind of the
beginner in self-culture. The task is a toil and the results do not
stimulate further spontaneous effort. The same child, however, may
successfully pass through the various gradations of a musical career and
arrive at a time when effort will submerge itself; when the result of
the knowledge acquired will be so gratifying that it will no longer be a
toil; when the study will be pursued because of the actual pleasure it
affords.

The only worthwhile thing in life is mind. If one does not develop the
mind, it is possible to live an entire lifetime and not really live at
all. To exist is not to live. All the amenities of life contribute to
existence, not to life itself. To live is to create, to give, to endow.

If a book contains one original thought, it will live. Few books contain
more than one thought, one inspiration. If it, however, suffuses that
one thought into the hearts of men its existence will have been
justified. We have no criterion or standard by which to judge the
ethical value of a thought. If a thought conveys an inspiration to
another and is productive of moral growth it has life and value because
it creates.

To exist is to blindly follow the primal instincts. To live is to
think, to reason, to grow mentally. Consequently we must have ideals, we
must cling tenaciously to these ideals, and, "We must know what we
want."

THE YOUNG WIFE'S INCENTIVE TO SELF-CULTURE.--A young wife has a real
incentive to self-culture if she hopes to maintain her position in the
home and in the affection of her husband. A man has always the advantage
of being actively engaged in one of the two ways of acquiring knowledge.
He mingles with people. He gains considerable knowledge and frequently
cultivation unwittingly. He grows with his business, and as it increases
he becomes more important in the community. He mingles with keener,
wide-awake business men, his wits are sharpened, his brain must be alert
and virile. A healthy active brain grows, it is responsive, it absorbs
knowledge. As he climbs higher, he wears off the crude corners and
assumes a worldly cultivation, which men of sound business sense can
adapt to suit any social exigency. The wife does not have these
advantages, and, unless she appreciates this point, she is very apt to
remain where she was when she married, so far as mental culture is
concerned. Now to be wife in a true sense, she must be companion. She
must keep pace with his prosperity on the one hand and with his
intelligence on the other. The more culture and knowledge a man attains
the more critical he becomes, the more cultivated his tastes, the more
cultivation he demands. Qualities that did not always grate upon his
sensibilities become acutely objectionable in his higher mental state. A
man may be loyal at heart, but he resents the inaptitude of a wife who
fails to keep the mental pace. He is willing to give his wife the
benefits of his material prosperity, but he cannot give her the finer
evidences of his higher mentality, because, while she may have proved
true as a wife, she failed as a companion. She fell behind in culture.
He cannot give that which she cannot receive. The young wife should
appreciate the difference between moral disloyalty on the part of her
husband, and mental disloyalty. He is the transgressor in the first, and
she is the culprit in the second delinquency. We must meet a situation
as it exists. Moralizing does not change the conditions. A man and
woman may be temperamentally suited to each other to-day, and in a few
years may be wholly dissimilar in tastes. If being a wife simply implied
more loyalty and domestic efficiency there could be no just cause for
complaint if she failed in every other respect, but it does not. To be a
wife more than in name, one must be friend, companion, confidant. No
one, much less a husband, selects as a friend, companion, and confidant,
an individual whose tastes are not in sympathy with his own, who does
not understand the viewpoint, one in whom he cannot confide, or one
whose intelligence is crude. A man can obtain a housekeeper anywhere,
but he cannot buy a home-maker, a companion, a friend, or a confidant.

The study habit will create the interest. If you once get it, only death
can take it from you. If you become interested, no man can grow away
from you, and no man can take from you the worlds it will open up. You
must, however, begin the study habit with the determination to acquire
knowledge. You must want intensely to succeed, and you must be willing
to sacrifice self, and to work diligently. "If you quit, it simply shows
you did not want an education, you only thought you did,--you are not
willing to pay the price."

NOSOPHOBIA, OR THE DREAD OF DISEASE.--There is one disease I would warn
the young wife not to acquire. It is called nosophobia. It is without
doubt the most serious sickness with which any member of the human
family may be afflicted.

In another part of this book I have written the story of the aged
philosopher, who, on being asked to name the worst troubles he had in
life, answered, "I am quite sure my greatest worries, and my worst
troubles were those that never happened." This reply is well worth
thinking about; it contains matter for serious reflection, and what
makes it so suggestive and valuable is that it can be proved true by the
experience of our own lives.

Nosophobia means dread of disease. It may astonish many to know that
such a condition is regarded as a disease, and that it has been given a
name. Instead, however, of it being a rare disease, or an unusual
condition, we find it is one of the commonest diseases, and one of the
most easily acquired conditions. In fact, it is so easily acquired
nowadays that we have to be constantly on guard against it. Though we
may not be its victim, we have all felt its influence at some time, and
even one experience of it is sufficient to satisfy the most exacting. It
is an absolute medical fact, that the dread of disease will render one
more profoundly miserable and unhappy, and will cause more mental and
physical incompetents than will any severe, prolonged, actual sickness.
People who are victims of nosophobia are probably the most miserable and
wretched individuals on earth. This is essentially so because of the
peculiar characteristics of the disease. It is an insinuating and
insidious ailment and its progress is cumulative. When we begin to worry
about our health the germ of nosophobia takes up its habitation in our
midst and we never know another happy moment.

The dread of disease is probably more common now than it used to be,
partly because people know more about it, and, therefore, have more
material out of which to manufacture dreads, and partly because a large
number of people have the leisure to worry about various symptoms and
sensations that come to them, and the significance of which they
exaggerate by dwelling on them until they become positive torments. It
is particularly those who have not much to do, and, above all, those who
have absolutely nothing to do who suffer most from the affection.
Children never suffer from this malady because pains and aches have no
significance to them. The probability of death through sickness never
bothers them. Their minds are always occupied. They are always busy,
they think only of life and of living. As we grow older, however, we
become introspective and we permit conditions to favor the development
of a wrong mental attitude. We accentuate the seriousness of each
trifling pain and illness, and the specter of death looms up in the path
of each ailment. Soon we spend needless time in worry and we imagine we
are not as healthy as we ought to be and that we may probably die in the
near future. This affects our temperament and our efficiency. Life is
no longer tolerable or attractive, and we shortly are numbered with the
failures and the incompetents.

One of the unfortunate consequences of nosophobia is that a victim of it
not only renders her own life miserable, but she unfortunately affects
the happiness of every member of the household. She is as a rule gloomy
and morose, and this constant depressive environment is not conducive to
the success of any effort toward creating moments of amusement and
happiness. Her presence acts as a deterrent and repeated failures to
overcome this domestic cloud finally result in a complete cessation of
all effort. Things fall into a rut and each member of the family seek
their various forms of diversion outside the home circle.

These individuals are sometimes spoken of as "trouble seekers." In a
sense, the term is appropriate, because the troubles which wreck their
peace of mind never occur. In the beginning there is usually some slight
physical ailment. As a rule, it is some form of nervous indigestion.
Under appropriate and adequate treatment such forms of indigestion are
readily curable in ordinary individuals, but these patients are not
ordinary individuals. They are perverse and opinionated. They have their
own ideas. It is impossible to convince them that they are not as sick
as they imagine. They think the physician fails to quite comprehend
their cases,--that he does not recognize the serious side of the
ailment, and so they are never wholly satisfied with medical assistance.
The little incidental pains of the indigestion are indications of heart
disease to such a patient and she acts in sympathy with this awful
affliction; the real explanation being that the gas produced by the
indigestion bothers the heart for the time being. She is very apt to
diet as a consequence, one article after another being avoided until she
is living on a starvation diet. She fails to appreciate the fact that
she needs more nourishment, not less; that her stomach is in good
condition, the fault being with her nerves. She finally becomes anemic
and neurasthenic and a misanthrope.

The young wife can readily appreciate that, to expect domestic success
and happiness under such circumstances, would be impossible. Yet there
are young wives who develop this habit of accentuating their little
pains and ailments inordinately, to their husbands, on every occasion.
They adopt this dangerous means of exciting extra sympathy and
caressing. Some do it in explanation of their failure to perform their
household duties efficiently--a laziness plea pure and simple.

These inefficient and tricky little ladies find that it is easy to
impose upon their unsuspecting husbands, so they proceed to work out the
details to their own satisfaction. After spending the day sight-seeing
or shopping or gossiping, and having neglected their work and feeling
tired, they assume a becomingly abandoned position on the big, new,
comfortable couch, practice a few heartbreaking sighs and experiment
with the tear supply. These details are arranged and timed to be
effective just as Jack opens the hall door with the latchkey. We can
picture what follows without making any effort to dramatize the
incident. But if the reader will try to create mental pictures of the
frequently recurring home-comings under the same circumstances, she will
develop interesting studies in domestic psychology as she watches the
effect upon Jack when the truth begins to dawn upon him.

It needs no oracle to assure these women that they are traveling along a
road that has only one ending. Love is as old as the hills, and the
older it gets, like the wise old hills, a wiser old love it becomes. It
exacts its price, and its price is an equal love. There never was a love
born--except maternal love--that will sustain itself after the knowledge
dawns upon it that it is being bartered away and imposed upon. The day
of reckoning comes in time and the dream is over.

Do not forget that the first year of married life is the trial year--the
real test of your soul-merit. During that first year you carve, as it
were, on a monument, in a thousand different ways, the ineffaceable
record of whether you deserve success and happiness in the struggle of
life. In what should be the after-glow of love's young dream--the first
precious weeks and months as a young wife--no element will be more
subtly dangerous than the art of duplicity. Before a young wife
determines to practice deception she should fully appreciate the
inevitable consequences. If, under the mistaken idea that she can easily
deceive her husband, because "he trusts me so," she believes she may
continue to do so with impunity, she is the most elementary of all silly
little fools. She has failed to observe that the great law of the
universe acts in the interest of the rich and poor, the fool and the
philosopher alike. She will become too clever and like all fools and
criminals she will give herself away. She will wake up to find that she
has been playing with the sacred things of earth--home and a husband's
love; that, never again can she reëstablish the affection and confidence
which she has trampled upon and defiled; that the future is a mortgaged
hope and she herself an unclean and unworthy thing.

Practicing the art of duplicity in simulating physical ailments will, if
persisted in, establish nosophobia. The patient will come to believe
that she is not exactly well. She will establish the habit of feeling
sick. This will render her mind diseased and the diseased mind will in
turn suggest new and additional aches and pains, and she will soon not
know whether she is sick or well. The dread of disease will effect its
retribution and soon she will be, in fact, an unhappy and an
unsuccessful young wife.

Modern conditions unfortunately favor the easy development of nosophobia
in young wives. Our larger knowledge of the symptoms of diseased
conditions tends to render the analysis of localized pain more
definitely and more suggestively. Certain pains, we are told by hearsay
busybodies, mean certain serious conditions, and the category of these
diseases extends from indigestion to consumption and to cancer. To the
victim of nosophobia this suggestive knowledge is a constant terror and
an ever present nightmare. To the normal healthy mind they mean nothing
and suggest less.

The modern young housewife has a superabundance of spare time. The
utilization of the young wife's spare time is of the most momentous
importance as we have previously pointed out. It is the one commodity
which will speak in the after years in words of solace and cheer or in
regret and condemnation--according to how these precious moments are
spent. If these moments are not spent in a way best fitted to wholly
occupy the mind, the mental attitude--to which we previously referred,
and which is conducive to the cultivation of nosophobia--will have been
developed.

There are certain kindred conditions that may partly explain, to the
ordinary healthy person, the real distress of mind into which these
self-centered sufferers sink. The fear of a thunder storm, for example,
creates profound dread and distress of mind in some people. The dread of
dirt, of sharp instruments, of certain insects and animals, of darkness,
of an ocean voyage, and of great heights, are common examples of this
type of mind-distress of which the characteristic symptom is an
inexplicable and uncontrollable dread. The same system of
self-discipline and self-control is necessary to effect a cure of these
various forms of mind-distress as is necessary in the successful
treatment of dread of disease. To none of these other forms, however, is
attached the same degree of seriousness by the laity as they attach
unjustly to nosophobia. The conditions are all the same, but they reason
that the dread of darkness or dirt or mice or height cannot possibly
bring death or seriously affect the health or happiness, while sickness
and the dread of it, means--so they imagine--pain and maybe death.
Medically, nosophobia has no such significance. The condition exists
only in the mind and the same effort at self-discipline will cure the
dread of disease as well as the dread of any other possible condition.
It is this element of mind, however, that lends itself to the cure of
this condition by other means than legitimate medical advice and so we
have had "healers" and "miracle workers" who have sprung up from time to
time in the history of the world, who have cleverly taken advantage of
this element in human nature, and reaped a rich reward.

"KEEP STILL AND BE WELL."--To instruct the young wife how she may guard
against acquiring this habit, we would suggest that she "keep still and
be well."

When the world appreciates better the psychology of thought, its
tremendous significance will have a concrete meaning. We are too apt to
regard the thought we give utterance to as a meaningless thing, so far
as its influence is concerned. The woman who harps upon her ailments,
who appears at the breakfast table with a depressed and melancholy
visage, who regales us with an account of how poorly she slept, the
nightmares she experienced, the pain she suffers, and who puts into her
inflection the poison of self-pity is an emissary of Satan. I have seen
a whole family's happiness for the day destroyed by the meaningless
ranting of a hysterical woman. Life is hard enough for all, for each of
us to at least wish each other well.

The individual who cultivates the habit of carrying sunshine and good
cheer to the breakfast table belongs to the sort of folk who help and
inspire the whole world to a greater achievement. If one is sent away
each morning from home with a cheery word and a radiant good-by he is
inspired with the virtue of success and his efficiency is ensured.

Cultivate the art of contentment and remember that relationship does not
imply liberty; you have no right to send out into the world a member of
your family depressed and miserable because of your irritability and
evil habits.

"Keep still and be well." If you cannot say a good word about a
fellow-being, say none at all. Don't become a scandal-monger. We can
forgive those who talk evil about us--they talk to hear themselves talk.
The gossip germ is born of ignorance and vacuity and breeds best in idle
minds. No one is influenced by the vaporings of a gossip, her words die
in empty air. She injures herself only. The loquacious pest who brings
to us the tales which the scandal-monger manufactures is the one who
robs us of our peace and is unforgivable. To dignify the malicious
intentions and idle nothings of an evil mind by carrying them further is
an expression of degeneracy that is urgently in need of active
disinfection. To vilify another is foolish; to repeat it, is the
function of a rogue. Your friends bring you the glad tidings of the good
things that are said about you: your enemies are those who, in the holy
name of friendship, bring to you the poison of evil gossip. "Keep still
and be well."




THE HOME




CHAPTER XXVII

     "If we are eager to do something to lighten the load of
     another, eager to sacrifice self; to cheer, and counsel, and
     inspire; to leave unsaid some unkind word, to forget our own
     troubles in the larger trouble of a friend, we are
     home-builders."

     "A married woman can't decently spend her life in playing
     bridge, and in running ribbons through her underclothing She
     hasn't any right just to camp on her husband's trail.

     "No woman on earth has a right to maintenance unless she gives
     value received."

DOMESTIC QUALITIES

     A Good Housekeeper and Home-maker--What Constitutes a good
     Housekeeper--Preparation and Selection of Meals--Washing
     Dishes--Pots and Pans--Dusting and Cleaning--Work Cheerfully
     and Be Thorough--Don't Be a Dust Chaser--Don't Get the
     Anti-sunshine Habit--Air Your Rooms--The Ideal Home--The
     Medical Essentials of a Good Meal--What Makes the Home--Working
     for Something--The Average Housewife's Existence Is
     Slavery--What Shall We Work For--Making Ends Meet--Rest and
     Recreation--Try a Nap--Get Enough Sleep at Night--Go Out of
     Doors--Take a Vacation Now and Then--Life Insurance--Owning a
     Home--The Cheerful Wife and Mother--The Indifferent Wife and
     Mother--Husband and Wife.


A GOOD HOUSEKEEPER AND HOME-MAKER.--If the young wife carries out the
suggestions made on the preceding pages and thereby contributes her part
to establishing the material success of the co-partnership, will she
profit in any other way?

She will have become a good housekeeper and home-maker.

Housekeeping is an acquired art, home-making is a moral quality, an
instinct. Housekeeping conducted as an art is superfluous. Home-making
is a triumph under any circumstances. There are many good housekeepers;
there are few competent home-makers. Housekeeping may easily be
overdone; home-making can never be overdone. A beautiful house is not
necessarily a beautiful home. Housekeeping should be conducted with a
view to home-making and never for any other reason. Sometimes we see
housekeeping brought to its highest perfection by the same woman who
never did understand the simplest rudiments of home-making. The woman
who becomes the victim of the housekeeping mania never realizes it; it
is an insidious art.

There can be no doubt that a well-kept house is a thing of beauty. So
also is a marble statue, but it is cold and bloodless.

The young wife must strive to combine the two faculties. She should be
an efficient housekeeper in a happy, comfortable home.

WHAT CONSTITUTES AN EFFICIENT HOUSEKEEPER?--An efficient housekeeper is
one who has acquired the knowledge necessary to perform all the duties
of housekeeping, and who executes these duties efficiently, with the
least possible expenditure of time and labor.

It is an absolute fact that most young wives begin housekeeping with the
crudest ideas as to what housekeeping means. It has been pointed out
many times, that many mothers bring their daughters up without
instructing them in the elementary principles of keeping house. It is
nevertheless necessary to repeat this statement over and over again, and
to point out the enormity of the injustice done. Even if a daughter is
fortunate enough to marry a man who is capable of supplying all the help
necessary, a wife should know enough to intelligently discern if the
work is properly done. If she does not understand the rudiments of
housekeeping, and has no help, her inefficiency may be directly
responsible for breaking up the home.

PREPARATION AND SELECTION OF MEALS.--Thoroughness and simplicity are the
two essentials to a satisfactory meal. If the articles are thoroughly
cooked and the selection simple, there is no chance for trouble. A
breakfast of fruit, a thoroughly cooked cereal with cream, a boiled egg
and toasted bread and butter, is simple and is adequate. Freshly
prepared hot biscuits sound good, but, unless you know your oven and
have had a lot of experience, they are apt to result disastrously. Even
if you are an expert, don't make them. They are very bad for digestion.

For dinner, lots of thoroughly cooked vegetables, a small piece of steak
or two lamb chops, bread (at least one day old), and good butter, a
baked apple, stewed prunes, or rice, boiled for three hours, is enough
for any one. Have your meals on time. Be sure the table cloth and
napkins are clean, and your dishes hot. Establish the habit of being
cheerful at meals, of eating slowly, and of coming to the table with a
clean, fresh dress.

WASHING DISHES.--While your husband is reading the evening paper, wash
your dishes. Washing dishes is an art. Few young wives acquire it. The
secret is, a big basin, lots of hot water, lots of soap, and a desire to
wash them clean. If you wash them clean, don't smear them over by drying
them with a greasy dishcloth. Wash your dishrag and drying towel every
day, and hang them up to dry in the sun.

POTS AND PANS.--How they are neglected! If you have any pride as a
housekeeper, be clean. Hot water, soap, a cleansing powder and a little
effort, and your pots and pans will be a credit to you. Have a system.
Take time. Keep your kitchen tidy. Don't let work accumulate from meal
to meal or from day to day. It is astonishing how lazy and dirty some
women are. We have seen young women on the street, dressed tidily and
smartly, and we have gone into the homes of these women and have been
disgusted and nauseated with their general appearance. There is
absolutely no excuse for this, and a young wife who gets into the habit
of being indifferent is a disgrace to her sex. She cannot hope for
success or happiness.

DUSTING AND CLEANING.--Every home should be thoroughly cleaned once a
week. A certain day should be selected for the purpose. A certain system
should be followed. After it has been done a number of times, you will
devise ways and means of doing it quicker, easier and better. New
methods will suggest themselves from time to time, so, by planning and
systematizing, you will get rid of the drudgery part, and there will be
a constant incentive present to beat your past record. You must get rid
of the feeling that it is uninteresting drudgery and slavery. A woman
who looks upon her work in that light is not deserving of any better
fate, and she will not get much further. If you are one of these
perverse individuals who resent advice; if you object to being told the
truth; if you do not want to profit by experience; if you are satisfied
as you are, don't waste your precious time reading books. No author can
tell you how to get something for nothing; no teacher can instruct
others in anything. He can only awaken thought and arouse impulses. The
law of life is harmony. An individual who wastes God's precious time in
grumbling and fretting is the most pitiful object in the universe. Try
to appreciate that you are part of the divine problem, regarding the
conduct of which certain implacable laws have been formulated. To obey
these laws means continued life, health, strength, power and success; to
disobey them means weakness, sickness, incapacity, unhappiness,
discontent and premature death.

Some people learn quickly how to conserve strength, how to systematize,
how to be cheerful and hopeful and to radiate thankfulness. From a
selfish standpoint this is the only method that pays. Some people will
not see the point. They will put it aside by some such sophistry as:
"Oh! it does not apply to me." It does, nevertheless, and probably at a
later date, when the chance of achievement has withered, they will see
the point through the mist of regret.

Work cheerfully, therefore, and be thorough. Don't overdo it. Fussiness
is objectionable, useless and unhealthy, because it is a constant drain
on nerve energy. Some women are dust-chasers. They are eternally poking
into corners with a feather duster. They chase dust from one room to
another and back again, and the sight of a few grains on the piano makes
them sick. Dust with a moist cloth and when your dusting is over leave
it and forget it. Don't buy a feather duster.

Don't get the anti-sunshine fad. Let the sun in. Don't pull your shades
down to save the parlor carpet. Your husband would probably sooner buy
another than pay for a funeral.

Air your rooms always, night as well as day. You cannot overdo it. Buy
mosquito screens, keep the flies out, but let the air in.

THE IDEAL HOME.--It is difficult to describe an ideal home, but we know
one the moment we are in it. Its atmosphere instinctively breathes the
personality of the home-maker. Its individuality distinctly
differentiates it from the ordinary impersonal home. Its housekeeping
dress is inviting; its furnishings harmonious; and it exhales repose,
and comfort, and peace. When we meet its mistress we are welcomed in a
low, gentle, cordial tone of voice, and in a manner which radiates
honesty and unaffected simplicity. We discover the source of the unusual
atmosphere. It is herself, the wife, the mother, the home-maker. She is
the mystery of the ideal home. Each day her divine art grows more
perfect because her heart is consecrated to the work. She may not be
surrounded with material splendor. The miracle is in the soul she
possesses. Love is the magic wand she yields. She loves her home, her
children, her husband. She is the queen mother in the paradise she
creates.

We have seen that a good housekeeper may not be a home-maker. Every
home-maker, on the other hand, is a good housekeeper. The ideal home
could not exist unless presided over by a home-maker. A home-maker
necessarily implies being a good mother; but a good housekeeper, who is
not a good mother, will never be a home-maker.

A good housekeeper will keep house for the art's sake and will resent
any domestic event which upsets her housekeeping sense of decorum, even
though the event may have splendid home-making possibilities. The mother
with the home-making instincts will invite, and aid, and will conceive
events, which, though they upset her housekeeping routine, will
contribute to the happiness and edification of the home circle. The
housekeeper's sense of duty ends when a good dinner is served; the
home-maker's real duty and incidentally her pleasure begins, when dinner
is on the table.

THE MEDICAL ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD MEAL ARE: Pure food, judiciously
selected for two reasons. First, that there may be an adequate daily
variety--in order to stimulate the individual taste and appetite;
second, that the food supplies may be adapted, in nourishing
equivalents, to the work and age of the diner. The food must be
thoroughly cooked, eaten slowly, and masticated with care and
deliberation. Every meal should be served and eaten when cooked and
ready. Food should never be allowed to stand when cooked to the proper
degree. Overdone food is not desirable. The dishes should be heated to
the proper degree; the table linen, napkins, etc., clean and fresh; and
the family should all eat at the same time.

A meal should never be hurried. Interesting conversation is, therefore,
a necessary and a commendable feature while dining. There is less desire
or tendency to hasten through a meal when one is interested or is being
entertained. The intervals between courses will be welcomed rather than
resented under these circumstances, and the appetite will be keener and
the enjoyment greater.

The wife and mother, who is the home-maker and consequently responsible
for the _esprit de corps_ of the family, will direct, suggest, and guide
the conversation into profitable and interesting channels. By thus
supplying the atmosphere necessary to the efficient eating of a meal,
the digestion and the assimilation of the food will adequately take care
of itself. Overeating is never a part of any meal and should be
religiously avoided.

WHAT MAKES THE HOME.--We know it isn't the house we live in that makes
the home. Many have lived in humble dwellings and have carried all
through life the memory of home as a sacred legacy. Wealth does not make
a home, nor culture, nor any of the intellectual attainments for which
we may strive unceasingly. We may have all these and yet not know the
joy of "home." "Home" conveys to every heart the same tender memories.
To have known the blessings of a "home" is to be fortified for life's
battles. No one can deny its importance in humanizing mankind. A boy who
has never known what it was to have a home, whose substitute for the
home associations was an "institutional mother," may have all the
necessary potential qualities for success, but he will be forever
deprived of the inspiration that memory of home kindles in every human
soul.

The secret of the sources of home is its atmosphere. The atmosphere of
home is the sum total of the kinship and sympathy radiated by its
members. It is a tangible something which is capable of being felt,
which is capable of inspiration and which is capable of being carried
away into the years beyond, exerting a helpful influence over the
milestones of worry, and trouble, and defeat; and it is always a
fragrant, soothing, energizing influence. Every human heart needs the
memory of a home and the presence of a friend at all times and in all
places.

We must contribute our share to form the right kind of home-making
"atmosphere." The two qualities which are essential to this task are
sympathy and peace. Each contributor must be more than a negative unit
in the home. It is not enough to simply desire peace--a deaf mute could
fill that part. We must desire to please and we must be an active agency
working for harmony and peace. If there is in our heart enough sincere
affection for brother and sister, father and mother, the desire to
please will be the bond of sympathy that will weather every
temperamental storm. If we are eager to do something to lighten the load
of another, eager to sacrifice self, to cheer and counsel and inspire,
to leave unsaid some unkind word, to forget our own troubles in the
larger trouble of a friend, we are home-builders. We must control our
moods in the home, we must submerge the instinct of selfishness, of
impatience, of pride, and of obstinacy. We must not be opinionated, we
can many times conform to the opinion of others in trivial matters and
preserve peace; we thereby minister to the happiness of others, because
to give happiness is the surest way to be happy. Temper is the sting
that poisons many homes. Its possessor is an impossible associate and
will defeat the work of the angels in the effort to make homes.

WORKING FOR SOMETHING.--At various times we have emphasized the
necessity of having definite plans, of "knowing exactly what you want,"
of "beginning wedded life with ideals"; in other words, we believe that
to combine the maximum efficiency with the greatest degree of happiness
it is necessary for all of us to "work for something."

It is not necessary to prove that the average human life is
uninteresting; most of us know that. As a matter of fact the average
existence is a monotonous, hopeless dreary stretch of time, dotted at
more or less frequent intervals with physical pain and suffering, and
with mental sorrow and anguish.

While this is undeniably a true epitome of the average life to-day, it
is not to be accepted as the only possible average existence. Every
agency that is working for the betterment of the conditions which
surround life is helping to elevate the status of the average
individual. As individuals, the question whether our life will conform
to the average, or be individualized, rests with ourselves.

The ordinary average housewife's existence is slavery in its loneliest
and most wretched form. Its utter hopelessness is its most depressing
feature. If we could hope for some glint of sunshine, some day in the
future when conditions would change, some circumstance which would give
us the opportunity which we have never had, some test of our
womanhood,--anything to relieve the crushing, hopeless inertia of the
daily routine,--we imagine we could go on again, hoping that things
would permanently change eventually. Don't "hope things will change."
Change them! Don't get in a mental rut; don't be an "average" housewife.
If you really can't do anything else, if things are so abjectly hopeless
that there is no other way out, if your path is leading to nowhere,
start a rebellion. When the smoke has cleared away you may see a new
path to follow, and it may lead to somewhere. It is not necessary to do
this often, because the fault is usually our own, and not that of
environment or conditions, or our husbands. All we need to do is to
think things over, and begin something, and all the other conditions
will take care of themselves. The moment we step outside the humdrum
path of existence, the moment we are curious enough to do this, there is
hope for us. A little mental fresh air will dissipate a good many brain
fogs. The instant we begin "working for something" definite, we cease
to follow in the procession of the average helpless and hopeless
citizen. So to the young housewife we would strongly suggest that she
"think things over" and decide what she is going to work for.

Now, what will it be? Of course it will be different with each
housewife. With many it will be "a home of our own." It may only be a
piano for the children, or it may wisely be more insurance. Possibly you
live in the country, and you long for the social and other advantages of
the city. You may be a city wife and may long for a farm in the glorious
country. It may be a trip to Europe; or a college education for the boy;
or a musical career for the daughter. It does not matter what it is, the
"it" is the thing itself, and, having found it, the world for you has
changed. The lonesomeness, and the hopelessness, and the wretchedness of
life have disappeared. There is always in the future the "it"; no matter
how dark and gloomy the road may be, it is illuminated at the far end
with the realized "it." It is the bearing of the burden of life that
makes a wife, and when we have "something to work for" we begin to live.
Love is the explanation. We don't want the home for ourselves. We want
it for those we love, we want those we love in the atmosphere, which I,
as mother, will make in "our home." It is the elemental mother that
speaks,--the motherhood spirit that pours out eternally in
self-sacrifice and keeps no debit account. It is the cry of the primal
mother that echoes through all the ages and which has kept the race sane
and safe and hopeful. Having something to work for supplies the element
necessary to cheerfulness. In the darkest moments, when everything seems
to go wrong, the thought that we can look forward to a time when a great
change is coming, when we will move to the new home, when we go to the
farm or the city as the case may be, or when John will finish his
college course and start out as a lawyer,--when the strain of skimping
and making ends meet is over we feel that the struggle will let up and
we can rest in peace for a little while. It is sharing these burdens
that counts, and brings out the best elements of human nature. The
struggle of making ends meet draws the young couple closer together,
and adds that touch of divinity that is essential to confidence and
love. It strengthens character, curbs the tendency to unnecessary
expenditure of money and time, and teaches frugality and patience. The
incentive to win out is ever present, and it is the anchor that means
final satisfaction and success.

Try to see the point. Work for something,--something worth while, and
when you have once begun never turn back. "Nothing-succeeds like
success."

REST AND RECREATION--A young couple should find time for rest and
recreation as well as for work. This part of the domestic problem should
be carefully and systematically utilized, and just as faithfully carried
out as any other part. Both husband and wife should participate in these
hours of enjoyment, and the husband should assiduously try to make of
these respites periods of real mutual benefit. No matter in what station
of life one may be, it is always possible to find congenial means of
passing many happy and profitable hours together, if the spirit of
companionship and mutual interest is kept alive. It is the incessant
strain upon the nervous system that constitutes the real danger of home
life. The struggle to make ends meet; to keep the children neat and well
fed; to look respectable; to provide clothing and education; to nurse
the sick; to tolerate gossipy neighbors; to put up with ugly tempers; to
meet the constant drain of society, business, politics and
religion,--the wonder is that so few remain outside the lunatic asylums.

There are certain inevitable daily happenings in the life of every
housewife that must be tolerated though they are not pleasant. A certain
number of interruptions will come at the most inopportune moments. The
children will come in with muddy feet and walk over the clean floor;
some days the stove works splendidly, other days it acts as if it was
crazy; the milkman is late to-day and too early to-morrow; some days the
iceman comes, some days he stays away, and these are the days we want
him most; the upstairs work is not quite done when cooking must be
begun; the grocer forgot to send the butter; a dish or two will crack or
break every day; doors will slam; the rain begins to fall just when the
clothes are all hung out; baby needs nursing just when the pie must be
turned; a visitor calls before the dishes are washed. These are
inevitable. The cure does not lie in some impossible revolution. We must
rest the nerves and take the strain off.

Try a nap in the middle of the day. Lie down and relax even if you do
not sleep. In some countries this is a national custom. It should be a
law in America. One cannot appreciate the amount of good that can be
gained from one-half hour's sleep. Medically it is a wonderful
rejuvenator.

Get enough sleep at night. Late hours in the home is a bad habit and a
poor investment. It affects the health and the efficiency. One extra
hour means all the difference between frayed-out nerves, exasperated
dispositions and home peace and contentment. There is a certain fixed
ratio between sleep and good nature that has been formulated into a law
by psychology. Keep early hours and the whole complexion of life will
improve.

When indoor work becomes irksome go out of doors, try a walk. Nothing
will dissipate tired-out nerves quicker than a brisk walk. Every
housewife should walk in the open air every day of her life. It is an
absolute necessity if she hopes to retain her health and spirits. She
will be in better shape and in a better mood to carry out her part of
the daily programme.

Take a vacation now and then. Go to the seashore or into the mountains.
When a housewife is run down and irritable; when the disposition comes
to indulge in a lonely cry; when she wishes she had never been born;
when the cook stove and the children are hysterical irritants; it is
time for a day off. The husband should find time to take his wife into
the country for a week end, even a day at the seashore will work like
magic.

Resting and recreation are necessary. If we do not recognize this fact,
and adopt the habit as a preventative, we will be compelled to take it
in an effort to cure a malady that has established itself as a
consequence of the neglect. It, therefore, is a time and money saver,
and it saves friction, and home, and maybe life.

LIFE INSURANCE.--Every young wife should insist upon her husband
carrying life insurance upon his own life. She should make this a part
of the prenuptial agreement. We would go further and state that a man
who will not willingly agree to this is not a safe man to marry. The
kind of insurance is immaterial, so long as it guarantees to the wife an
adequate sum of money in the event of his premature death. The wife
should regard the payment of the premiums as one of the necessities, and
should personally know that they are promptly paid.

OWNING A HOME.--It should be the hope of every married couple to own
their own home. It has been the regret of many, when in later years they
have figured up the money which they have spent in rent, that they did
not think of this plan earlier. Nowadays, it is possible to pay a very
small sum down, and certain monthly payments, which apply on the
purchase of a house. By beginning this way, when the family expenses are
small, it is comparatively easy, and without any deprivations, to own
the home outright in a few years. Many couples foolishly buy gaudy and
unnecessary furniture, and live in more expensive homes than their means
justify, in order to create an impression, when first married, which
they later regret. If part of the money, which the young husband has
undoubtedly saved,--or he should not marry,--was paid down on the
purchase of a house it would be paid for before the extra expense which
necessarily comes with children had to be met. The plan works to the
advantage of the couple both ways, because, if no rent has to be paid
out after a few years, the extra expense of children would not then be a
hardship.

THE CHEERFUL WIFE AND MOTHER.--How many happy memory pictures we see by
simply reading the name,--the cheerful wife and mother,--we might call
her the optimistic mother. No matter what we did as children, we were
never afraid of her. She always saw the bright side, and if we did
something wrong she never scolded angrily; she talked to us convincingly
and made us slightly ashamed of ourselves. If we had any plan or project
we took it to her, she listened, and she suggested, and before we knew
it she had solved our problem and the plan was possible,--away we would
go, enthusiastic and happy, to work out the details as she suggested,
and shortly our "party was on its way." If any of us had an
accident,--we didn't go home, we were afraid of a scolding,--the victim
was rushed to her, she would wash the blood and tears away, bathe the
wounded part, put on a bandage and then take the little patient up to
her room. A cake and a story would soon have us feeling good and help us
forget our pain. Oh! she was an angel to us. On rainy days she found a
way to amuse us, our dirty feet didn't count, the floor was to be washed
up anyhow. To keep in her good graces, however, we had to be reasonably
good. She told us stories, and we soon found out that she didn't like a
mean or stingy boy, and a boy or girl who would tell a lie she would not
talk to for a week. Her stories always proved that the mean boy, or the
bad little girl, or anyone who told lies, never had a good time, that no
one liked them, and most everybody kept away from them, if they didn't
stop being bad. She was a wonderful mother, and every boy and girl for
miles around knew her and loved her.

And so it is that children soon learn who their real friends are. A home
is what the mother makes it. Cheerfulness does not cost anything, and
how much better it is if happiness abounds. You can get infinitely more
of the confidence of a child by being gentle, and by showing that you
have his or her real interest at heart. They will trust you more and
rely upon your forbearance in the event of anything going wrong. As we
boys and girls grew up the interest of the angel mother didn't cease; we
met her often, and she would ask "how things were going." She knew
exactly what each of the boys and girls was doing, and we always told
her the truth, and all the truth. If anything did go wrong, she would
know of it from one of the others, and she would "look up" the
unfortunate one. Many times to my knowledge she has helped another
mother over a crisis; when a boy was about to go wrong or showed a
tendency to do some foolish thing. She did so because she "had a way" of
getting round the boy, that even his own mother did not possess, and he
would listen. A mother who can preserve her own cheerfulness under all
circumstances is a jewel. The influence she wields is beyond estimation.
A radiant cheerfulness is something akin to Christlikeness, it is an
inspiration. People who live together frequently feel out of sorts in
the presence of each other without a feeling of compunction, without
realizing that they are guilty of a social discourtesy. If there is in
that home an optimistic, cheerful mother, how different the atmosphere
is! The cross look, or the touchy word, is quickly observed and all the
power of her infectious cheerfulness is brought into battle array and
the discontent is chased away, the vitriolic spirit of quarrel,
slumbering so near the surface, is made to feel ashamed of itself. It
shrinks into the darkness, and we begin the day all over again, thankful
that mother is so good, so considerate and patient.

It isn't exactly by the children that such a mother is best appreciated.
Father knows the real value of her cheerfulness. He knows just what it
has meant in the past, and he knows what it means now. He can look back
and he can recall many instances in which the optimism of his wife was
the agency which turned the tide. He knows of many business deals
wherein the cheerful advice of his wife changed his viewpoint and so
changed failure into success. He can recall many instances during the
early days of his business career when the outlook was gloomy and
doubtful, when its success depended upon so small a matter as
temperament and disposition, when the cheerfulness, the love and tact of
his wife dispelled the gathering clouds, strengthened the wavering
spirit and instilled new fight, new purpose, new hope, into the
situation. Oh, yes, he knows that cheerfulness, and optimism, and tact,
and love, have a definite economic value, but it cannot be estimated in
dollars and cents. He knows they are an asset in the domestic problem,
but they are sacred, holy, consecrated.

Cheerfulness is such a potent reality that it has a definite, concrete
value. Life is a product of environment to a very considerable extent.
Our surroundings very often dictate our attitude, and temperamentally at
least we radiate whatever spirit our environment generates.


HEREDITARY FEEBLE-MINDEDNESS[B]

[Illustration]

Here is the law. The blood of the father was tainted. For several
generations it lay dormant, and then smote this little child, Bertha. It
is the terrible, the inevitable law of heredity.

[Illustration]

Not so much now, as years ago, is there intermarriage. It is fortunate,
for the results of in-breeding are far worse in human beings than in
animals; chiefly because of man's more highly developed nervous system.
New, pure blood above all things else is a re-energizing force which may
go far toward eventually eliminating any trace of taint.

[Footnote B: "Feeble-mindedness; Its Causes and Consequences," Goddard,
The Macmillan Company.]

One cheerful home will radiate, will send out into the world, certain
definite, concrete influences which will encourage and stimulate, and
strengthen and give new hope to every living thing it reaches. The
atmosphere of cheerfulness will exert a specific influence upon every
disposition within its zone. The children of a cheerful mother and home
will radiate happiness, contentment and love. The husband of a cheerful
wife will carry into life's struggle a more just, a more equitable, a
more humanizing influence as a direct, concrete result of that
cheerfulness, and who can tell into how many other homes the spirit of
cheerfulness will be carried as a consequence of the justice, and
equity, and charity of that husband and father? To return after a day's
work and worry to a fireside, to a home, in which cheerfulness is the
radiating element is to inspire contentment and peace and thankfulness.
Out of the joy of thankfulness, out of the satisfaction of peace, and
the fulness of contentment, the kingdom of Heaven is born, and when
human hearts feel like this they are living near the borderland of great
possibilities. The cheerful wife and mother needs little advice. She
does, however, need our love and the knowledge that we are true to
ourselves and that we are fighting an honest fight. She will be happy in
that knowledge.

THE INDIFFERENT WIFE AND MOTHER.--The home over which an indifferent
wife and mother presides is a "happy-go-lucky" home. There is something
radically wrong in the make-up of a woman who is wife and mother and who
is indifferent. It is not a natural condition, and it is frequently a
product of simple ignorance. Such a woman may be exceedingly amiable and
charitable; she may take an active interest in church and social
affairs, and may be regarded as a kind and model housewife. Her
interests are outside the home, however, and since the home is a place
of apathy and indifference she feels she must "keep busy" elsewhere. She
is out of touch with her husband and his affairs, and the children "get
along somehow." If they come in for meals and report for bed that is all
"any one can expect." There is seldom any acute friction, because every
one is indifferent and selfishly attends to his own affairs.

Such a home is devoid of the domestic atmosphere. The mother touch is
lacking: sentiment and love have long ago taken wings: the temperature
of the place is cold and forbidding. The children "exist" and may be
healthy animals, but their souls are empty and there is no comradeship
or affection in their make-up. They do not know what human sympathy
means, and they either grow into successful machines, or indifferent
citizens. As human beings they are failures. It would be astonishing to
know how many of this type of mother and wife the present strenuous age
is producing. They are certainly on the increase, and the unrest, which
is a growing characteristic of the sex, is tending to still further
increase this type of womanhood. The mother element is being subverted
and in its place we find "Justice" with her scales, but with a marble
heart.

These women do not realize that the citadel of motherhood is a sacred,
holy citadel, and that its responsibilities cannot be met by a negative
allegiance. A child's character, its training, its physical equipment,
its mental development, its body and soul, its heredity and acquired
instincts, its virtues and its vices, its environment, are all mothers'
cares, mothers' duties, mothers' responsibilities, and if they are
neglected part of the eternal scheme is frustrated and recompense will
be exacted. When a woman marries she assumes responsibilities which she
cannot and dare not neglect. If she does, she will have to give an
accounting of her stewardship.

The indifferent mother and wife does not fit. She is incompetent, she is
one of nature's sarcasms. She is a mistake as a wife, as a mother, and
as a member of society. She is not sincere or she would not be guilty of
such fundamental injustice. As a human being she is a parasite, and in
the Master's vineyard she is a weed.

HUSBAND AND HOME.--As sponsor for the welfare and efficiency of the
family and the home, the wife and mother should occasionally give some
thought to the husband and father.

William Muldoon, one of the greatest physical efficiency experts in this
or any other country, who has intimately known hundreds of our great
men in every walk of life, recently stated that American men to-day do
not appear to have the same amount of physical endurance and nervous
energy that men of forty years ago possessed. In other words, as a race
we are degenerating. In his opinion the condition is due to the fact
that commercialism has taken such a firm hold upon the American people
that everything else is cast aside to make a success in business or
profession.

This is a serious indictment coming from such a source and should be of
intense interest to the wife and mother of to-day.

The over-worked business man, when he gets into the hands of the
physician, is a neurasthenic. He has gone just as far as his vitality
will take him. His mind is fagged and worn out and will not concentrate.
He is nervous, irritable, and wretched. His appetite is capricious, and
he sleeps fitfully. For a few days he pulls himself together and plunges
into work, but the effort exhausts him and he falls back further than
before. He is unhappy and despondent, his viewpoint changes and the
future looks uninviting and he loses his courage and his faith in
himself. He hides all this from his family, he does not want wife and
children to know that he is losing his hold. He even makes desperate
efforts to keep fit while at home, and for a time he succeeds.

All this has been brought about by tremendous concentration of effort to
do ten times as much work as he should do, and it has all been done in
order to acquire riches and independence, not so much for his own sake
as for his family's sake.

Now, a wife who fails to see the handwriting on the wall is no wife at
all. Any wife who cannot tell, by a single look, exactly how her husband
feels is not quite what she should be. Some women may question this
declaration. They may regard it as a far-fetched indictment. The truth
nevertheless is,--and all good citizens are thankful that it is
so,--that if a man and woman live together for years, and during that
time work together in sympathy and love, and share the burdens of life
together, they grow toward each other; there is a psychic force that
binds them so that when the clouds begin to settle over one the other
promptly sees the mist and brings all her subtle skill and solicitude to
guard and fight in the other's interest. The "two hearts that beat as
one" are old hearts, hearts chastened by experience and mellowed by the
sorrows and joys of life, hearts that have gone through the dark spots
and the deep spots of affliction, and have loved and helped each other
all through the long journey to sunset's old age. God never inspired a
holier picture than the wrinkled face of a good old mother. The old
eyes, with the peering promise of a near peace in them; the toothless
mouth, whose words of cheer are records of the past; the wrinkled face,
the sad token of human frailty; the gentle word of welcome which age
trustingly bestows, all speak to younger hearts with hungry words, and
we hope that their lot is one of peace and contentment and happiness.

A wife, therefore, who has shared the burdens of life honestly and
willingly with her husband will promptly note when life's struggle is
becoming dangerous to her helpmate.

The true wife will insist on rest, and quiet, and recuperation. No man
has the right to sacrifice himself for his family and no family should
dare to expect it. A wife should frequently inquire and find out what
their success is costing her husband, find out the price he is paying.
No success is worth while if a man is undermining his health and
strength to attain it. Men do it, however. American business men do it
all the time.

Maternal sacrifice is admittedly the supreme or Christ-like instinct of
the human race, and it has been accorded the glory which is its due, but
the unsung song of father love is a more pathetic incident of this
strenuous age than we are apt to believe. America is building a breed of
men with a dual passion, the passion for riches, and the passion to
protect. The one is a wrong ideal, the other is a wrong principle. Ask
any of the worn-out men who are inmates for the time being of the
splendid institutions in the country devoted to the recuperation of
health: ask the medical superintendents of the large sanitariums; ask
Muldoon; ask the busy men of big business why they keep in the harness
after they have made enough to retire upon; why they strive and fight
and sacrifice themselves, and you will be told that the force which
impels them is the desire to protect, with ample fortune, wife and
children, and those dependent upon them. The average well-balanced man
of America is never happier than when he can give to his loved ones
every comfort and luxury possible. He is willing to work and so
sacrifice self to the utmost to consummate his ambition. The right kind
of a wife will see that her husband is getting a square deal.

The right kind of solicitude and the right kind of argument will tend to
divert her husband's attention away from business, to the advantage of
all concerned. The children of America need closer fellowship with the
fathers. We should read fewer tales of the profligacy of rich men's sons
and less lurid accounts of the doings of the daughters of society. The
sons of poor men would profit by a freer companionship with the more
experienced father, and the daughters would be less apt to wander away
from the fireside of a home that was knit together by the broader
sympathy of father love.

The training and education of our children is far more important than
storing up money for them to spend recklessly. We all need help and
cheering words and encouragement to do justice to ourselves and others.
Nothing will inspire and stimulate youth more to achieve, to be clean in
mind and body, and to succeed, than the knowledge that he is loved, and
trusted, and has the implicit confidence of parents and of brothers and
sisters. His pride is awakened, he would hate to fail, or to disappoint
them, so he makes a conscientious effort to be worthy and to succeed.

The mothers are at the helm. They must be the harmonizing factor in the
home, and they must bring their human ships into safe harbors. The
storms and the battles of life will only unite the crew together if the
"captain" is the right "man" in the right place.




CHAPTER XXVIII

     "All that I know, I owe to my mother."

                                        Abraham Lincoln.


HOW WE CATCH DISEASE

     We Catch Disease--How Germs Enter the Lungs--How Germs Work in
     the Body--The Function of the White Blood Cell--How an Abscess
     Is Formed--The Evil Habit of Spitting in Public
     Places--Sunlight and Germs--Why It Is Necessary to Open
     Windows--Facts About Tuberculosis--The Tendency to Disease--The
     Best Treatment for Tuberculosis--Consumption Is a Preventable
     and a Curable Disease--When Delay Is Dangerous--What to Eat and
     Wear in Hot Weather--Scientific Dressing--Drink Plenty of
     Water--What to Drink When Traveling.

A simple explanation of how we "catch" disease may be interesting and
profitable. Let us take, for example, a case of consumption. In order to
"catch" consumption it is necessary to breathe into our lungs the germ
of consumption.

How do we "catch" these germs?

If a consumptive patient spits or expectorates on the street, or on the
floor of a railroad car, or in a room, or store, or theater, after a
time the spittle becomes dry, and because of the wind or a breeze which
may be caused by opening or shutting a door, or it may be the skirts of
women walking about, the dried sputum in which the germs are becomes
mixed with the dust of the air. If we happen to be around, just at the
particular time when the germs are blown into the air, we may breathe
into our lungs enough of them to produce consumption. If we are in good
health, and if we do not happen to get too large a dose of the bacteria
at one time (and that is only a matter of luck), we can overcome them,
as will be shown shortly. If, however, we are not in good health, if we
are just recovering from some serious or depressing disease, such as
Grippe, the bacteria will overcome our reserve vitality, and consumption
will graft itself on our weakened system.

How do these germs work?

They lodge on some part of the lung tissue and burrow into it. They make
a nest for themselves and begin work immediately. They live on the lung
tissue, they multiply rapidly, they produce--as a result of their
activity--a poisonous substance. Because of their eating up, as it were,
the lung tissue we often find holes (cavities) in the lungs of
consumptives. By breeding rapidly they require more and more room, so
they invade more and more of the lung tissue and destroy it. The
poisonous substance which they produce is absorbed by the blood. Its
effect on the blood is to weaken it, and when the blood becomes weak the
vitality declines, so that the patient loses weight, appetite, and
strength. The poison also produces fever, and so the long, weary fight
goes on till death claims the patient.

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE INHALE THESE BACTERIA, AND CONSUMPTION DOES NOT
DEVELOP.--In order to understand the answer to this question it is
necessary to explain certain facts concerning the white blood cells. The
white blood cells can pass through a blood vessel and back into it again
without leaving any hole in the wall of the blood vessel.

The function of the white blood cells is to wander around and if they
discover any stray bacteria, whose presence is undesirable, it is their
duty to get rid of it as quickly as possible. The white blood cell may
therefore be likened to a detective whose duty it is to arrest any
suspicious character who comes into the city. When a white blood cell
discovers a strange microbe it immediately surrounds and encloses it
within itself, just as your hand can enclose any small object, such as a
cent or a dime. It then promptly goes to the nearest blood vessel,
enters it, and is carried away in the blood stream. If we are in good
health our blood cells are alert, active, and capable of defending us
against any invading foe in the form of a microbe or bacteria. If we are
not in good health the bacteria may overcome the white blood cells. If
we inhale a large number of the consumptive bacteria at one time, and
they succeed in getting into the lung substance, they are immediately
met by an army of blood cells, all bent on capturing them. An actual
battle is fought and the deciding factor of the battle will be the
condition of the patient. If there is plenty of strength and reserve
force, if the patient is in good health, the blood cells will win the
battle; if the condition of the patient is poor, the blood cells will
lose the battle and tuberculosis, or consumption, has its beginning in
that patient from the time the blood cells lose their fight. We know the
battle has been lost because the well-known symptoms of the disease soon
appear. The blood cells do not retreat when defeated; they go on
fighting to the best of their ability. Whether they ever succeed in
overcoming the bacteria, depends upon the treatment the patient gets,
and his personal conduct. We give him a maximum of fresh air and
sunlight because these are the great enemies of all kinds of bacteria.
We force his feeding and try to stimulate his appetite, hoping thereby
to give him strength so that his blood cells will fight actively in his
interest. We take steps to reduce his fever so that his strength may not
be wasted and burned up. If we succeed, with the necessary active
coöperation of the patient, the blood cells finally overcome the
bacteria and the patient recovers from the disease.

This is the story of the invasion of almost every disease. It is the
story of the white blood cell.

The white blood cell is active in another way and it is a very
interesting way. When you cut yourself the blood cells immediately
surround the entire cut. They line up like an army defending a city.
They form a perfect wall, millions of them, ready to pounce upon all
enemies in the form of bacteria or microbes, that have the temerity to
try to creep into the wound unseen.

This is the reason that so very few of the hundreds of little surface
wounds and scratches which every one gets, ever become infected or go
wrong in any way.

When a microbe does get inside, under the skin, and becomes active, as
they sometimes will, the white blood cell, appreciating that it cannot
defeat the enemy, begins to build a wall around him and locks him in.
This compels the enemy to limit his activity within the wall, which he
does, and so an abscess is formed, which bursts when the bacteria fill
it so full that the wall gives way and empties the poison out on the
surface of the skin, thus saving the body from the poison of the microbe
which would spread all through the body, were it not for the wall formed
by the active, busy little white blood cell.

The foregoing simple explanation of "how we catch disease" will no doubt
be suggestive to the interested and careful reader. The first and most
obvious question that suggests itself is: If we "catch" tuberculosis by
inhaling germs from some other person's dried spittle, why are
consumptives allowed to spit where it will do harm? Consumptives are not
allowed to spit where it will do harm, but they do and they always will.

Every department of health in every civilized corner of the globe has
secured the enactment of laws making spitting unlawful in any public
place. Every sanitary society, every agency whose aim is to work in the
interest of public health, has actively aided, and is aiding, in the
propaganda for a better universal understanding of the principles of
sanitation and hygiene. The individual must be educated to understand
the tragic need of such a law. You cannot legislate virtue into the
public conscience. It is a profound reflection upon human intelligence
to appreciate that the great white plague, for the stamping out of which
so many thousands of lives are annually sacrificed, and so much money is
spent, could be forever stamped out, if the human race would agree
absolutely to stop spitting.

It is the duty of every person to take an active personal interest in
this crusade of education and emancipation. We appreciate and concede
that a large number of those afflicted with consumption do not willfully
spit, knowing that others may be affected as a consequence. They do it
in ignorance. Our aim is to educate the victim to an understanding of
the true condition. The knowledge must be carried into every home, and
the story must be told in a simple, convincing way, to attain results.
The mothers of the country can aid to a very considerable degree, in
this commendable work. Every mother can tell her children the story of
how disease is caught. She can tell them that the danger spots of
infection are where people congregate together, in church, school,
theater, street-cars, and railroad trains. She can teach them to breathe
through their nostrils, especially when in these public places, because
the nostrils are so constructed that they act as a sieve or strainer,
they clean the air we breathe, and when we blow the nose after being in
one of these places we blow out thousands of germs and other impurities
which would have gone straight into the lungs if we had breathed through
the mouth. She can teach them the value of deep breathing when in the
open air, and of standing and walking erect so as to get all the lung
space possible. By constantly reminding children of these little points
you will be amazed at the progressive improvement which goes on both in
their bodies and in their minds. They will become little missionaries,
they will tell the story to others, and a real good can be accomplished
in this simple way, that will grow in strength and vigor as the years
roll round.

The next suggestive feature in the reading of "How we catch disease," is
the significant emphasis which is put upon sunlight and fresh air in the
treatment of consumption. Sunlight, as already stated, is the great
enemy of microbes and germs of all kinds. Where sunlight is, germs do
not want to be. How wrong, therefore, is the habit of lowering the
shades, when the sun shines into your home, because it "spoils the
carpet." Let it spoil the carpet; it is much cheaper to buy a new carpet
than to pay for a funeral. Let the sunlight stream into your rooms for
the few hours it can every day. Germs love the dark, sunless corners
where the dust is. Housewives should, therefore, go into the dark
corners with a moist duster, and wipe them clean, then boil the duster
and hang it in the sunlight to dry until needed again. If you choose to
use a feather duster instead, as the lazy woman does, you only chase the
dust and the germs from one corner to another, and in doing so you
afford yourself the opportunity of swallowing a few germs in the
passing. One may, therefore, be punished in an unexpected way for being
lazy.

For the very excellent reason that corners and angles are unsanitary,
there are to be no more of them in the construction of houses and office
buildings of the better class. They are being built with "round"
corners; even the ceiling and walls, and floor and walls, meet in a
curve,--no square crevice or corner where dust or germs can gather.

If we add moisture to a sunless spot, we have the ideal environment for
germs to breed and flourish in. There is always moisture or humidity in
the air if the altitude is low, and if it is near the ocean, or any
large body of water, the moisture is relatively greater. For this reason
we send patients with pulmonary disease to the mountains, where the
altitude is much higher, where there is no moisture, and consequently
where there are practically no germs. We cannot move our homes to the
mountains, however, so what must we do to get rid of the moisture and
the germs where we are compelled to live? What do we do with the family
wash when it is wet? We hang it up in the yard, in the sun and in the
breeze, because we know from experience that the wind and the sun soon
dry anything wet. They do more; they freshen everything, so that
anything exposed to the sun and air smells fresh and sweet and is fresh
and sweet and pure. So to make our homes sweet and fresh and dry we must
chase the stale air away, and the moisture with it, by opening our
windows and letting in the sunlight and the breeze, every day, and for
as long as possible every day. Open windows and sunlight and fresh
air,--all you can get,--this is the song of health, the joy of life, the
only agents that will keep the eager, busy, little white blood cell
healthy and willing and alert. This is the reason you must keep the
windows of your bedrooms open at night, as well as by day, so you and
your children will get fresh, pure, sweet air, and not stale, moist,
germ-laden air to breathe.


FACTS ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS

Tuberculosis, or consumption, is a disease of poor air, dusty quarters,
insufficient nourishment, and, above all, of ignorance with regard to
its dangers and what we now know of the possibilities of its cure. The
more we know about it the better chance there is to cure it, and better
still, prevent it.

Not very long ago the death rate from consumption was one in six, that
is, every sixth person who died in this country died as a result of
tuberculosis in some form. It is now about one in eight. This is a
remarkable decrease--about one-third of its former ratio of victims are
now spared. Not so very long ago the disease was regarded as practically
fatal; now it is classified as one of the eminently curable diseases.
The universal dissemination of this knowledge will do much to rob the
"Great White Plague" of its terrors.

Investigation and observation have demonstrated that there is in the
great majority of people a definite tendency successfully to throw off
the disease. It is a curious and astonishing fact, which we have learned
from the study of the results of autopsies; we find, in nearly every
instance, that every person in whom death occurred after thirty had had
consumption at one time and resisted it and died of some other disease.
We mean by this that at some time, in all likelihood during one of the
"colds" of childhood, every one of us contracted consumption, but
because of our vitality we successfully resisted and conquered it. In
other words, the white blood cells won their fight.

This knowledge is of great value; it taught the scientists who were
studying the characteristics of the disease that there were conditions,
possible of attainment, under which the human organism could definitely
and victoriously defeat the invasion of the tubercle bacilli.

The public mind, until recently, was imbued with the fallacy that the
disease was hereditary. It was thought that if it "ran in the family"
the victims of it were almost certain to die. We know definitely now
that consumption is not hereditary, and that, instead of death being
certain in a patient in whose family it has been, this fact alone
ensures the victim a much better prospect of cure than if it had never
existed in the family. The explanation of this seeming paradox is quite
logical from a medical standpoint. The theory of the vaccine treatment
of disease is that if you infuse into the blood the products of the
germs of certain diseases, the individual in whose blood the vaccine has
been put, will wholly resist that particular disease, or if he acquires
it, it will be in a mild and more modified form. If a family for a
number of generations has had various members die of tuberculosis, the
blood stream of the family will have become so impregnated with the
toxins, or poisons, of the disease, that, in time, a certain immunity
will have been established. Consequently, tuberculosis in an individual,
the blood of whose ancestors has been accustomed or habituated to the
poison of the disease, will run a milder course, be more modified in its
type, and will respond to treatment easier than in an individual whose
family history is free from the taint of tuberculosis.

In proof of this principle, it is a well-known fact that consumption
runs a rapid, fatal course among those nations which have not hitherto
been exposed to it. The death rate among our American Indians when it
was first introduced among them was enormous.

The same truth applies to syphilis. The blood of the civilized race has
become so thoroughly syphilized, that it is no longer so susceptible to
the disease as it once was: and the disease as we know it to-day does
not manifest the same virulency as it did years ago, or as it does in a
race in whom it is grafted for the first time.

These ideas of the curability of the disease and of its non-heredity are
extremely important and supremely suggestive. Tuberculosis takes only
the quitters and the supine. Anyone who will fight bravely against the
disease can always resist its ravages for many years, if not to the
extent of living out a normal life.

THE TENDENCY TO DISEASE.--Mothers should understand just what is meant
by "the tendency to disease." We assert that consumption is not
hereditary, but we know that certain individuals are born with the
tendency to tuberculosis. Just what does this mean?

Let us suppose a tubercular mother gives birth to a child. It would be
foolish to assume that this child comes into the world with a normal
standard of resistance; but it is certain he is not tubercular and
doomed at the moment of his birth. He may be what is ordinarily termed
a weak, puny, sickly infant, but the germ of disease is not implanted in
his constitution. If he is taken from his mother, taken away from the
tubercular environment, and brought up under the best hygienic and
sanitary surroundings, it is possible for him to become a robust,
healthy, normal man.

The tendency to disease in this case will not materialize. If, however,
we permit him to remain with his tubercular mother, to nurse her milk,
to live in what necessarily is an unhygienic and unsalutary
environment--the presence of the consumptive mother renders it so--the
probability is that the tendency to disease, which in his case is the
tendency to weak lungs, will materialize, because of his weak
resistance, poor nourishment, and unfavorable surroundings. If,
therefore, his method of living does not contribute to building up and
strengthening what is in the first place a weak structure, the structure
itself will, during the first strain put upon it, give way, and
naturally the weak spot will be the point of election for the invasion
of disease. This strain may be one of the infantile diseases,--scarlet
fever, or measles, or whooping cough, or it may be bronchitis. Instead
of convalescing from these conditions, as a normally constituted child
will, this child, whose potential resistance is below standard, will
fail to reach the rallying point, will afford a fertile field for germ
invasion, and will develop tuberculosis,--not directly, however, as a
result of having had a tubercular mother, but because he was not removed
from the tubercular environment and given a fair chance. The high infant
mortality is, to a very large extent, caused directly by this "tendency
to disease," plus unfavorable environment, and this is wherein the
eugenic propaganda has found its field of promise and is unassailable
reason for active existence.

Let us take another illustration, so that mother may have a full
understanding of the far-reaching effect of the "tendency to disease."

We cannot justly assume a child to have outlived its hereditary
tendencies until it has reached the period of its full growth,
physically, mentally, and morally. We know that this period is about
the twenty-third year. Now a young girl of eighteen, or even twenty, who
is successfully resisting an inherited tendency, is likely to reach her
full physical and mental growth, providing she does not subject her
vitality to a serious physical strain, or providing she is not the
victim of a serious illness. Suppose this young girl marries and becomes
pregnant; this condition immediately changes the fighting or resisting
equation; she is no longer conserving her strength and energy; she is
spending it out, wasting it so far as it applies to her own upbuilding.
The percentage in favor of a successful fight against the inherited
tendencies is greatly reduced, and as a matter of fact, statistics
show--as is fully explained in the article on "The Evils of Early
Marriage"--that many of these young mothers succumb to disease as a
result of pregnancies at this period of immaturity, when they could have
otherwise lived. The "tendency to disease" has therefore an economic
value and the state should build along the line of the conservation of
health in its broadest sense.

THE BEST TREATMENT FOR TUBERCULOSIS.--The most important factor in the
present-day treatment of consumption is the right kind of nourishment.
This cannot be emphasized too strongly. In the first edition of this
work, it was stated that the most important factor in the treatment of
this disease was fresh air. The author has had very good reasons to
change his opinion radically in this respect.

So emphatically may this truth be asserted that it is now not at all
necessary to seek a change of climate in the hope that such a change may
aid the patient. It must not, however, be understood that this reasoning
applies to charitable cases. If the patient is so situated that it is
not possible to provide a proper environment, a change may do good. It
is not the change of air that is responsible for the improvement,
however, though it no doubt contributes in these cases; it is the
altered environment.

Patients who in their own homes enjoy sanitary and hygienic care; who
may have a room of ample size for their exclusive use, which is
thoroughly aired, day and night; who are provided with the "right kind
of nourishment," and who will obey implicitly the rules which the
physician, who is conversant with this particular method of treatment,
will lay down, may be assured that a prompt response will ensue. The
intelligent reader will understand that this statement does not apply to
patients in the last stages of the disease. The assertion, however, must
rightly be regarded as revolutionary. It is not what we were taught--it
emphasizes, nevertheless, what every physician already knows, that,
theoretically, consumption is a disease that should respond to
treatment. That we have not had greater success with it in the past,
must be attributed to our method of treatment. The fact that most of us
have had the disease, and have recovered, conclusively demonstrates its
curability. Those individuals who fail to recover promptly do not
possess the vitality to throw it off spontaneously. If at this time--the
real beginning of the disease--it is discovered, and the right treatment
instituted, we immediately supply the organism with the ingredients it
is deficient in and we are justified in looking for favorable results if
the patient adheres to the instructions.

The second essential in the treatment of consumption is an abundance of
fresh, pure air. We therefore direct the patient to remain in the open
as much as is possible. If circumstances permit him to sleep
out-of-doors, so much the better; if not, he must sleep in a room with
the windows open to the fullest extent, winter and summer. There are no
exceptions to this rule. If it storms, the outside blinds may be closed,
but the windows must remain open. The city air is just as efficient for
our purpose as is the air of any other vicinity--the point is, to get
enough of it from a mechanical standpoint. The advantages from sending
patients away, even under the old belief, were more than discounted by
conditions incident to the new environment that were detrimental to
their progress. Now that we know it is not necessary or essential to
procure any other kind or quality of air than exists in any city, all
our efforts may be concentrated in the interest of the patient in
directing the "right kind of nourishment" and in supervising his
conduct. In few instances is it necessary to prescribe any medicine.

In exceptional cases the cough may require some sedative remedy,
especially if it disturbs the patient at night. Experience has taught
us, however, that to live twelve hours in the open air and to sleep with
the windows wide open, will do more for the cough than any medicine we
possess.

Pleuritic complications may cause pain, but this feature is best aided
and permanently relieved by fresh air also. Very recently there were
made exhaustive experiments in this connection in St. Thomas' Hospital,
London, England. It was decided to subject patients to open-air tests
for pleuritic pains in the course of consumption. This particular
hospital is situated on the River Thames, in a notoriously damp and
foggy part of the city; despite this drawback it was conclusively shown
that the patients who lived night and day on the balconies breathing
this heavy, murky, damp atmosphere, were relieved of their pains
quicker, and more permanently, than those who were shielded in the wards
of the hospital.

Inasmuch as the patient must be adequately nourished, his cure depends
upon the condition of the stomach. It is known that the germ works more
actively in a patient who is losing weight. When the germ is very
active, its poisons, circulating in the blood, cause fever and fever
results in tissue waste. We must therefore bend every effort toward
overcoming this tendency. If we can get the patient to take sufficient
food and if he digests it thoroughly, the weight will increase, the
fever will subside, and the tissue waste will stop. Patients must be
extremely careful, therefore, what they put into their stomachs. Only
simple, tasty, highly nutritious food should be taken, and digestive
energy should not be wasted on less nutritious materials. For this
reason incalculable harm has been done by indiscriminate
medicine-taking. Medicines exert a bad influence on the stomach and
those patients who take them lose their appetites. Drugs should never be
taken except for a definite purpose and only on the advice of a
physician. These patients should particularly be guarded against the use
of advertised patent medicines. They are always bad, and never under any
circumstances are they of any advantage, as is clearly shown in the
chapter on "Patent Medicines." Thousands of persons die of consumption
every year who would have lived had they not taken such remedies.

The following article is sent out by the New York Department of Health
as a Circular of Instruction regarding Tuberculosis.


INFORMATION FOR CONSUMPTIVES AND THOSE LIVING WITH THEM

     CONSUMPTION IS CHIEFLY CAUSED BY THE FILTHY HABIT OF
     SPITTING.--Consumption is a disease of the lungs, which is
     taken from others, and is not simply caused by colds, although
     a cold may make it easier to take the disease. It is caused by
     very minute germs, which usually enter the body with the air
     breathed. The matter which consumptives cough or spit up
     contains these germs in great numbers--frequently millions are
     discharged in a single day. This matter, spit upon the floor,
     wall or elsewhere, dries and is apt to become powdered and
     float in the air as dust. The dust contains the germs, and thus
     they enter the body with the air breathed. This dust is
     especially likely to be dangerous within doors. The breath of a
     consumptive, except when he is coughing or sneezing, does not
     contain the germs and will not produce the disease. A well
     person catches the disease from a consumptive only by in some
     way taking in the matter coughed up by the consumptive.

     Consumption can often be cured if its nature be recognized
     early and if proper means be taken for its treatment. In a
     majority of cases it is not a fatal disease.

     It is not dangerous to live with a consumptive, if the matter
     coughed up by him be promptly destroyed. This matter should not
     be spit upon the floor, carpet, stove, wall, or sidewalk, but
     always, if possible, in a cup kept for that purpose. The cup
     should contain water so that the matter will not dry, or
     better, carbolic acid in five per cent. watery solution (six
     teaspoonfuls in a pint of water). This solution kills the
     germs. The cup should be emptied into the water closet at least
     twice a day, and carefully washed with boiling water.

     Great care should be taken by consumptives to prevent their
     hands, face, and clothing from becoming soiled with the matter
     coughed up. If they do become thus soiled, they should be at
     once washed with soap and hot water. Men with consumption
     should wear no beards at all, or only closely cut mustaches.
     When consumptives are away from home, the matter coughed up
     should be received in a pocket flask made for this purpose. If
     cloths must be used, they should be immediately burned on
     returning home. If handkerchiefs be used (worthless cloths,
     which can be at once burned, are far better), they should be
     boiled at least half an hour in water by themselves before
     being washed. When coughing or sneezing small particles of
     spittle containing germs are expelled, so that consumptives
     should always hold a handkerchief or cloth before the mouth
     during these acts; otherwise the use of cloths and
     handkerchiefs to receive the matter coughed up should be
     avoided as much as possible, because it readily dries on these
     and becomes separated and scattered into the air. Hence, when
     possible, the matter should be received into cups or flasks.
     Paper cups are better than ordinary cups, as the former with
     their contents may be burned after being used. A pocket flask
     of glass, metal, or pasteboard is also a most convenient
     receptacle to spit in when away from home. Cheap and convenient
     forms of flasks and cups may be purchased at many drug stores.
     Patients too weak to use a cup should use moist rags, which
     should at once be burned. If cloths are used they should not be
     carried loose in the pocket, but in a waterproof receptacle
     (tobacco pouch), which should be frequently boiled. A
     consumptive should never swallow his expectoration.

     A consumptive should have his own bed, and, if possible, his
     own room. The room should always have an abundance of fresh
     air--the window should be open day and night. The patient's
     soiled wash-cloths and bed linen should be handled as little as
     possible when dry, but should be placed in water until ready
     for washing.

     Rooms should be cleaned daily, but in order to prevent the
     raising of dust, all floors must be well sprinkled before
     sweeping, and all dusting, etc., done with damp cloths.

     If the matter coughed up be rendered harmless, a consumptive
     may frequently not only do his usual work without giving the
     disease to others, but may also thus improve his own condition
     and increase his chances of getting well.

     Rooms which have been occupied by consumptives should be
     thoroughly cleaned, scrubbed, and whitewashed, painted, or
     papered before they are again occupied. Carpets, rugs, bedding,
     etc., from rooms which have been occupied by consumptives,
     should be disinfected. Such articles, if the Department of
     Health be notified, will be sent for, disinfected, and returned
     to the owner free of charge, or, if he so desires, they will be
     destroyed.

     When consumptives move they should notify the department of
     health. Consumptives are warned against the many widely
     advertised cures, specifics, and special methods of treating
     consumption. No cure can be expected from any kind of medicine
     or method except the regularly accepted treatment, which
     depends upon pure air, an out-of-door life, and nourishing
     food.

     Consumptives having an opportunity of entering a sanatorium,
     should do so at once.

WHEN DELAY IS DANGEROUS.--Inasmuch as it is mother's duty to watch over
the health and the efficiency of all members of the household, she would
do well to establish a rule to err on the safe side in every case of
sickness. That rule should be never to delay too long in obtaining
medical aid.

In nearly twenty years of active general practice I have had hundreds of
"hurry" calls to "come at once." In not over a dozen of these calls did
any of the cases demand immediate attention from a medical standpoint.
Most of them, however, should have had earlier aid. People wait too long
in the hope of spontaneous recovery, and when, instead of recovery, they
realize that the patient is quite sick, they become conscience-stricken
and send a "rush" call for the doctor. After delaying from day to day
they decide to get professional advice and send a messenger for a
physician with instructions to "go for another if he can't come at
once." It is imperative he should come instantly, though they have
delayed for a week in requesting his services. Every physician has these
calls every week of his life. If an individual has survived a week's
neglect, it is quite within reason to assume that he will survive
another hour,--and during that hour the physician may have time to
complete whatever he may be doing when the call comes.

If you have been guilty of bad judgment in not sending earlier for aid,
don't add discourtesy to your sins. The world demands of us, and every
person has the right to expect, a certain degree of consideration and
courtesy. If we do not give it, we only harm ourselves because the lack
of cultivation is a detriment which limits growth and happiness. The
degree of attainable happiness is limited by the degree of "goodness"
that is in us. If you are not considerate, depend upon it, there is an
element of happiness which escapes you, and you cannot attain it till
you are considerate.

It is inconsiderate and it is discourteous to send an immediate demand
for a physician "to come at once" if there is no urgent need for his
services, and if you have just been inspired for aid after a week's
blindness, there is no urgency in the matter. A call in an hour would
do just as well.

Take the following case: A mother discovers a small quantity of blood in
the diaper of her two months old baby. There is a larger quantity in the
afternoon and she decides to give the baby a dose of castor oil. During
the night it slept fitfully and in the morning it has a large stool as a
result of the castor oil and there is a large quantity of blood in the
stool. She sends a "rush" call for a physician. The physician discovers
the following facts: The baby is being artificially fed; it has been
vomiting its food for a week; its stools have been green, foul and
contained mucus; it had a fever for a number of days; it has lost much
weight and looked pale and sickly. The physician obtained this history
from the mother--she therefore knew the baby's condition. Why did she
delay sending for a physician? How sick did she want the child to be
before the need for aid seemed justifiable to her? Why didn't the sight
of blood in the stool suggest the need of assistance? What do the public
expect of physicians in such cases? But why ask questions? Many mothers
will doubt the existence of such a mother as is described above. They
need not; she was one of my own patients. I do not understand such
women; I only know that such mothers exist in quite large numbers. This
particular mother has other children; she is a good housekeeper, is
personally attractive, and is thought well of in the community. If such
seemingly heartless conduct can spring from such a source is it not
evidence of the fact that the average mother needs instruction, needs
education, and does it not bespeak the need of eugenics being sown
broadcast throughout the land?

Delays are dangerous in all sicknesses that last, despite a thorough
cleaning out of the bowels. To wait, hoping that "things will change,"
is bad practice. It is unjust to the medical profession, and it is
infinitely more unjust to the victim.

There are two kinds of surgical operations--those of choice and those of
necessity.

Every one knows about the operations of necessity, most of which must
be performed as a result of accident, but few people understand the
dangers of delaying what are termed "operations of choice." These are
for such conditions as appendicitis, cancer, and stomach and bowel
troubles.

Delaying an operation of choice lessens the chances of living, and
really makes an operation of necessity with fewer chances of recovery
than from the operations that must promptly follow injuries.

When we feel that an operation is needed, or are in doubt about it, the
wise thing to do is to consult medical authority. Then, if it is found
there should be an operation, there is plenty of time to make every
arrangement. We can begin to diet, which is generally necessary and
there is every chance for speedy recovery.

If a man breaks a leg and it has been set badly, the surgeons do not
rebreak it at once, but allow it to heal and the patient to regain his
strength, when it is again broken and reset properly. This is an
operation of choice.

But if a terrible fracture of the leg results from a fall, with the
shattered bone protruding, an operation of necessity must follow to mend
torn arteries.

It has been learned through recently gathered statistics that about
thirty per cent. of the people operated on for appendicitis die simply
because they delay the operation. This should have been an operation of
choice, when every arrangement could have been made long beforehand; the
delay makes it an operation of necessity, with the victim in such poor
physical condition that he has not half the strength to recover that he
would have had if he had been wise enough to consult a physician when he
first suspected that something was wrong.

These same statistics go to show that fully 99 per cent. of the
appendicitis cases, when taken in time, are cured by means of the
operation, thus affording the strongest proof of the folly of delaying
such things.

The total number of deaths from appendicitis each year, due to delay in
operating, is greater than the number of deaths during the
Spanish-American War. There are instances where the doctors do not
advise operations soon enough.

Above all things, when a reputable physician advises operation, do not
think you know more than the physician, but have the operation performed
at once. Nine times out of ten this will be the means of saving your
life.


WHAT TO EAT AND WEAR IN HOT WEATHER

No faith should be placed in the so-called "hot-weather" foods. The
cereals and other manufactured foods advertised as possessing marvelous
qualities, have in reality no advantage. Some of them have more or less
value as ordinary food, but they certainly possess no unusual
superiority. Home cooking is the best in summer or any other time.

Great care should be taken to keep the system in the best possible
condition. This will prove the most effectual safeguard against the
heat. Some foods do not agree with certain individuals, and these should
be carefully avoided in summer. Every person will have to judge for
himself in this matter. Otherwise the diet should be balanced carefully
so that enough, and yet not too much, is eaten. As much fruit as
possible should be eaten, and meat never more than once a day. It is not
well, however, to omit it entirely.

Food sustains the body through the heat it generates chemically, and it
is therefore impossible to eliminate a certain heating effect. If the
system is kept normal, however, and the diet properly balanced, this
should not be felt. Work is performed by the body and energy expended.
This must be replaced with the heat value of food. A certain amount of
fat, starch, and the other constituents of a well-balanced diet is
essential.

Fat meats and other forms of fat are the most heating of all foods and
may be minimized in summer. The amount of food necessary is, of course,
largely governed by the nature of the work performed by the individual.
Brain workers can eat very little in the morning and during the day,
reserving until evening the single heavy meal. If they have been doing
this the year around they probably will be cooler during the morning and
afternoon if a light breakfast and luncheon are eaten. It is not well,
however, to make any radical change from one's regular habits.

Manual workers require more food, and the heavy meal had best be eaten
in the middle of the day. All three meals should be substantial. There
is no danger of eating too much if the system is not overburdened.

Not only is pork rich and fat, and therefore very heating, but it is the
quickest of all meats to spoil. Veal also spoils very quickly if not
kept at the proper temperature. Of all meats mutton has the best keeping
qualities. Beef also keeps well and is a safe meat to eat in summer.

Flies are dangerous under any conditions, but particularly should they
be avoided where meat is kept. The bacteria they carry thrive
particularly on meat, and therefore are apt more rapidly to multiply
than if deposited on some other food. Care should be taken to buy meat
only from places where adequate protection is provided against flies.

It is of the greatest importance to keep the meat at a uniform cold
temperature. It should not be allowed to become heated, and then cooled
again. Some meat shops still keep the meat on open counters or hooks and
replace it in the refrigerators at the close of the day. These shops
should be carefully avoided. Modern methods provide glass-covered
refrigerating counters which keep the meat cool while it is on display.

Meat should be kept at as low a temperature as possible. The ordinary
refrigerator is at a little above freezing and temperatures at or below
zero are preferable.

SCIENTIFIC DRESSING.--By dressing scientifically it is possible to
minimize the effect of the heat. The heat from the sun must be kept away
from the body and the heat generated by the body permitted to escape.
These results can best be accomplished by having the clothes very loose
fitting, so as to leave ample air space, and by having the outer clothes
of a good non-conductor of heat. The cloth, of course, should be as
light in weight as possible, but it is more important to have it a good
non-conductor of heat and of porous weave.

Not enough attention is paid to the selection of colors for resisting
the heat. Two cloths identical except in color will show a great
difference in the comparative amount of heat they let through. Light
shades should be chosen, but care should be taken to see that they are
not glaring, so as to irritate the eye and increase the mental effect of
heat.

Linen and silk are better non-conductors than wool. And the weave of a
cloth has a great deal to do with the amount of heat it lets through.
Smooth, hard weaves absorb much less heat than fuzzy weaves. For this
reason, serge is much cooler than worsted of the same shade and weight.
A mistake is often made, however, in getting serge of a dark blue. It
should be of as light a color as possible; gray is much cooler than
blue. A white serge is much cooler than white flannel, because it is
less fuzzy.

Linen is much cooler than woolens, because it is a better non-conductor
and is of more porous weave. The linen thread is rough, which causes
inequalities in the weave, permitting a more thorough circulation of
air. Cotton is a still better non-conductor than linen, and would be
preferable for summer clothes but for the fact that it neither wears nor
holds its shape so well.

Mohair is very light in weight and cool looking. As a matter of fact,
however, it is a fairly good conductor of heat, is closely woven, and
usually comes in dark shades. It is a woolen cloth, and any woolen has
its threads woven more closely on account of the process of manufacture
than linens, cotton, and silk cloths. Linen is perhaps the best material
for summer wear. It is porous in weave, light in color, and of fairly
light weight.

It is well to remember that the safety valve of the body in hot weather
is the evaporation of perspiration, not the act of perspiring. If the
hand is put in a glove, for instance, it will perspire much more than if
in the open air, but it will not be as cool. It is the evaporation that
is a cooling process. If the perspiration is absorbed it cannot
evaporate. That is why loose fitting undergarments are cooler than tight
ones. It is also the reason why cotton is cooler next to the skin than
linen or silk; it absorbs moisture less freely.

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER.--Water, and a great deal of it, is desirable at
any time during the summer. It should be drunk freely during the day.
Lemonade also is good, the slight acid being an aid to digestion. It is
best to have beverages cooled only to a moderate temperature. Ice water
is not bad, but it would be preferable if it were not at so extreme a
temperature. Ice is resorted to only as a convenient means of securing a
palatable temperature; the system does not crave extreme cold. Water at
the temperature of the air is nauseating, so ice is put into it and the
other extreme secured. Sixty degrees is the ideal temperature for
drinking water. If this could be conveniently obtained it would be
preferred to a greater degree of cold. Not only is it less harmful to
the system, but it is more satisfying and thirst-quenching. Water put in
bottles and left in a refrigerator until properly chilled is the best
way of preparing a summer beverage. When any beverage is sufficiently
cold to cause a pain in the head or throat when drinking it the result
may be harmful. Cold water poured on the wrist or head has a cooling
effect and tends to reduce the ice water habit.

If one could afford it, it would be well to drink nothing but mineral
water in the summer. Not only does it assure purity, but the gas is an
aid to digestion and serves to render the water more palatable. This
results in more of it being drunk than if it were flat water, and it is
desirable to drink as much water as possible in hot weather. By mineral
water I mean carbonated bottled waters intended for table use. Care
should be taken that the water is only lightly impregnated with salt.

It is much safer to drink a well-known water. The water may not be
bottled at the spring or it may be bottled under unsanitary conditions.
In many cases mineral water is not all that it should be in cleanliness.
Unless one is sure of the purity of a bottled water good hydrant water
supplied through the city pipes is safer.

In traveling, however, and at summer resorts it would be well to drink
nothing but mineral water of a well-known brand. Only by doing this and
by being certain that the bottle has not been refilled can one be safe.
The supplied on trains and in resorts frequently is not as pure as that
supplied in large cities.

On the whole, however, mineral water has no particular advantage over
ordinary water except that the well-known brands are sure to be pure,
and the carbonization makes it more tasty and so increases the amount
consumed. It is much safer and more healthful to drink a well-known
mineral water than the so-called soft drinks, many of which are unclean
and harmful.




DISEASES OF WOMEN




CHAPTER XXIX

DISEASES OF WOMEN

     Importance of Diseases of Women--The Beginning of Female
     Disease--Ailing Women Are Inefficient--As Home-makers, as Wife,
     as Mother--Few Ailing Women Become Pregnant--The Chief Cause of
     Female Disease--The Existence of the Average Mother--Female
     Diseases Are Avoidable--The Story of the Wife--Women Who Don't
     Want Children--Abuse of the Procreative Function--What the
     Woman with Female Disease Should Do--Cancer in Women--Cancer of
     the Breast--Cancer of the Womb--What Every Woman Should Know
     About Cancer--Change of Life--The Menopause--The
     Climacteric--The Average Age at Which the Change of Life
     Occurs--Symptoms of the Change of Life--Importance of a Correct
     Diagnosis--Danger Signals of the Change of Life--Conduct During
     the Change of Life.


No conscientious physician can give thought to this subject without
being profoundly stirred. It may justly be said that all types of
disease affecting the general health, the happiness, and the efficiency
of the people are equally important, and should elicit the same degree
and quality of kindly consideration. For many reasons this is not so, as
I will endeavor to show. The dominating reason which renders diseases of
women an exception to this rule may be mentioned here, however, so that
the reader will keep its supreme significance prominently in mind while
considering the subject in its various other aspects. "Diseases of
women" rank first as a eugenic problem. They have a direct and
far-reaching influence on posterity. They affect the environment of the
home and thereby the health and the efficiency of all concerned.

The diseases which form the basis of the statements in this article are
as follows: leucorrhea, displacements, or malpositions of the internal
organs; lacerations, ulcers, tumors, sexual incompetency, and the
venereal complications.

It is not possible or desirable to tabulate the symptoms which result
from these conditions. They would not convey to the average individual a
just picture or an intelligent summary of the life of a victim of these
ailments. An actual description of the life of a patient will be more
effective because it will depict the incidental domestic atmosphere in
which most of these patients live.

THE BEGINNING OF FEMALE DISEASE.--When a woman first begins to feel the
effects of so-called "female weakness" she is conscious of not feeling
"fit." She wonders what the matter is. She may not have actual pain at
this time, simply the consciousness that "she is not what she used to
be." Her work seems harder and more tedious, she worries without cause,
she begins the day with less energy and ambition than she used to, her
disposition is more uneven, more irritable and she tires easier and is
more willing to retire earlier than formerly. After a time she has more
or less undefined pains. It may be an occasional headache, or backache,
or she may have various severe neuralgic twinges. She gets nervous and
moody; her appetite is not good and she is troubled with constipation. A
little later, the general condition growing worse, her nervous system
suffers most. So she drifts into neurasthenia and has fits of crying and
periods of melancholia. She is more irritable, more impatient, more
dissatisfied with herself, her family, and her friends. She loses faith
in herself, in the future, and even in her religion, and she may
contemplate self-destruction.

There are thousands and thousands of just such women in the world, and
the pity is that many of them are mothers. It is surely self-evident
that these women must be failures as efficient factors in many ways.


NEUROPATHIC ANCESTRY[C]

[Illustration]

From a first glance at the chart it would appear that Daniel was an
accidental case of feeble-mindedness. His progenitors were, however,
decidedly neuropathic. The presence of apoplexy, paralysis, alcoholism
in a family should be watched for with vigilance because of their
possible effect upon the nervous system of the offspring.

[Illustration]

Parents would do well to scrutinize the man who "led a fast life" before
allowing him marry their daughter. The world would be shocked if it knew
how many men with disease enter into conjugal relations. David's father
had syphilis. David's feeble-mindedness was probably only one of the
awful results.

[Footnote C: "Feeble-mindedness; Its Causes and Consequences," Goddard,
The Macmillan Company.]


AILING WOMEN ARE INEFFICIENT

FIRST OF ALL AS HOME-MAKERS.--No woman can possibly be expected to
successfully conduct a home if she is not enjoying a reasonable degree
of good health. A home inefficiently supervised is an instrument for
evil. It engenders discord and discontent, and it is lacking in the
spirit which is essential to the cultivation of good-fellowship and
which encourages harmony.

AS WIFE.--Most men resent the burden and the discomfort and the expense
of an ailing wife, no matter how well-intentioned they may be. It is a
failing of the male species to be cursed with the inability to
understand any type of nervousness in a wife. Being inexplicable to him
he attributes the symptoms to an evil imagination or to a bad
disposition. He believes he is being imposed upon and proceeds to resent
it. Many homes are rendered permanently miserable and unhappy by a
failure to comprehend the real source of the trouble and to apply the
remedy. Being inefficient as a home-maker the wife is not able to carry
out her part as housekeeper. The home atmosphere is wrecked, the husband
seeks comfort and congenial fellowship elsewhere. His efficiency is
compromised and his earning capacity interfered with.

AS MOTHER.--Anyone familiar with the exacting obligations and
responsibilities of motherhood can well appreciate that normal health is
an essential requisite to its successful consummation. The success of
motherhood depends upon the proper exercise of many diversified
qualities, and those in turn primarily depend upon an adequate degree of
physical fitness, otherwise failure is certain to ensue. A woman,
therefore, cannot exercise her function of motherhood if she is a
neurasthenic.

Inasmuch as it has been proved that the regeneration of the race is
dependent upon the maintenance of mentally and physically fit mothers,
any condition that interferes with this standard is contrary to the
eugenic requirement. Children sent out into the word unfit physically or
morally are factors detrimental to the best interests of society and to
their own progress and prosperity. A mother rendered incapable through
sickness is, therefore, a menace to the home and to the eugenic promise.

FEW AILING WOMEN BECOME PREGNANT.--Nature fortunately seems to apprehend
the true condition because few of these women become pregnant. This
suggests an inquiry into the cause, or causes, underlying this
unfortunate situation.

Are women responsible for these ailments?

Most married women whose health is broken down by some disease peculiar
to their sex refer the commencement of their suffering to a confinement
or premature birth. The large majority of those women whose health is
affected, because of some "female weakness," suffer from a displacement,
or malposition of the internal organs, and as this condition is most
frequently a product of maternity, there would seem to be some
reasonable degree of justification for the assumption that the wrecked
health is the result of a legitimate physiological act, and consequently
a natural phenomenon. This is not, however, altogether true. A
displacement is not, under any circumstances, a natural process. It is
the result of causes which are avoidable. Most of them are the penalties
imposed by nature because of the infraction of her laws. We will not
consider those causes which have their beginning in wrong methods of
dress or conduct during the years prior to maternity. Many such cases
exist, but they are too few in number to justify consideration at this
time. They are frequent enough, however, to suggest to mothers that it
is always wise to keep a close watch over the tendencies and conduct of
their daughters.

THE CHIEF CAUSE OF FEMALE DISEASES.--When a woman has given birth to a
child her womb begins to contract and in a very brief space of time will
resume its normal position, provided nothing interferes with the
process. Nature will do exactly what is right if she is permitted to
work in her own way. In another part of this book I have explained why
it takes time for the recently pregnant womb to contract to its normal
size. There is a 600 per cent. increase in volume to be got rid of by
absorption. This takes time and nature can not be hurried without
"taking chances." This is just where the "cause" exists which we have
been looking for. Women do take chances.

Every woman should stay in bed for at least three weeks after
confinement and should spend another three weeks convalescing before she
assumes any domestic duty. This is a reasonable proposition when one
considers the actual situation. There is an enormous amount of
readjustment to be undertaken, and there is no way of hastening this
process. There is, however, a way to assist nature and to prevent
mistakes. That way is to remain in bed a sufficient length of time to
allow proper contraction of the womb. While the ligaments and muscles
are still lax, to not undertake any muscular effort that will overtax or
overstrain them,--a condition that favors displacement by weakening the
support of the womb. A woman cannot understand why she should stay in
bed when she feels well enough to get up. It is, however, unjust to
censure the sex on this account. I am convinced the fault lies with the
medical profession who do not take time to explain, in language which a
woman may understand, the important reasons why they should stay longer
in bed despite the fact that they do feel well.

THE EXISTENCE OF THE AVERAGE MOTHER.--In considering this subject it is
necessary to give some serious thought to the domestic and financial
circumstances of the thousands and thousands of average mothers. Every
observing, thinking person knows that the average mother's existence is
more or less of a never-ending tragedy. Physically, mentally, and
spiritually, they are victims of unalterable economic and social
exigencies. They are compelled, because of ignorance, to live an
unsanitary and unhygienic existence. The care of home and children, and
maybe the unappreciative and inconsiderate attention of a careless and
vindictive husband, add to the incidental worries,--fraying her nerves
and disposition,--of the ordinary routine of a cheerless, hopeless life.
Add to this experience the enormous drain of frequent child bearing upon
her vitality, and we have a picture with which every physician is
familiar.

Can such a woman possibly observe the essential rules of the hygiene of
pregnancy? Has she the time and the means to build up her reserve energy
and strength to competently undertake the duties of maternity or
motherhood? Is she physically fit to give birth to a child? After it is
all over can she devote the time to permit nature to do her share of the
physical readjustment? Can she afford, or will she be permitted to
remain in bed long enough to allow conditions to be favorable to
getting up without "taking a chance"? Inasmuch as her muscular tone is
poor, her strength depleted, her vitality wasted, her ambition and hope
at a low ebb, nature should be given a longer time, under the most
favorable hygienic and domestic conditions, to help in the problem of
readjustment, because her whole future, as an efficient machine, as
wife, as mother, as home-maker, and as an economic individuality, is
dependent upon how this crisis is met. This is the most important
problem which an enlightened civilization has before it. It is the
supreme eugenic task, and it is the most pressing and the most vital
question for statesmen to solve. No man can deny that the permanency of
the state is dependent upon the function of motherhood, yet motherhood
is conducted by unskilled labor--labor, the quality of which no business
would tolerate. We also know that the health of the workman has become
an economic problem. Capital finds that labor is of better quality, and
consequently more remunerative in every sense, if the environment is
conducive to happiness and health. Yet motherhood, the most important
labor in the world, upon which the very existence of the state depends,
in addition to being performed by unskilled labor, is undertaken by
physically unfit and frequently unwilling laborers, in an environment
which is a disgrace to civilization and which cannot be duplicated in
the whole realm of the brute world. This is the quality of labor, the
products of which constitute the state.

If anyone is disposed to believe that this is an over-drawn picture, let
him study the facts brought out in the recent patent medicine
investigation. It was found that one small, unimportant, quack medical
company had under treatment at one time (the day the government closed
it up) 200,000 women, suffering exclusively from female diseases. How
many similar cases must there be to support the large advertising
concerns, whose tentacles reach to the remotest corners of the country
and who limit their activity and cater to "diseases of women" only. Let
him also give some thought to the fact that no specialty in the whole
field of legitimate medical practice has grown with such enormous
strides, or is as remunerative to the ordinary physician as the
department of "diseases of women."

FEMALE DISEASES ARE AVOIDABLE.--If, as has been asserted, the great
majority of these ailments are traceable to causes which are avoidable,
what is the remedy? In one word it is "Enlightenment." We must educate
the ordinary mother who is so busy over her wash tubs and babies that
she has no time to seek information upon subject which she doesn't even
know exist, who does not even know how to feed her baby as well as the
scrubbiest cat does her kitten, who does not know what eugenics means
and is interested in it even less. We must stop limiting our talks to
theorizing in clubs and societies. We must carry the tidings to the
firesides of those hundreds of thousands of women who would listen and
act, but who do not know what to do or how to correct their faults.

There is another feature of this subject which should be recalled in
this connection. It has already been gone into in detail in the article
on eugenics. There are many thousands of women who are compelled to
fight the battle of life, upon whom an unjust disease has been grafted,
which is sapping their strength and vitality, and which they do not
appreciate or understand. Husbands infect wives unwittingly, wreck their
constitutions, blast their hope of ever having a child, and then heap
upon them abuse for an inability for which they are themselves directly
responsible. Many homes are desecrated in this way and the real culprit
is never suspected. Many women, who begin their married life under the
most auspicious conditions so far as physical fitness or temperamental
quality is concerned, have their health, and happiness, and success
utterly ruined, and after spending a miserable, wretched existence, have
their hope of maternity forever blasted on the operating table. The
story of "the wife" has never been told. It is God's riddle.

WOMEN WHO DON'T WANT CHILDREN.--Sometimes the woman is at fault. Many
young wives begin married life with the intention of not having a child
for a year or two. They don't want to be tied down too soon. They want
some fun themselves. They are willing to become the legal mistress of a
man, but they are not willing to assume the responsibilities of married
life. It is difficult to understand the ethics of this type of morality.
I have always given these young wives credit with simply not knowing
what they were doing. Either their education or their common sense is
lamentably deficient, or what is still worse, their mother was the wrong
kind of a woman. If these unfortunate young wives have no regard for the
cultivation of a good conscience, they should at least have some regard
for their own health. From a purely selfish standpoint,--the standpoint
of efficiency and success,--one would imagine these women would be
unwilling to risk their whole future physical welfare on the chance of
immunity--and it is a small chance.

ABUSE OF THE PROCREATIVE FUNCTION.--In order to carry out this
programme, various means are brought into requisition. In many cases I
have known the wife has compelled the husband to wear devices which
rendered conception impossible. This is a highly reprehensible
procedure. If continued for any length of time it will seriously affect
the husband's nervous system and general health, as this act is simply a
form of self-abuse. Any husband who will tolerate such imposition is
beginning married life wrong. He will pay a high price for his
complacency. Any woman who suggests or acquiesces in such an arrangement
is a moral degenerate and is absolutely unworthy of ever becoming a
mother.

Some women buy expensive and fantastic syringes and proceed to abuse
themselves with strong antiseptic solutions. This will result in killing
the sensitiveness of the terminal nerves and end in depriving themselves
of the pleasure with which a wise Providence endowed the procreative
act. If the element of sexual incompetency enters the home of a young
couple, it is the beginning of the end and each chapter of the story
will be a worse hell than the one just ended. The wise husband will see
that its cause will not be tolerated or begun in his family.

If pregnancy should unwittingly occur they do not hesitate to adopt
drastic means to "bring themselves around." They will procure some
prescription which may have gone the rounds as a "marvel" but which
always fortunately fails when they need it most. Thus they subject their
system to the shock of violent medication and lay up for themselves in
the future untold miseries. If these means fail, they go to "a woman
whom they know" who "brings them around." If these young wives only knew
what they were doing they could not be bought at any price to submit to
such surgical tragedies. The least probable result will be that when the
time arrives and circumstances are opportune to have a baby, and when it
is their dearest wish to be a mother, they will discover that they no
longer possess the ability to conceive. Many homes have been rendered
childless in just this way. You cannot violate the laws of nature
without paying the penalty in some way, and it is usually a sad
reckoning.

WHAT THE WOMAN WITH FEMALE DISEASE SHOULD DO.--To those wives who are
suffering with "female weakness," or who are in poor health without
apparent or known cause, I would strongly advise a visit to their family
physician or to an expert in diseases of women. Tell him exactly how you
feel and submit to a thorough examination. Most of the diseases of women
are readily curable, and if treated right all the symptoms which have
rendered life miserable will disappear. It may be stated with the
strongest emphasis, however, that no treatment from an advertising
concern, or any patent medicine ever made, will in any sense cure any of
these ailments. Every cent invested in any of these nostrums is money
wasted. Medicine by the mouth is never necessary to affect a cure of the
actual ailment. A physician will doubtless prescribe a tonic for your
general rundown condition. But even this would totally fail if the cause
of the ill health was not removed, and this necessitates an examination
and special local treatment. For any advertising concern to assert that
it can tell what ails a patient by simply filling out a symptom blank is
utter nonsense. It is worse. It is obtaining money under false
pretenses, and should be punishable by imprisonment at hard labor for a
long term.


CANCER IN WOMEN

My only object in referring to this disease is to direct the attention
of women to its symptoms.

The only cure for cancer at the present time is the knife. If the
disease can be reached it can be cured, if taken in hand early.

In women, cancer occurs most frequently in the breast and in the womb.

CANCER OF THE BREAST.--Of all the tumors which affect the breast, cancer
is the most frequent. Any tumor in the breast of a woman forty years of
age or more is quite likely to be a cancer. A tumor (or lump) which has
remained small for years and then begins to grow rapidly has changed its
type and become cancerous. Many such tumors change in this way during
the "change of life." Any tumor of the breast, at any age, which remains
despite effort to dissipate it should be removed by operation. A
physician is not justified in assuring a woman that a lump in the breast
is harmless. It should be cut into and examined to positively decide its
character. Early operation of tumors of the breast has greatly reduced
the percentage of deaths from cancer.

CANCER OF THE WOMB.--Occasional slight hemorrhages becoming more
frequent, and later more abundant and offensive, constitute one of the
first symptoms of cancer of the womb. Between the actual bleedings there
is a discharge resembling dish-water. This discharge has a foul odor.
Pain is as a rule a late symptom. Sometimes a severe pain extending into
the hip or abdomen is an early symptom but it is very infrequent. Every
woman over thirty who has a persistent leucorrhea, or any irregularity
of the menstrual function, should be examined for cancer.

WHAT EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CANCER.--Inasmuch as cancer is
curable if taken early, every woman should take steps to be on the safe
side.

If cancer is not taken early, it is certain death. A very large number
die who could have been saved.

Every lump in the breast should be positively diagnosed by cutting into
it and examining it. It would be safer to remove every tumor of the
breast at an early date.

Any discharge from the privates of a woman which has a bad or foul odor
is suspicious; any irregular bleeding is more than suspicious. Any woman
having these symptoms should be examined by a competent physician. Every
woman over thirty-five years of age should be examined by a physician
every six months. No woman should enter the change of life without a
very thorough examination. Cancer is a disease which does not permit
"taking a chance" with. It is far better to be certain, since it is
curable if caught early, than to find out about it when too late,
because, "too late" means death.


"CHANGE OF LIFE." THE MENOPAUSE

The average period of life during which a woman menstruates is from
thirty to thirty-two years. When this period is about to expire she
enters what is termed the "change of life," or the menopause, or the
climacteric.

The average age at which "change of life" occurs in this country is
about the forty-sixth year. It may normally occur, however, at any time
between the fortieth and fiftieth year. There are cases on record when
it has occurred earlier than the fortieth and later than the fiftieth
year. When menstruation in a girl begins early, the menopause occurs
late. On the other hand, if a girl does not have her regular monthly
periods until she is older than usual,--about the eighteenth or
twentieth year,--the "change of life" will set in at a very early age.
Women who are victims of certain exhausting diseases, as, consumption,
Bright's disease of the kidney, diabetes, or whose health is poor
because of general physical debility from any cause, or who have had a
large number of children in rapid succession, enter the "change of life"
earlier than they otherwise would if their health was good. In women who
are excessively fat the menopause is apt to occur at an early age. On
the other hand disease of the generative organs, or the presence of
tumors of the womb may retard the process. Women in the higher walk of
life, those living in cities those who do not labor or exercise
sufficiently will enter this period at an earlier date than those who
live in the country, who work and are physically more healthy.

SYMPTOMS OF "CHANGE OF LIFE."--When the menopause begins, the monthly
periods are less profuse, the flow is scanty. As the months pass,
menstruation becomes less and less until it ceases entirely. In a
certain number of cases it stops abruptly and never appears again.
Sometimes a period misses altogether, or a number of periods are passed
over without any sign of menstruation, after which it may reappear
either as a scanty flow, or as a profuse discharge. This may be followed
for a number of months by irregular appearances of the menstrual
phenomenon and then by its total cessation.

These may be the only symptoms or signs of the "change of life," and
this is the normal state if the health is good. It cannot, however, be
said that this is the average experience. Unfortunately the women of the
present time do not live lives which conduce to robust health at this
period of life. We find as a rule that the general health is below par.
So they suffer from headache, "flushes," digestive disturbances, and
many nervous symptoms which appear to be directly caused by the process
through which they are passing. The "flushes" are disagreeable
experiences. They consist of a feeling of heat which spreads over the
entire body as if the blood was rushing to the surface and to the head.
These flushes are followed by sweating and chilly sensations. The
nervous symptoms may be quite marked. The woman loses her interest in
the daily happenings. She may have mental vagaries, she is irritable and
often melancholy and periods of seeming insanity may occur.

IMPORTANCE OF A CORRECT DIAGNOSIS.--It is a mistake to attribute every
symptom a woman may have at this time of life to the menopause. She is
just as liable to develop conditions at this time, which she would at
any age, and which have no relation to the "change of life." Every
symptom should, therefore, be carefully investigated, because serious
conditions may complicate the menopause, and if attributed to it and
neglected, may end disastrously.

During the "change of life," the generative organs become smaller or, as
it has been termed, "dry up." The breasts also are involved in the
shrinking process. It is quite a common experience for women to "lay on"
fat, to become "flabby," at this age.

It is important that women should become familiar with the ordinary
symptoms of the "change of life," in order that they may be constantly
on guard against conditions that may indicate danger. Medical
investigation has conclusively proved that many women lose their lives
because they regarded the presence of certain symptoms as common to the
"change of life." There is a tendency to disease at this time which must
be intelligently considered, and if women are not posted to note unusual
signs or symptoms they may neglect or ignore them, only to find when too
late that these signs and symptoms were no part of the "change of life."

THE DANGER SIGNALS OF THE CHANGE OF LIFE.--There are certain "danger
signals" which should warn every woman that something is amiss, these
are:--

(1) Profuse bleeding during the process of the "change."

(2) Bleeding occurring between the regular menstrual periods.

(3) The reappearance of slight bleedings or hemorrhages after
menstruation has ceased for a number of months.

These symptoms are always suggestive of the presence of conditions that
should not exist. They may indicate cancer, or some less serious
condition that is amenable to cure by prompt and efficient treatment.
Inasmuch as they may mean the beginning of cancer,--as explained in the
preceding chapter on cancer, and which should be read in this
connection,--immediate steps should be taken to find out the actual
facts. Delay means death if it is cancer, while the most recent
statistics show that in many cases a complete cure is possible if the
surgeon gets the case early.

CONDUCT DURING "CHANGE OF LIFE."--When a woman enters the "change of
life" she is approaching a crisis that demands the most conscientious
attention on her own part, and the sincerest consideration by all around
her. She has reached the time of life when she owes herself something,
and if she is wise she will willingly pay the debt. If she is not in
good health she must make every effort to regain it promptly, even if
radical measures must be employed in doing so. Nothing will contribute
to her mental and physical comfort more than robust health during this
period.

She must employ every hygienic measure that experience has taught us
contributes to our well being. She must live an outdoor life as much as
possible, taking sufficient exercise to keep the muscles and bodily
functions in good condition. If she cannot exercise enough she should
sit out of doors, dressed in seasonable clothing, and she should make up
the deficiency in exercise by employing a competent masseuse. A thorough
massage twice a week is sufficient. If her physician recommends an
occasional Turkish bath it is a desirable aid as it helps the skin to
throw off any excess of waste matter that may be circulating in the
blood.

The home environment of these women should be congenial, and they should
be relieved of the work and worry incident to domestic life. The nervous
condition demands this degree of consideration, and the husband should
make it his business to see that the wife, who has toiled to aid him
during all the long years of married companionship, is accorded every
possible help through the most trying and important period of her life.
It is not to be understood, however, that she should be left without
occupation. It is possible to indulge in congenial work which will
occupy her time and attention without overtaxing her strength or fraying
her nerves. A certain amount of amusement is desirable, and helps to
tide over periods that might lag and encourage introspection and worry.
An entire change of scenery and surroundings. A visit to the seashore or
to the mountains is to be commended.

During this period the diet should be simple and the bowels should be
kept open regularly. Inasmuch as these patients frequently suffer from
digestive disturbances, it is wise to refrain from those articles of
diet that ordinarily cause indigestion. Such articles are, sweet dishes,
pies, pastries, candies, fresh bread, fried food, sugars, and the
relishes and seasoning extras which constitute the et ceteras of the
table. Meat should never be taken to excess, alcohol and all stimulants
are to be avoided. Water may be taken freely to advantage.




THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL




CHAPTER XXX

THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL

     What Mothers Should Know About the Patent Medicine
     Evil--Tonics--Used by Temperance People Because it Could
     "Stimulate"--Stomach Bitters--Blood
     Bitters--Sarsaparilla--Celery Compounds--Malt Whisky--Headache
     Remedies--Pain Powders--Anti-headache Powders--Headache
     Powders--Soothing Syrups--Baby's Friends--Catarrh
     Powders--Kidney Pills--Expectorant--Cough Syrup--Lithia
     Waters--Health, Wealth and Happiness for a Dollar a Bottle--New
     Discovery for Consumption--Consumption Cure--Cancer
     Cures--Pills for Pale People--Elixir of Life.


WHAT MOTHERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL

Much has been written about the patent medicine evil during the past few
years. One very thorough crusade has been instituted and efficiently
carried through, exposing the evils of the patent medicine business.
Whatever legislation is in force to-day which has for its object the
regulation of the evil, is largely a product of that crusade.
Notwithstanding these efforts, it is a fact that scarcely any of the
great majority who should be interested in the subject, because they are
its victims, have any knowledge of the nature or extent of the evil, or
appreciate its far-reaching and pernicious influence. For two reasons I
regard it as peculiarly fitting, that the subject should be given
adequate consideration in this book:--

First, because mothers should be told the whole truth about all
conditions that have any influence on the health of the members of the
home.

Second, because though we are the victims of many evils and many forms
of "graft," which directly or indirectly affect our pockets and our
morals, we submit to them because they have no bearing on the physical
well-being of the race. As mothers, however, and as the conservers of
the fitness of the family and the home, we are directly and rightly
interested in an evil which deeply affects the health and the efficiency
of members of the family as the patent medicine evil does. It is through
the mothers of the race that this enemy of the home must be finally and
completely overthrown. If every mother in the land could be taught to
understand even a fraction of the truth of the insidious wrong hidden
under the mask of the nostrum advertisement, we would witness a
righteous resentment that could only be satisfied by legislative
enactment that would wipe out forever the whole infamous business. No
spasmodic or localized effort will ever succeed against this public
enemy. Its very strength is the people whom it dupes and despises,
because they supply the money with which the patent medicine combine
fights its battles.

It has been estimated that three hundred millions of dollars are spent
annually on patent medicines and fake medical cures in the United
States. Three hundred million dollars fraudulently obtained every year,
mostly from the poor, is surely a subject deserving of honest and
careful consideration.

The pure food and drug act compelled the manufacturers of patent
medicines to publish the formulæ of their remedies on their labels. This
is a big step in the right direction. Many States have helped the
propaganda in one way or another, but much remains to be done. When the
formulæ were demanded it was discovered that all nostrums belonged to a
certain class. For example it was found that the soothing syrups--which
are fed to babies--all contained opium in some form, or an equally
dangerous drug. The headache remedies were all dangerous, every one of
them containing ingredients which affect the heart seriously. The
so-called tonics owed their chief virtue to their stimulating effect,
which was due to the alcohol they contained and which in many instances
practically equaled ordinary whisky in quality, quantity, and effect.

It has been authoritatively stated that more alcohol is consumed in this
country in patent medicines than is dispensed in a legal way by licensed
liquor venders, barring the sale of ales and beer.

Many so-called remedies were found to contain absolutely no medication
at all. They were simply sugar, or starch, or some harmless substance.
But they were being sold to cure anything from kidney disease to cancer.
It was an astonishing revelation and in a way it showed how far men will
go to attain financial success.

A well-known tonic was at the time of the investigation one of the most
prominent proprietary nostrums in the country. The actual cost including
bottle, label, contents, and packing is between fifteen and eighteen
cents. It costs in the drug store $1.00 per bottle. It was found to
contain alcohol and water and a pinch of burnt sugar for coloring
purposes, and one-half of one per cent. of mild drugs. It was claimed
that it would cure all or any of the diseases listed in the book, and
that list practically includes all the ills of man. It is within the
limits of truth to assert that this tonic, though advertised as a
medicine, was largely in demand as a stimulant and intoxicant,--just as
a certain famous malt whisky is to-day. Voluminous evidence is on record
wherein it is shown that it was used in enormous quantities as a
stimulant, in exactly the same way as ordinary whisky is used. The dose
of any medicine is, as a rule, seldom over a tablespoonful three or four
times a day. The average individual would imagine that there would be
some risk attached to increasing the dose from a tablespoonful to the
contents of a large size bottle. The only risk was that the patient got
a more profound and maybe a more satisfying "jag." In "no license" towns
this tonic was bought by the druggists in gross lots and used
exclusively for its intoxicating properties. In southern Ohio, and in
the mountain districts of West Virginia the "---- jag" was a standard
form of intoxication. In many Southern newspapers there appeared
regularly advertised cures for the "---- habit," brought on by the use
of this preparation,--and no doubt the cure was a stronger percentage of
liquor as this scheme was frequently worked to steal the patients from
one remedy to another.

The following communication was sent out by the Department of the
Interior, as a result of the alarming reports which were regularly
reaching Washington regarding the prevalence of drunkenness among the
Indians, despite the fact that "no liquor" was sold in these government
reservations. The fact was that the Indians had discovered this pleasant
tonic.

     DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

     Office of Indian Affairs.

     Washington, D. C.

     To Indian Agents and School Superintendents in charge of
     Agencies:

     In connection with this investigation, please give particular
     attention to the proprietary medicines and other compounds
     which the traders keep in stock, with special reference to the
     liability of their misuse by Indians on account of the alcohol
     which they contain. The sale of ----, which is on the lists of
     several traders, is hereby absolutely prohibited. As a
     medicine, something else can be substituted; as an intoxicant,
     it has been found too tempting and effective....

Mr. S. H. Adams in "The Great American Fraud" writes as follows: "The
other reason why this or some other of its class is often the agency of
drunkenness instead of whisky is that the drinker of it doesn't want to
get drunk, at least she doesn't know that she wants to get drunk. I use
the feminine pronoun advisedly, because the remedies of this class are
largely supported by women. Several of the others of these well-known
proprietary medicines depend for their popularity chiefly on their
alcohol. One celery compound relieves depression and lack of vitality on
the same principle that a cocktail does, and with the same necessity for
repetition. I know an estimable lady from the Middle West who visited
her dissipated brother in New York--dissipated from her point of view,
because she was a pillar of the W. C. T. U., and he frequently took a
cocktail before dinner and came back with it on his breath, whereon she
would weep over him as one lost to hope. One day, in a mood of brutal
exasperation, when he had not had his drink and was able to discern the
flavor of her grief, he turned on her: 'I'll tell you what's the matter
with you,' he said, 'You're drunk--maudlin drunk!'

"She promptly and properly went into hysterics. The physician who
attended diagnosed the case more politely, but to the same effect, and
ascertained that she had consumed something like half a bottle of a
certain swamp root that afternoon. Now, swamp root is a very creditable
'booze,' but much weaker in alcohol than most of its class. The brother
was greatly amused until he discovered, to his alarm, that his drink
abhorring sister couldn't get along without her patent medicine bottle!
She was in a fair way, quite innocently, of becoming a drunkard."

Another famous stomach bitters was found to contain, according to an
official State analysis, 44 per cent. of alcohol; another mixture
contained 20 per cent. of alcohol; a certain blood bitters contained 25
per cent. of alcohol; a sarsaparilla 26 per cent.; a celery compound 21
per cent.; the malt whiskey is in this class and is a particularly
obnoxious fraud, for it pretends to be a medicine and to relieve all
kinds of lung and throat disease. It is especially favored by temperance
people because in this way they get their "grog" in the guise of a
medicine. It is sold in many places across the bar of saloons at 15
cents per drink, as many other brands of rye and Bourbon whisky are
sold.

Think of treating any disease of the stomach with the famous stomach
bitters containing 44 per cent. of alcohol,--just 6 per cent. less than
the amount of alcohol in an ordinary bottle of whisky. Yet all of these
patent medicines have made fortunes for their owners, some of them have
made millions in a few years.

A number of years ago a company with a keen vision for profits conceived
the idea of bottling the water of the Great Lakes and selling it at
almost champagne prices. When delivered to the druggist ready for sale
the "remedy" contained 99 per cent. water, the other 1 per cent.
consisting of a few drops of an inert acid, used simply to give it a
slight tart taste. The preparation had absolutely no medical utility of
any description.

One of the greatest advertising crusades ever carried out in the
interest of a patent medicine was inaugurated and in these
advertisements it was claimed that it would cure:--

    Asthma,
    Bronchitis,
    Coughs, Colds,
    Cancer,
    Dyspepsia,
    Fevers,
    Hay Fever,
    Leucorrhea,
    Piles, Quinsy,
    Skin Diseases,
    Throat Troubles,
    Abscess,
    Blood Poison,
    Consumption,
    Catarrh,
    Dandruff,
    Gallstones,
    Influenza,
    Malaria,
    Rheumatism,
    Tuberculosis,
    Anemia,
    Bowel Troubles,
    Contagious Diseases,
    Dysentery, Diarrhea,
    Eczema, Erysipelas,
    Goiter, Gout,
    La Grippe,
    Neuralgia,
    Scrofula,
    Tumors, Ulcers,

all diseases that begin with fever, inflammations, all catarrh, all
contagious diseases, all the results of impure or poisoned blood. "In
nervous diseases this remedy acts as a vitalizer, accomplishing what no
drugs can do." These are the exact words of the advertisement. It ought
to take a stronger vitalizer than water from the Great Lakes to induce
anyone to believe such a story; and yet this company attained a
remarkable success and had no difficulty in obtaining thousands of
testimonials.

We are certainly a nation of dupes, and Barnum's dictum, that "the
public loves to be fooled," is literally true. In a number of instances
the proprietor of a successful remedy has been asked under oath if his
preparation had any curative value and he has refused to answer the
question, while thousands of foolish people have sent him unsolicited
testimonials asserting its remarkable merits as a cure in all kinds of
conditions. Some of these ignorant people actually believe what they
write, but most of them write "to see their name in the paper," while
many of them are paid for it.

It was stated in the literature sent all over the country by this
company that their remedy was really liquid oxygen. It would be nearer
the truth to state that the moon was made of green cheese. The one
assertion can be disproved, the other cannot with scientific exactness.
Liquid oxygen practically does not exist. Assuming that it could be
obtained in teaspoonful doses, and assuming that some dauntless
individual made the attempt to take a dose, he would never swallow it
for the reason that it would freeze his teeth, tongue, mouth, and
throat, so that they would be useless to him for the remainder of his
life. If by any miracle it could be swallowed, the undertaker would have
to thaw him out over a stove in order to assure him a respectable
burial. We may safely feel certain that the nostrum was not liquid
oxygen. It is, however, a very fair sample of the foolish kind of lies
which all of these nostrum venders employ,--they are after, and appeal
only to the ignorant. I am informed that the directors of this company
decided to retire as ordinary millionaires rather than risk the chance
of developing nervous prostration, in which event they might have felt
it somewhat disloyal not to have taken their own medicine.

HEADACHE REMEDIES.--Most headache remedies are dangerous. The following
are in this class; orange powders, bromo powders, pain powders, headache
powders, anti-headache, and practically all headache powders or remedies
sold in drug stores.

Many deaths are on record from the use of orange powders and from
others. There are many examples of what an unthinking individual may do
to helpless little children.

Orange powders were recommended for the cure of asthma, biliousness,
headache, colds, catarrh, grip, diarrhea, hay fever, insomnia,
neuralgia, seasickness, and sciatica. There is no known cure for a
number of these diseases, and apart from the malicious assumption of the
claim, orange powders will not cure any of them.

Another dangerous headache nostrum, widely advertised all over the
country, is responsible for many deaths as a result of its use. It is
absolutely unsafe, as previously stated, to use any of these remedies.
Death by heart failure is on the increase in this country and it may
safely be attributed to the indiscriminate use of these powerful and
toxic nostrums.

The "soothing syrups" depend upon opium to effect their result. The
drugging of helpless infants has been a source of profit to the vender
of patent medicines for many years. A certain Baby Friend,--a touching
name, and in which one would not expect to find an enemy in the guise of
a deadly poison,--is a combination of sweetened water and morphine. This
disgraceful mixture, considering the use for which it was designed,
would be bad enough if it was the evil concoction of a man rendered
irresponsible by a strenuous craving for blood-money, but to know that
its proprietor is a woman seems beyond belief. I wonder if she would
feel sufficiently respectable and decently clean enough to stand on the
platform and face an audience of American mothers? I think not.

Catarrh powders contain, as a rule, cocaine, one of the most insidious
and dangerous of drugs. None of them cure catarrh, they simply relieve
for the time being at the expense of injuring more vital parts. Their
use also very frequently disposes the victim to postpone treatment that
would be beneficial until too late. M----'s Kidney Pills were said to
cure Bright's disease, gravel, all urinary troubles and pain in the back
or groins from kidney disease. Analysis showed them to consist of
ordinary white sugar. They contained absolutely no medication, and yet
they were freely sold to cure the above serious conditions. A famous
expectorant and an equally famous cough syrup contain opium and when
taken for the cure of cough are distinctly dangerous.

It is foolish and unnecessary to name any other patent medicine in the
list of those that are distinctly harmful and dangerous to use. There
are hundreds of them. It would take a book of a thousand pages to give
their names and write the data that have been obtained against them.
Every advertised medicine should be absolutely avoided. I could fill
this book with the death certificates of those who have died as a
result of the indiscriminate use of advertised nostrums. It is an
appalling record; the unfortunate part being that it is impossible to
acquaint every citizen with the facts.

Duplicity and misrepresentation are not confined to patent medicines.
Even the mineral waters are misrepresented and lied about. A
much-advertised lithia water, before the passage of the pure food and
drugs act, was highly vaunted as a uric acid eliminant because of the
lithia it was said to contain. Thousands, probably millions of gallons
of it have been sold during the past twenty years, to people who could
not very well afford to pay for it, because of this claim, despite the
fact that it is well known that lithia is not a uric acid eliminant, and
despite the additional important fact that the government analysis of
this lithia water proved that it practically contained no lithia
whatsoever. It is now being sold as an "alkaline diuretic." This claim
is no better supported by facts than the former claim that it was a
lithia water. Of course it is a diuretic, because water is the best
diuretic we possess, but any ordinary pure water, which costs nothing,
will just as effectually accomplish all that this lithia water could as
a diuretic.

It is a fact that the judgment of a sick person is not reliable. For
this reason a physician never tries to treat himself when sick, nor will
a physician treat any member of his family for much the same reason. His
sentiment overrules his judgment and he cannot depend upon his
decisions. An individual who is not well may be influenced by an
irresponsible person, or by a clever, subtly worded advertisement, to
use remedies that are not only dangerous in themselves, but which are
wholly unsuited to the condition for which they are taken.

Quite a common characteristic of sick people is unreasonableness. They
become irritable and discouraged, and not being able to rely upon their
own judgment they fail to render to themselves the degree of justice
that is essential to peace of mind and a favorable convalescence. They
may place themselves in the care of a reputable and thoroughly qualified
physician, but if they do not observe distinct evidences of improvement
within a very brief period they lose faith in him and change their
doctor. They may do this a number of times, until finally they reach the
conclusion that the entire medical profession is a fraud. They are then
the legitimate victims of the patent medicine shark or the fake-curist.
Probably ninety-nine per cent. of the victims of these parasites are
obtained in this way. The statement often seen in testimonials to the
effect, that "the best doctors failed to cure me," is not true in any
instance. The truth is, that the individual failed to give the doctors
the opportunity to cure him, and the reason he did not give them the
chance was because they treated him as a man and as a human being, which
he proved not to be. Had the first doctor he consulted adopted the
tactics of the quack he would have cured him in a much shorter time.
Instead of doing that, he told him the exact truth and charged him an
ordinary office fee, while the quack told him lies and charged him a
large sum of money to cure him. The latter gentleman, knowing the
tendency to vacillate which these individuals have, ensured himself the
time necessary to a cure by compelling him to pay the entire sum in
advance, which is their universal custom. The patient, therefore, could
not afford to change his doctor this time, and as time was all that was
necessary to his cure, the wily and oily quack gets all the credit for
effecting a cure, which "the best doctors could not accomplish." It is a
simple game, and the explanation is just as simple, but there are those
who will not see, and there are those who cannot be told.

It is not simple justice, however, to blame these individuals
altogether. We must keep in mind the irresolute judgment which is to a
certain extent a product of the ill-health with which the patient
suffers and the consequent easy tendency to be persuaded one way or
another. The way in which these people are influenced is always the
wrong way for the following reason. No person with any judgment or
common sense or justice or sympathy would be fool enough or inhuman
enough to give advice to a suffering sick man or woman as to what he or
she should do or take. These individuals do not lack advice, however.
There is always the pestering idiot around who knows exactly what
should be done, and who does not hesitate to enter where an angel would
fear to tread.

In the columns of almost every newspaper one may find promises of
health, wealth and happiness for a dollar a bottle. Even consumption has
been vaunted as an easily curable disease by a hundred different
nostrums, though the truth is that it is incurable by any known drug.
Men who advertise these remedies are deliberately trafficking in human
life, and they are thoroughly well aware of it. It is difficult to
conceive of the type of manhood who would advertise a remedy as "The
only sure cure for consumption in the world;" this was extensively done
by the concern that put a certain "New Discovery for Consumption" on the
market. Further announcement was made that "it strikes terror to the
doctors," and that it was "the greatest discovery of the century." Every
such assertion is a lie. It was found to be a mixture of morphine and
chloroform. It is a wicked concoction to give to any human being in good
health. To a consumptive it is admirably designed to shorten the life of
anyone who will take it steadily in the hope of a cure. It certainly
struck terror in the hearts of the doctors after its composition was
known and when it was remembered to whom it was to be given.

"Consumption Cure" was found to contain one of the most deadly of known
poisons,--prussic acid. In a booklet which was sent out by the
proprietors of a certain cough syrup the following contemptible
assertion is made: "There is no case of hoarseness, cough, asthma,
bronchitis, or consumption that cannot be cured speedily by the proper
use of this cough syrup." Such a cruel and dangerously fraudulent
statement is absolutely inexplicable to any honest mind. Dr. ----'s
---- pills for pale people, were advertised to cure paralysis. They were
found to be made of green vitriol, starch and sugar.

Those who bought these nostrums not only wasted their money, but they
threw away any chance of relief they have, by failing to adopt the
proper treatment until it was too late.

In directing the attention of mothers to the evil of the patent medicine
business it is my earnest hope that they will give to the subject
something more than a mere passing interest. To an intelligent
individual no lengthy argument,--other than the recital of such facts as
are given in this article,--is necessary to prove that it is an evil
which is deserving of the most serious consideration.

The business is one that appeals only to the ignorant. This is a plain
and probably a harsh assertion, nevertheless it is absolutely the simple
truth. The language and the reasoning of the nostrum vender are not
designed to appeal to the trained, educated mind, or to an individual
possessing innate common sense. Even though the average person is
unacquainted with the constituents of a remedy that apparently enjoys a
large success, the absurd claims made for it should safeguard them
against its use. Few would have purchased ordinary water at $1.00 a
bottle had they known what they were buying. But an individual with any
reasoning ability or ordinary common sense, should have been sceptical
regarding the merits of any remedy that was claimed to "cure," among
other diseases, consumption, cancer, rheumatism, malaria, gallstones,
asthma, blood poison, dandruff, and all contagious diseases. It would be
impossible to conceive a more mendacious and absurd claim, and it would
be impossible to concoct a more impertinently foolish assumption than to
assume that such a claim would receive the consideration of a sane mind.

Unfortunately, however, we are compelled to recognize that there are
some curious people in the world, people whose reasoning methods are
inexplicable, whose conclusions are not based upon any system of ethics
or of logic. They believe what they choose to believe, irrespective of
the quality of the testimony which may be advanced to refute their
belief. The following incident illustrates this peculiar perversity: A
woman patient of mine suffered from an obstinate and harassing cough.
Though her general health was rather poor, her lungs were not affected.
The cough persisted in spite of all efforts of specialists to alleviate
it. The nervous condition of the patient, and an unusually long spell of
inclement March weather, were directly responsible for the intractable
character of the ailment. I advised her to visit Florida. This advice
was given because her parents were then residing in that State. She did
go to Florida and her husband informed me a few weeks later that she was
entirely free from the cough and was enjoying good health. A number of
months later, shortly after her return home, I was called to attend her
husband. During the conversation incident to the call, she asked if I
"knew what cured her awful cough." Somewhat amazed, I replied,
"Certainly, Florida." She answered, with positive emphasis, "No, sir,
Florida did not." I then asked her to please explain the mystery and was
regaled with the following interesting information:

A few days after she reached Florida she met a woman--one of those
irresponsible individuals who meander through life giving free advice
upon subjects which they know nothing about, who talk eruptively and
voluminously because talking is an easily acquired habit. This
particular missionary of evil immediately confided to her the secret of
her life, how she was made a well woman and cured wholly of all physical
ills. She told her there was a man in Kansas who had discovered a
liquid, which, if dropped into the eye twice daily, would cure any
disease afflicting any member of the human family. This exuberant spider
induced her victim to enter her parlor where she convinced her at her
leisure that she was preaching the gospel. The result was that our
friend sent to Kansas for the "Elixir of Life." Meantime the climate of
Florida was doing its work. But just at this psychological moment the
"elixir" arrived. Two drops of the precious liquid were, with due
solemnity and deliberation, instilled into her eye and in a few days her
cough began to mend. It would have been waste of time to have asked if
she really believed the drops to be responsible for her cure. She spoke
with the enthusiastic conviction of a disciple of a worthier cause. I
inquired if she possessed any literature explaining the method of cure,
and she presented me with the printed matter which is sent with the
bottle. I told her I would look it over and tell her what I thought of
it later.

The _Message of Facts_, which was the title of the newspaper, (it was
printed like a newspaper and of the size of an ordinary paper),
contained complete information regarding the "wonderful remedy" and its
discoverer. He assumed the title of Professor and candidly admitted that
he had been arrested a number of times for practicing medicine without a
license. He asserted that the reason of his numerous arrests was because
the medical profession in the State of Kansas, being jealous of his
success instigated a course of insistent persecution against him. He
further asserted that he offered to sell his discovery to the State, but
the State refused to purchase it, consequently he had to go on
practicing to earn a living. With reference to his method of treatment
he stated:

"Despite the fact that medical men are too unfair and too prejudiced to
accord Professor ---- the credit he has justly earned, there is no
getting away from the plain truth, that the great scientist has
originated a method of conquering human ills that has completely
revolutionized the long-cherished theories of the medical schools."

And further, "... being the discoverer of my system and the only man in
the world practicing it, and having all cures and no cases of injury as
my record shows ..."

Note that, in the first quotation, he asserts that his methods have
revolutionized the old-time theories. This would surely imply that the
medical schools, having been compelled to note his successful ways, were
compelled likewise to change their theories and teach his way of curing
disease. Despite this strong and robust assertion he states, in the
second quotation, that he is the only man in the world practicing his
methods. Evidently he did not revolutionize to any very great extent.

He claimed to be able to cure any human ill, and particularly emphasized
his ability to cure consumption, Bright's disease, diabetes, epilepsy,
asthma, stomach troubles, nervous prostration, blindness, female
diseases, paralysis, heart and kidney diseases.

He, of course, does not state the nature of his remedy. It consists of a
liquid which is dropped into the eye, and the procedure is the same, no
matter what disease afflicts the patient. It is not essential to write
at length his explanation of the way in which this "marvelous
discovery" effects its cures. Suffice it to say, that it is a tissue of
anatomical and physiological misrepresentation. He admittedly is
uneducated and possesses absolutely no knowledge of even elementary
medicine. His explanation is, therefore, to a medical mind, a ludicrous
and an absurd attempt to tell what he does not understand. Of course,
his explanation is not supposed to fall into the hands of a physician,
and to a lay person, who understands as little as he does, it sounds all
right. We must again fall back on the foolish claims he makes and on the
basis of common sense we fail to understand how anyone can believe such
stuff. Yet the woman who firmly believes that her cough was cured by
this man has enthusiastically recommended the nostrum to a number of
other women who have various ailments, all of whom are using it under
her experienced instructions.

This is a very good illustration of how these impostors and charlatans
succeed. This woman was approached at the psychological moment and was
influenced to buy. It did not necessarily have to be these drops. It
might just as well have been any other patent medicine, or any fake
cure. It would have worked just the same for the reason that it was the
climate of Florida that did the work. It is absurd to devote time even
to consider the probability of the drops having aided in the cure. This
man's whole scheme is a fake, pure and simple. No part of it has any
merit. In other words, his remedy is no remedy at all, it is simply the
mildest, ordinary eye wash, which may be bought in any drug store for
ten cents. He charges $5.00, but think of the story he writes, think of
the promises he gives and the claims he makes, and the paper he
prints,--these all cost money and time and labor, and you must pay for
them. And I know a woman who is putting these drops in her eye twice
daily in the hope of correcting a displaced womb. Could the brain of the
most facile weaver of romance conceive a more utterly absurd and pitiful
condition of affairs than that an adult human being should be guilty of
doing what an intelligent ant would not do under any circumstances?

When the "professor" claims that he refuses to "give up" his secret
unless the State of Kansas adequately remunerates him for it, which, of
course, it rightly refuses to do--he demonstrates how absolutely devoid
of horse sense he is. No man with a "cure" for consumption--without
mentioning the many other equally remunerative "cures" which this wizard
owns, and which may be appended to the consumption "cure" just as the
side-shows journey in the wake of the big circus--need waste his
precious time dickering with the unappreciative State of Kansas. If his
"cure" is anywhere near twenty-four carat gold he can own the State of
Kansas and he may add another one to it for good measure. Any man
capable of doing one-thousandth part of what this wily "professor"
claims to be able to do, would make so much money that it would
embarrass him all the rest of his life. One of his claims is that he can
cure epilepsy. If he could cure epilepsy he wouldn't be allowed to stay
twenty-four hours in the State of Kansas. Every civilized country on the
face of the earth would bid for his services as an economic necessity
because as an investment he would be cheap at any price.




CHAPTER XXXI

THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL--Continued

     The ---- Consumption Cure--Personals to Consumptives--Nature's
     Creation--Female Weakness Cures--Various Compounds and Malt
     Whiskies.


FRAUDULENT TESTIMONIALS

It would indeed seem to be an act of supererogation to compile further
evidence of the infamy of this entire business: what additional proof is
necessary?

A certain Dr. H. of ----, Mich., published widely the following
advertisement:

"Gains 17 Pounds After Every One Gave Her Up.

"Miss I---- S---- had a terrible case of consumption, together with
catarrh and bronchitis. With this terrible complication, given up to
die, she took the H---- treatment. She is now cured."

     Dear Doctor: I have been gaining rapidly. Have gained 17
     pounds; weigh 150 pounds now and am getting quite strong, too.
     I wish you could see me. You would be surprised. I look just
     fine. Everybody says they never thought I would get well. I
     can't thank you enough for it. I am feeling just fine, so I
     will close.

     Yours truly,

     Miss I---- S----.

The above testimonial reads quite convincing and doubtless was the means
of influencing many other unfortunate victims to put themselves under
the "professional" care of Dr. H----. Investigation, however, revealed
the fact that this optimistic young lady died shortly after giving the
testimonial and that her death was, according to the transcript of her
certificate of death issued by the State of Wisconsin, due to
"consumption." The testimonial therefore cannot possibly have any value
under the circumstances. Unfortunately, however, this doctor does not
publish the death certificate with the testimonial, which latter he
continued to use after her death.

After an exhaustive inquiry into the personality and business of the
above mentioned M. D., the _Journal of the American Medical Association_
said:

     First. The H---- consumption cure is chiefly owned and
     controlled by men whose only qualification for treating disease
     is that they are business men financially interested in other
     medical fakes.

     Second. The claims made in the advertisements, either directly
     or by implication, that these "remedies" will "cure"
     consumption are cruel and heartless falsehoods.

     Third. The methods employed to capture victims, by means of
     speciously worded circular letters disguised as personal
     communications, are an imposition, if not an actual fraud, on
     the ignorant and credulous.

     Fourth. The drugs sent out by this concern as a "trial
     treatment" are worthless as a cure for consumption.

     Fifth. In printing endorsements of himself, which this M.D.
     received from ministers of the gospel, he grossly abused the
     confidence of men who did not know the use to which their
     letters were to be put.

     Sixth. The testimonials from physicians which he publishes have
     been shown to emanate in some cases from men who themselves are
     employed in exploiting medical fakes.

     Seventh. The claim he makes of being a graduate of Edinburgh
     University has been shown to be as false as the claims made for
     the nostrum he exploits.

     Can a much more disgraceful business than the various
     "consumption cure" humbugs be imagined? Founded on fraud,
     maintained by deceit, perpetuated by falsehood--the sick are
     exploited to pay dividends on corporate quackery. How much
     longer will this outrage on the unfortunate victims of the
     White Plague be tolerated? If not for humanitarian reasons,
     then for its own protection, at least, society should demand
     that such cruel frauds be suppressed. Their existence is a
     menace to public health and a disgrace to modern civilization.

Many fraudulent nostrums are advertised as blind advertisements in the
"Personal" columns of the daily press. The following recently appeared
in the "Personal" columns of papers all over the country:

     PERSONAL--TO CONSUMPTIVES: I possess information which cost me
     a fortune, and feel that I should let every consumptive know
     about my experience. Mrs. R., Ohio.

To those who answered this advertisement was sent a letter written on
pale blue stationery, such as is used for social correspondence, with
the initials --. R. embossed, monogram style, in gilt on the paper and
envelope, signed "Mrs. --. R." It is asserted in this letter that the
writer has cured herself "in defiance of the world's scientists," by the
discovery of "a combination of certain roots and herbs." As a
consequence of having made this discovery, and after spending a fortune
in the quest of a cure according to the advertisement, we are informed
that "I am now devoting my life to saving others." According to further
information, her effort is apparently successful, because she "finds it
impossible to attend personally to the multitude of inquiries with which
she is favored." She finds it necessary, therefore, "to refer your
letter to my secretary, Mr. C----, from whom you will no doubt hear
soon." The secretary is very evidently on the job, "for in the next mail
there is delivered a letter from the ---- Company, signed H. W. C----,
Sec'y."

We can estimate the degree of Mrs. R.'s solicitude for the welfare of
the race when we learn that the same concern was engaged in exploiting a
syphilis "cure" in Chicago a few years ago. In all probability the cure
is the same for both diseases. It is difficult to tell of which disease
it was that Mrs. R. cured herself.

Among the testimonials published by this concern in its booklet are
quite a number in which the statement is made, frequently in glowing
terms, that the writer has been "cured" of consumption by ----. A few of
these were investigated and in every instance the writer died of
consumption. This mixture is, in the strongest terms that can be used, a
fake, a fraud, and is not a "cure" for consumption, as, of course, every
intelligent person knows.

     TO CONSUMPTIVES.

     The undersigned having been restored to health by simple means,
     after suffering for several years with a severe lung affection,
     and that dread disease Consumption, is anxious to make known to
     his fellow sufferers the means of cure. To those who desire it,
     he will cheerfully send (free of charge), a copy of the
     prescription used, which they will find a sure cure for
     Consumption, Asthma, Catarrh, Bronchitis, and all throat and
     lung maladies. He hopes all sufferers will try his remedy, as
     it is invaluable. Those desiring the prescription which will
     cost them nothing, and may prove a blessing, will please
     address Rev. ---- W., ----, N. Y.

A reply to this advertisement brought the information that the Rev.
W---- contracted tuberculosis while in charge of a church in Maine, and
after trying various treatments was finally cured by "a famous Dr.
C----, of Paris, France." It was now his intention to "devote his life"
to aid suffering humanity, in a spirit of thankfulness, by giving away,
free of all charge, a copy of the famous prescription.

Investigation proved that the Rev. E. A. W---- did not exist,
consequently he never had a church in Maine, nor did he contract
tuberculosis, or consult Dr. C----, of Paris. The individual who
conducted the business was really one C. A. A----, who, it is to be
inferred, conceived the whole fake. The scheme was a simple one. When
the prescription was received it was discovered that the ingredients
were not known to the drug trade and it was necessary to send to Mr.
A---- for a supply before it could be tested. The literature sent with
the prescription was of such a character that the average ignorant
sufferer from consumption, hoping against hope for a "cure," fell into
the trap and sent the money for a trial shipment.


"FEMALE WEAKNESS" CURES

Dr. D----'s "---- Compound": This nostrum is sold to relieve the pain of
child-birth. It is surely not necessary to state that it will not
relieve the pains of child-birth, nor will any drug or drugs ever do so.
The irresponsible group of quacks who claim to have solved the problem
of "painless child-birth" through the use of various "compound's" hardly
merit the consideration of ordinary individuals. It is almost impossible
to believe that a man would print over his name such a puerile or
fantastic story as the following. Dr. D---- asserts that the value of
his compound is proved because a certain woman patient tells how, after
losing her first child, she had a vision. A "white-robed angel"
appeared, who, after speaking to her in beautiful language, said, "Go,
sister, and seek freedom and peace in the use of ---- Compound and in
following the teachings of that book."

The book is entitled "Painless Child-Birth," it sells for $2.00 and it
simply extols, in unnecessary flowery language, the merits of the
compound.

If we heard such stories in every-day life we would smile credulously at
our informant and doubt his sanity, but in a patent medicine
advertisement we expect to read of miracles and we almost hope to be
told of impossible happenings. The more glaringly false and silly they
seem to be, the more they seem to exert their subtle hypnotic influence
on anyone whose physical or mental temperament lends itself to the
appeal.

This compound "speedily cures all derangements and irregularities of the
menstrual function, congestion, inflammation, ulceration and
displacement of the womb, and other things too numerous to mention." It
is claimed that it is made of the purest and most carefully selected
herbs which can be obtained. If, however, one picked up two handfuls of
dried leaves in the woods and put them in a package, the average man
could not distinguish between such rakings and "Dr. D----'s
---- Compound" at $1.00 a package.

The _Journal of the American Medical Association_ in commenting on this
fake, states:

     ---- Compound is, in short, but one more of the innumerable
     cure-alls on the market in which discarded, unrecognized or
     useless drugs are pressed into service and invested with
     miraculous virtues. What shall be said of men who prey on
     pregnant women? Who create in the mind of the expectant mother
     the fear of untold agonies and then offer immunity to these
     supposititious tortures at the price of their worthless
     nostrums? Who, with the help of such publications as will
     accept their lying advertisements, do more to encourage
     abortion than even the professional abortionists themselves?
     There seems to be but one remedy: Speed the time when in their
     acceptance of advertising those publishers who fail to
     recognize decency as a moral obligation may be forced by public
     opinion to recognize its value as a business proposition.

The C. B. M. Remedy Company: In a small town in Indiana there is a
"lady" who has been spending a fortune in giving medical treatment
absolutely free to suffering women. The letters, literature, and
advertisements by implication lead one to suppose that a woman is in
charge of the business of this concern. The advertisements have a
picture of a lady giving away packages of medicine. The business was
conducted by one F. D. M. The name of his wife was simply used as an
advertising asset; the idea, of course, being that a woman would be more
willing to write to a business concern telling of her private illnesses
if she understood that she was confiding in a woman than she would if
under the impression that her letter would be read by a man. This is an
old scheme which was employed by others for many years with great
success.

M. himself is not a physician and is in no way qualified to give advice
to these women who write in response to the advertisements detailing
their symptoms and telling of their troubles. Investigation showed that
the medicine was compounded by the clerks and stenographers in the
employ of the company, and that all communications were answered by form
letters. It did not matter what ailed the patient, the treatment was the
same.

The claims made by this concern for their remedy, and they had only one,
were along the usual line--everything they could think about which has a
remote connection with the specialty in which they were
interested--leucorrhea, ulceration, displacement or falling of the womb,
profuse, scanty or painful periods, uterine or ovarian tumors or
growths, and piles from any cause, no matter of how long standing; also
pains in the back head and bowels, bearing down feelings, nervousness,
creeping feeling up the spine, melancholy, desire to cry, hot flushes,
weariness, uterine cancers in their earlier stages.

Analysis of the remedy showed it to be a combination of two weak,
commonly used drugs, one a very mild antiseptic and the other a mild
astringent. These were held together with cocoa butter into which a drop
of carbolic acid may have been put. There is nothing unusual in the
combination, nor has it any wonderful qualities which would justify the
claims made in behalf of it. The remedy contains nothing which could
under any circumstances effect the removal of cancers, fibroid growths,
or polypi, or which is capable of radically relieving laceration of the
womb due to child-birth.

The following is one of the specious appeals which this meretricious
concern sent to the ailing women of America:

     Mrs. M. receives more mail than any other woman in the state.

     How would you like to receive so much mail that it would be
     necessary to use a grindstone in order to open the letters as
     fast as they come in. This is the way Mrs. C. B. M. opens her
     mail. She gets tons of mail, and to save time has the letters
     opened by a large grindstone, which occupies a conspicuous
     place in her office. No other person in Indiana receives so
     much mail as she.

     Mrs. M.'s aid and advice is as free to you as God's sunshine or
     the air you breathe. She is always glad to lend her assistance
     to every suffering woman, and she is a generous, good woman,
     who has suffered herself as you suffer, and she wants to prove
     to you that her common sense home treatment will cure you just
     as surely as it cured her years ago in her humble cottage
     before riches and fame came to her.

     If you are a sufferer from any female trouble, no matter what
     it is, send the coupon below to Mrs. C. B. M. at once.

     I am a woman with all a woman's hopes and fears. I have known
     what it is to be sick in body and mind. Sick in a way that I
     couldn't bring myself to explain to a man, even though he were
     my physician, and I am thankful beyond the power of words to
     express that I have been given the power to extend to you, my
     sisters, the priceless boon of relief from the burden of pain
     and suffering.

     I only pray that this little book may be the means of saving
     some woman from years of such agony as only a woman can know.

     I dedicate this book to you.


     WOMEN'S DISEASES

     I doubt if you can realize the full meaning of these two little
     words. I, who come in contact with the pitiful wrecks of
     womanhood wrought by female complaints, know, as I hope you
     will never know, what shattered lives and broken hearts they
     cause.

     Only a sensitive woman can realize how hard it is to bring
     one's self to undergo the ordeal of examination and treatment
     by a physician.

Every letter sent out by this concern was signed, "Mrs. C. B. M." All
literature, every booklet, and every advertisement was ingeniously and
seductively "built up" to convey by implication the impression that the
business was conducted by a woman, and hence the inference followed in
the minds of the simple, trusting victims, that they were writing their
secrets, to be read by one of their own sex, and that this woman was
professionally qualified and temperamentally capable of giving competent
advice and adequate treatment.

Nothing was further from the truth. It was simply a trick, a fraudulent,
venal imposition. Mrs. C. B. M. herself admitted that she had absolutely
nothing to do with the conduct of the business, nor did her previous
experience in any way fit her to give advice in such matters. Her
husband established the business under the name of the ---- Medicine
Company, and continued under this name until after his marriage, when it
was reorganized and incorporated in his wife's name. Benefiting by the
experience of similar concerns, he then used his wife's name simply as a
business asset. How capably and efficiently he utilized this opportunity
is shown in the beguiling literature he sent out as the above quotation
amply demonstrates.

Think of a man writing, "I am a woman with all a woman's hopes and
fears,"--and then proceeding to play, with consummate skill, upon the
sensibility and credulity of a sick and neurasthenic woman. It is a
round-about way to reach the public pocketbook, but experience has
taught these harpies that it is an eminently successful method. Mr. M.
himself admitted that the gross receipts from the business were in
excess of $100,000 a year, and that 200,000 people were taking treatment
from this concern at one time.

Mention has been made of a certain famous compound--which has been
characterized by a well-known authority on drug addictions as "a
dangerous drug used largely by drinkers." For 23 years after the death
of the woman founder, ---- and ----, the owners of the concern,
advertised, inviting women to "write to L. P. for advice in regard to
their complaints, and being a woman"--though a dead one--"it was easy,
for her ailing sisters to pour into her ears every detail of their
suffering."

The advertisement as generally printed runs:

     No physician in the world has had such a training, or has such
     an amount of information at hand to assist in the treatment of
     all kinds of female ills.

     This, therefore, is the reason why Mrs. L---- P----, in her
     laboratory at ----, Mass., is able to do more for the ailing
     women of America than the family physician. Any woman,
     therefore, is responsible for her own suffering who will not
     take the trouble to write to Mrs. P---- for advice.

Does any woman need any further evidence of the fraudulent intent of
such concerns? Keep in mind also that this particular remedy is
exclusively recommended for "the diseases of women," and contains enough
alcohol to render its users victims of the alcoholic habit.


MEDICINE CONCERN RUN BY WOMEN

Dr. D---- runs a mail order business in another town in Indiana. Her
specialty is "diseases of women." The business is really owned by W. M.
G----, a dealer in teas, coffees, etc. In the advertisements of the
concern Dr. D---- emphasizes the fact that she is "a woman--a wife--a
mother--a successful physician--a specialist on diseases of women." In
many places in the literature of the company the "vast experience" of
Dr. D---- is intentionally elaborated.

"Her vast experience as a physician is only one of the qualifications
she possesses...."

"Her training and vast experience as a physician enables her to do more
for suffering women than any woman can who is not a physician...."

"During several years of active life as a general practitioner she
acquired a vast amount of valuable experience that very few ever
possess...."

These three quotations emphatically assert that Dr. D. has had "vast"
experience "as a general practitioner." Where did she get this
experience as a general practitioner? Inasmuch as she graduated as a
physician in 1907 and was licensed to practice in 1908, and as the
"---- D---- Company" was chartered in 1908 and began active business
then, we ask again, where did she get her "vast experience?"

The following letter, sent by Dr. D---- to one of her prospective
patients, gives a general idea of how the "game" is worked. These
letters are "form" letters, printed by the thousand, though they are
intended to convey the impression that they are personal--the patient's
name being inserted. It will be observed that Dr. D---- has acquired the
specious and oily art of the quack, and the seductive diction of those
who live by their wits:

     Dear Friend: Since it is your misfortune to be afflicted, I am
     glad you wrote to me, because I sincerely believe that I can
     completely cure you if you take my treatment now. Realizing the
     serious nature of your condition, I at once arranged to give
     your case my prompt personal attention.

     After years of success in curing practically every form of
     woman's ills, I am devoting my life to my sister women. Being a
     woman and a mother, I know your every ache and pain and
     sympathize with you as only a woman can. As a physician, as a
     specialist in diseases of women I know the causes of your
     trouble and the most scientific method of curing you quickly.
     Since you have in me a sympathetic friend as well as a
     physician I trust you will read carefully my plan for your
     complete recovery.

     A careful diagnosis of your case shows you have Female
     Weakness.

     I have mailed a copy of my book, "Diseases of Women and Home
     Medical Guide." Be sure to read a description of your condition
     on pages 25-47.

     As requested I have mailed you a free trial of my successful
     treatment. It is bound to help you and you should take it at
     once according to my directions enclosed herewith. The free
     medicines will last you for three days and are suited to your
     condition, but you should not expect them to cure you. Some of
     the ingredients contained in the remedies you need are very
     costly and I cannot afford to give you enough of these
     medicines to completely cure you.

     Your case seems to be of long standing and you really should
     have a Complete Course of Treatment at once if you are to be
     completely cured. As I want to do everything possible for you I
     have prepared a Special Course of Treatment for you and am
     sending it, postage paid, in the same package with the free
     remedies.

     Please remember that the free remedies are yours to take at
     once without charge or obligation, but if you use the Special
     Treatment I shall expect you to send me $3 for it. You need not
     feel under obligation to me to accept the Special Course, but I
     know it is just what you need and need NOW, so I feel sure your
     good judgment will cause you to accept it at your earliest
     convenience. By sending now I save you some time and ...

Dr. G. M. B., of ----, Mo., advertises to cure deafness, catarrh, asthma
and head noises. He offers to send two months' medicine free to prove
his ability to cure. In reply to inquiry he practically informs every
applicant that his case is so bad that there is no use of sending the
two months' treatment. In order to effect a cure in "your case" it is
necessary for you to take the regular treatment. He accepts the chance
that the literature and the testimonials accompanying his letter will
influence the victim to bite. Inasmuch as he admits that his income is
about $5,000 per month and that he gets three hundred letters every day,
it may be assumed that he knows his business.

It is not necessary to go into details regarding his methods. The
following summary of his business was made by the district attorney who
investigated it:

     I find that the business is being conducted through the post
     office at ----, Mo., under the names of Dr. ---- Remedy Company
     and Dr. J. M. B----, and is a scheme and device for obtaining
     money through the mails by means of false and fraudulent
     pretenses, representations and promises, and I therefore
     recommend that a fraud order be issued prohibiting the delivery
     of mail and the payment of money orders to such addresses.

A certain "pure" malt whiskey is advertised as:

"A reliable all-round household remedy."

"It should be in every family medicine chest."

"It is manufactured for the purpose of supplying the profession and
public in general with a reliable tonic and stimulant."

"It is a recognized specific to enrich the blood and build body and
muscle, and in the prevention and relief of coughs, colds and stomach
troubles it has no equal."

Previous to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act it was advertised
in the following terms:

     BEST SPRING TONIC.

     DOCTORS OF ALL SCHOOLS AGREE THAT THE BEST TONIC-STIMULANT TO
     BUILD UP THE SYSTEM, RUN DOWN AND WEAKENED BY THE LONG STRAIN
     OF WINTER, AND TO DRIVE OUT SPRING FEVER AND MALARIA IS ----'S
     MALT WHISKEY.

     As a tonic and stimulant it is the greatest strength-giver
     known to science. It destroys disease germs and by its building
     and healing properties restores tissues in a gradual, healthy,
     natural manner. It is a wonderful specific in the treatment and
     cure of consumption, pneumonia, grippe, bronchitis, coughs,
     colds, malaria, low fevers, stomach troubles, and all wasting,
     weakened, diseased conditions, if taken in time.

     It is recognized as the world's leading medicine everywhere.

By a decision of the Supreme Court of the State of New York this "pure"
malt whiskey has been declared a liquor. It is simply a sweetened
whisky. To advertise it as a CURE for consumption or as a cure for any
disease was malicious, and should be punishable by a long term in
prison. It would be possible to take every statement of the above
advertisement and prove each one to be false.

This "pure" malt whiskey is a favorite "booze" of so-called temperance
people. Since it is advertised as a medicine, they can get drunk from
its use and still be "temperance" advocates. One of the favorite methods
of advertising the product was to draw the public's attention to the
fact that

     CLERGYMEN ENDORSE MALT WHISKY

     DISTINGUISHED DIVINES AND TEMPERANCE WORKERS WHO HAVE spent
     their lives in uplifting their fallen brethren and placing
     their feet upon the solid rock use and recommend ----'s pure
     malt whisky. Honored and respected preachers of the gospel and
     advocates of temperance, without regard to creed or prejudice,
     make frank and outspoken statements of what ----'s pure malt
     whisky has done for them.

Then follow the testimonials and the photographs of three aged and
inert-looking preachers.

It made an impressive advertisement, as most nostrum "ads" are, because,
unfortunately, the art of the liar is best expressed in the superlative
degree. His word-pictures are therefore more lurid, more diversified,
more romantic. But when they are investigated and the facts brought to
light the advertisement falls to pieces. For example, compare the actual
facts relative to the three "distinguished divines" with the fiction in
the following advertisement:

     The Rev.---- D----, over 82 years of age, practised medicine
     for many years, when he moved west. He became a minister and
     did preach for ten years in the State of Wyoming. He then
     retired from the pulpit and opened a marriage bureau. He
     received $10.00 when he gave his testimonial "to get his
     picture taken."

     The Rev. ---- H---- occupied the pulpit of the Church of
     Eternal Hope of B----, Pa. He retired to enter politics a
     number of years ago, and is now a deputy Internal Revenue
     collector. He is a spiritualist. He owned race horses and was a
     patron of the turf.

     The Rev. McL---- lived in G----, Mich. There are 893 people in
     the township and it is not even on the railroad line. Mr.
     McL---- was allowed to resign from the fellowship after being
     called to trial for endorsing ----'s pure malt whisky.

If these three gentlemen were brought on the stage of any city
vaudeville theater and introduced as distinguished divines it would be
regarded as a joke--which it really is. If we relegate our
"distinguished divines" to marriage bureaus, or the race track, or to
the Internal Revenue service, or to preach to flocks in townships of
less than one thousand and not on the railroad, the outlook for the
ministerial profession is far from encouraging. To tell us that these
men spent their lives "in uplifting their fallen brethren" is imposing
upon the good nature of one's audience. It is simply one more evidence
added to the long list already noted that one does not readily acquire
the habit of expecting to read the truth in a patent medicine
advertisement. Rather the reverse. We examine them in expectant
curiosity to note their unique and devilish ability to tell picturesque
falsehoods.

Certain famous pills are advertised extensively in Great Britain and in
the United States. It is claimed by the manufacturers that they are
"composed entirely of medicinal herbs" and that they will "cure"
constipation, pains in the back, cold chills, bad legs, maladies of
indiscretion, kidney and urinary disorders--and several other things.

These pills were analyzed by the British Medical Association's chemists,
who reported that they consisted of ginger, soap, and aloes. Where the
"medicinal herbs" were it was hard to say.

In large and lurid letters we are informed in the advertisements that
these pills are "worth a guinea ($5.00) a box." The retail price is 27
cents a box. The British Medical Association's chemist states that the
cost of these pills is one-quarter of a cent per box. Quite a fair
margin of profit considering the high cost of living these days!




CHAPTER XXXII

THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL--Continued

     Patent Medicine Firms and Quacks Dispose of the Confidential
     Letters Sent to Them--Patent Medicine Concerns and Letter
     Brokers--The Patent Medicine Conspiracy Against the Freedom of
     the Press--How The Patent Medicine Trust Crushes Honest Effort.


HOW QUACKS DISPOSE OF THE CONFIDENTIAL LETTERS SENT TO THEM

When you write for information--which is usually the first step--in
reply to an advertisement of this character, you receive in reply a
letter, which addresses you in an intimate way, as, "Dear or Esteemed
Friend." It informs you that "we are devoting our lives in the interest
of suffering humanity," and requests you to waste no time in writing a
full account of your symptoms and sickness; that such information will
be sacredly regarded as confidential and filed away from the prying eyes
of everyone except the "doctor" who reads it.

Every art is used to give the writer the impression that she is doing
business with responsible and reputable people; that what she writes
about her health, her affairs, and her person, are to be read by an
experienced medical adviser and by no other. The truth, as we have
shown, is that she writes her secrets to a man, who is not even a
physician, who in turn passes the letter over to be answered by an
office clerk.

When the fake doctor, or the patent medicine man, has exhausted his
"jollying" tactics, his lies, and his promises, and he can no longer
induce the victim to send more money, he sells the victim's letters to
another quack in the same business. These harpies, knowing what ails the
individual, begin sending her their specious and insinuating literature.
The woman reads, becomes interested, and, having bitten before,
concludes to try once again, and so the story goes--one after another
trying to drain the life-blood of an ailing, irresponsible foolish
woman.

The selling of letters has become a business, so much so that there are
regularly established medical letter brokers from whom you can buy these
letters by the thousands. In a single medical letter broker's office in
New York City there are upwards of seven million of these confidential
letters for sale to the highest bidders. This incidentally gives one a
slight idea of the tremendous business this is, and of the hundreds of
thousands of dupes and victims there have been.

The following extracts are taken from a well-known woman's journal,
which at various times has been interested in this subject, and are of
special interest in this connection:

     One of the most disgusting and disgraceful features of the
     patent medicine business is the marketing of letters sent by
     patients to patent medicine firms. Correspondence is solicited
     by these firms under the seal of sacred confidence. When the
     concern is unable to do further business with a patient it
     disposes of the patient's correspondence to a letter broker,
     who, in turn, disposes of it to other patent medicine concerns
     at the rate of half a cent for each letter.

     One of these brokers assured the writer that he could give me
     "choice lots" of "medical female letters." ... Let me now give
     you, from the printed lists of these letter brokers, some idea
     of the way in which these "sacred confidential" letters are
     hawked about the country. Here are a few samples, all that are
     really printable:

     55,000 "Female Complaint Letters" is the sum total of one item,
     and the list gives the names of the "medicine company" or the
     "medical institute" to whom they were addressed. Here is a
     barter then, in 55,000 letters of a private nature, each one of
     which, the writer was told, and had a right to expect, would be
     regarded as "sacredly confidential" by the doctor or concern to
     whom she had been deluded into telling her private ailments.
     Yet here they are for half a cent each!

     Another batch of some 47,000 letters addressed to five
     "doctors" and "institutes" is emphasized because they were
     written by women! A third batch is:

     44,000 "Bust Developer Letters,"--letters which one man in a
     patent medicine concern told me were "the richest sort of
     reading you could get hold of."

     A still further lot offers: 40,000 "Women's Regulator
     Letters,"--letters which in their context any woman can
     naturally imagine would be of the most delicate nature. Still,
     the fact remains, here they are for sale.

     Is not this contemptible?

     In the same article is exposed the inhuman greed of patent
     medicine concerns that turn into cold cash the letters of
     patients afflicted with the most vital diseases.

     To quote again: "All these are made the subject of public
     barter. Here are offered for sale, for example: 7,000 Paralysis
     Letters; 9,000 Narcotic Letters; 52,000 Consumption Letters;
     3,000 Cancer Letters, and even 65,000 Deaf Letters. Of diseases
     of the most private nature one is offered here nearly 100,000
     letters,--letters the very classification of which makes a
     sensitive person shudder."

The deeper one delves below the surface of this business the nastier it
gets. It is impossible to conceive of vipers and sharks being endowed
with more contemptible and brutish qualities than those which
characterize the vultures of the patent medicine and quack medical
concerns.


THE PATENT MEDICINE CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

It is estimated that the newspapers of the United States get about
$100,000,000 per year from the advertisements of patent medicines and
fake medical concerns.

There is an association composed of the manufacturers of patent
medicines and the owners of advertising medical concerns. It was
primarily formed for the single purpose of strictly looking after the
"interests" of those concerned.

If we concede, as we must concede if we study the facts, the whole
medical advertising business to be disreputable, dishonorable and
unjust, in that it is detrimental to the health and welfare of the race,
the only protection it could possibly need would be protection against
any movement which had for its object the interest of the people who are
its victims. This is exactly the key to the workings of the P. A. of
America. When one begins to know something about the patent medicine
evil, his sense of justice immediately asks why "something" has not
been done to crush it. When the reader understands more about this
octopus, he will learn that its tentacles are far-reaching and that it
has a mysterious and efficient way of crushing in its incipiency any
embryo movement directed against it. It would be a long story to give
the facts in detail--they are all a matter of record--the easiest way to
explain the procedure is to give an illustration of how the machinery is
worked.

Let us suppose a Congressman conceives the idea of introducing a bill in
Congress to compel newspapers to refuse advertising matter that is
obviously false and that misrepresents facts, and cites, as an example,
a patent medicine advertisement. The agent or lobbyist of the
association in Washington immediately telegraphs the intent of the bill
with the name of its author to the home office of the association. The
gentleman in charge of the executive department of the home office looks
up the facts regarding the political connections of the Congressman,
wires to the papers published in his district suggesting to them the
advisability of using their influence to change the Congressman's
opinion. The newspapers do as they are bid (though there are a few who
have refused to do this kind of work, but only a few); they may intimate
to him that he is committing political suicide, or they may adopt other
tactics. The result, however, is that the representative usually sees
the point and permits his bill to die in committee. The quacks are not
satisfied with this single effort to ensure the death of the bill. The
matter is taken up with other Congressmen through their home papers; the
whole machinery of the system is set in motion. Their attention is
called to the bill. They are told that the public does not demand such
legislation, and that, if this bill passes, it will deprive of many
thousands of dollars for advertising the papers which are friendly
toward the political future of the particular Congressman in question.
The facts are thus brought to the attention of many Congressmen. They
see the point also. It suggests to them that they will do well not to
trample on this monster or they may suffer themselves. Thus are the
people deprived of what might have been a great step forward in the
fight for pure food and drugs and, incidentally, in the preservation of
the public health.

One may pertinently ask why the newspapers lend themselves to such
infamous and dishonorable dealings. The answer is that, inasmuch as they
derive a very large part of their total income from patent medicine
advertisements and as these advertisements are contracted for under
certain conditions, it can readily be seen that they are made a party to
crushing legislation which would interfere with the patent medicine
business.

     It is agreed in case any law or laws are enacted, either State
     or national, harmful to the interest of the ---- Company, that
     this contract may be cancelled by them from date of such
     enactment, and the insertions made paid for pro rata with the
     contract price.

There is another feature of the contract that is of the utmost
significance and importance to the mothers of the race. It is the only
instance we know of which effectually muzzles the public press. This
part of the contract reads as follows:

     It is agreed that the ---- Company may cancel this contract,...
     in case any matter otherwise detrimental to the ---- Company's
     interest is permitted to appear in the reading columns or
     elsewhere in the paper.

This means that the newspapers bind themselves, under contract, not to
print any matter in their reading columns which would be detrimental to
the interests of the patent medicine manufacturers. Under the same
stipulation they cannot even accept matter to be paid for, if it in any
way reflects upon the patent medicine business. In other words, the
sovereign people, whose servant the public press should be, is, under
this contract, deprived of its rights of representation in the columns
of the daily newspapers.

The grave significance of this condition of affairs will be adequately
appreciated when it is remembered that every popular movement to right
public wrongs must have the fullest publicity or the effort is doomed to
failure. The patent medicine business has been shown to be a
monstrously evil institution, yet every effort to enlist the public
press in an effort to arouse the necessary degree of indignation which
precedes every public demand for the righting of a wrong has failed,
because, "it is agreed that the ---- Company may cancel this contract in
case any matter otherwise detrimental to the ---- Company's interest is
permitted to appear in the reading columns or elsewhere in the paper."

There is another feature of this ugly business which is of the deepest
interest to women. The patent medicine territory is the whole country.
It is a large, profitable field. A movement was once started by certain
reputable New York physicians, who were deeply interested in this
question, to discover a means to aid the class who buy patent medicines
and support the fake medical concerns. It was thought that if an
advertising propaganda was instituted, offering to give legitimate and
adequate medical advice, at the lowest possible cost, there would be
many who would avail themselves of the opportunity. The following
advertisement was prepared and given out for publication, with the
result that it could not be advantageously placed:

     RELIABLE MEDICAL ADVICE.

     Government investigation of the PATENT MEDICINE BUSINESS and of
     the advertised MEDICAL CURE CONCERNS, has demonstrated that
     they are worthless and dangerous; that they are money making
     schemes only, and that they acquire business by
     misrepresentation, by falsehood, and by fraudulent
     testimonials. Most of these concerns are owned by men with no
     medical education or experience.

     These are facts attested to by the highest authorities in the
     United States, and apply to every advertised remedy and to
     every system of advertised treatment in the newspapers to-day
     with no exception that has come to our knowledge.

     A BUREAU OF PHYSICIANS, each in good standing and in active
     private practice, has been established in NEW YORK CITY, to
     extend advice to those requiring medical assistance.

     The object of the bureau is to prevent patients from placing
     themselves in the hands of incompetent, expensive and
     fraudulent schemers. The character of the advice furnished
     will be exactly the same as if you visited the office of any
     up-to-date reputable city consultant. We will simply direct
     what should be done in each instance to effect relief of the
     diseased conditions.

     The charges will be the ordinary fees charged by reputable
     physicians anywhere for similar services, and will in no
     instance be unreasonable or excessive.

     We invite the correspondence of those in need of honest advice.
     Ask for information which will be sent free of charge.

Here was a tremendously lucrative field in which there was every
possibility of doing a large amount of genuine good, which, however,
could not be reached by men whose only object was to benefit the people,
because the public press did not dare publish anything detrimental to
"the combine." If this isn't monopoly, what is it?

This is not the only instance of this kind that has taken place. One
independently wealthy gentleman, for certain business reasons of his
own, conceived the idea of inserting a trustworthy article exposing the
patent medicine combine in the newspapers of the country, for which he
was, of course, willing to pay the usual advertising rates. He gave the
contract to a large advertising concern which began the crusade in
Texas, the _intention_ being to cover the country working the States one
after the other. What was the result? As soon as the system's attention
was directed to the plan the mandate of "silence" was flashed to the
newspapers and the propaganda died an unnatural death in Texas, whose
borders it never crossed. The columns of the public press were tightly
closed to it.

Is it any wonder that it has been so difficult to pass a Public Health
bill? I am hopeful, however, that the women will solve this problem. It
would seem to be a subject in which they could become strenuously and
eagerly interested. Women as voting factors, or as legislators, will
never succeed in the subtle fights of ward politics, or in the coarser
slugging battles of graft and patronage, but in the moral finesse,
necessary to achieve success in public health and purity legislation
they should prove to be enthusiasts. If the regeneration of the race is
entangled in legislative procedure or political subtilties, its only
salvation is to find emancipators whose heart strings are of finer and
truer fiber than those in the breasts of men. We hope to find them in
the mothers of the race.




CHAPTER XXXIII

THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL--Continued

     The Patent Medicine Evil and the Duty of the Mothers of the
     Race--"Blood-Money"--The People Must be the Reformers--Mothers'
     Resolutions.


THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL AND THE DUTY OF THE MOTHERS OF THE RACE

It may be emphatically asserted that the patent medicine evil and the
fraudulent medical cure more directly concern the mothers of the race
than any others. No matter who the ailing victim may be, some woman is
deeply and sincerely interested in his, or her, recovery and welfare. If
the proper influence is exerted at the right time, and if it is based
upon adequate knowledge of the danger involved, it is certain that the
sufferer will not become a victim of the fraudulent and dangerous
advertised nostrum, or a fake medical course of treatment. If each
mother, therefore, possessed an adequate knowledge of the patent
medicine evil, and exerted the influence which would naturally result
from the possession of such knowledge, we should soon see the end of the
whole business.

Most people are honest and sincere. It is difficult, however, to arouse
the majority to concerted and sustained action. If the honest and
well-intentioned element in society could be influenced to a sustained
effort to correct existing evils, in any department of human effort, the
fraudulent and dishonest members of society could be effectually
rendered harmless. If the suggestion which I have advanced in the
article on Eugenics, to form Eugenic Clubs in every community, should be
adopted, the members could, in a definite way, contribute to the
propaganda, by insisting that the members of the legislature and
Congress inform themselves upon these subjects, and act and vote in
accordance with the sentiment of their constituents. It is only by some
such systematized, concerted effort that any hope may be reasonably
entertained that this question will be satisfactorily and finally
solved. That it is capable of being solved satisfactorily there is no
doubt whatever. It depends upon the women.

The passage of The Pure Food and Drugs Act, caused, for a brief period,
a cessation of the strenuous activity which had previously characterized
the patent medicine business. It was not, however, to be expected that
any single legislative act would permanently strangle such a
parasite,--for we must remember that it is an easy and a highly
remunerative calling. Nor was it to be expected that men who are adepts
in sophistry and experts in quibbling could not find a way to circumvent
the intent of the law.

This was proved to be so because they are again beginning to advertise
more freely and with more assurance. One of the best known has assumed a
new advertising garb. Its new diction is specious and clever, but it is
a satanic cleverness when its history is weighed in the balance. It is
quite probable that its formula may have been slightly changed, but at
the end of each advertisement the following suggestive paragraph
appears:

     "SPECIAL NOTICE--Many persons are making inquiries for the
     old-time ----. To such would say, that this formula is now put
     out under the name of ----, manufactured by ---- Company,
     C----, Ohio. Write them and they will be pleased to send you a
     free booklet."

The old time ---- was condemned by the United States Government as an
intoxicant and stimulant, and cures were sold in various parts of the
country for the ---- "jag," yet in the new advertisement the following
appears:

     "---- is a remedy that should be kept in the house. Its virtue
     as a preventive to disease is the thing I wish chiefly to
     emphasize.

     "When once the value of ---- as a household remedy is
     understood no home would be without it. Cathartics, pills and
     powders would be discarded. Irritating tonics would be no
     longer taken. ALCOHOLIC DRINKS WOULD HAVE NO PLACE...."

If "alcoholic drinks would have no place" in the household, why should
one want this "remedy," which has no medical value except as a
stimulant? It is as if a drunken man should deliver a temperance
lecture: it would really be funny if we did not know the tragedies that
have gone before as a result of its use. That is an example of the type
of argument which must be legislated against.

There are two specific points in this crusade against the patent
medicine fraud which should be the objective issues of all concerted
effort to crush the evil. These could be taken up by mothers in their
eugenic clubs and developed until successfully legislated upon. It would
be the greatest immediate contribution to constructive legislation that
women's suffrage could bestow upon the race.

First, to enact a law which would make it a felony for a newspaper to
print a fraudulent patent medicine advertisement, or a fake medical
cure. A national board of competent authority should be constituted to
determine the question of fraud.

Second, to amend the law which permits the registration of a fancy name
for a combination of drugs, without at the same time giving the formula.

The mothers of the race must recognize that it is not only a question of
economy, but a vital issue in health preservation, to regard all
advertised remedies and medical "cures" as absolutely dangerous and
worthless, and consequently not to be used at all. There is no safe
exception to this rule. The records teem with evidence condemning the
whole discreditable business. Almost without exception, every advertised
remedy and cure has been, when actually investigated, found fraudulent
and worthless. The great majority of these concerns are owned and run by
individuals, who have had no medical experience, and no training to fit
them to advise patients in any sense. It is a money-making scheme pure
and simple, and anyone who asks further proof is not open to conviction.

I believe the truthful and the just interpretation of the success of the
patent medicine business is to be found in the ignorance of the
people,--not the kind of ignorance that reflects upon their
intelligence, but real, honest ignorance regarding the true character
and merit of the patent medicine business. It would be an unwarranted
reflection upon the intelligence and acumen of the American people to
assert that they would wittingly support a fraudulent proposition,
especially a proposition whose success meant their own physical
degeneration. The reflection is rather an indictment of the inefficiency
of those in authority.

We must not deny that there exists in the minds of the lowly a feeling
that what is printed is true. This is as it should be; it is an instinct
and it is fundamental. We must remember, too, that there are thousands
and thousands of homes, into which absolutely no literature of any kind
ever penetrates except the weekly, and it may be stray copies of the
daily newspaper. These people are primitive and credulous. They have
ailing members in the family, and they have not always accessible
medical service, or they may be too poor to avail themselves of such
service as exists. When, therefore, they see glaring promises of relief
and "cures" for whatever may ail them, in the oft-read paper, week after
week, it is an easy step to become enrolled as a victim. These people
believe in their newspaper. They have no reason to question the truth of
its contents. They unconsciously put their trust and dependence upon
those in authority, those who should see to it that the instinct of
truth and honesty is reflected in the justice and protection which is
meted out to the helpless and the poor. Is it any wonder, therefore,
that we have victims, when the only voice that comes to them from the
great world beyond is a tissue of false promises and fraudulent
pretensions? The law is a cumbersome vehicle to move. It cannot be
driven by inspiration--no matter how crucial the incentive may be that
creates the inspiration,--it moves only by the potential force of a
great conviction, the voice of the people. It seems a pity to waste time
in the education of all the people before their voice shall be raised to
demand protection, when the authorities know now of the wrong that is
being perpetrated and could right it without the waste of this precious
time.

Since we cannot hope for legislative assistance until the people are
aroused to demand it, every mother who has an opportunity to learn the
truth about the matter, must become a member of the propaganda of
education and must spread the knowledge to others. We must educate the
army of innocents who fall because they do not know the truth, and we
must reach that vaster army, whose gullibility permits these frauds to
flourish. We must show them the false foundation and the hollow pretense
upon which such schemes are founded. We must show them that each detail
of the business is inspired by a wrong motive; that the so-called
personal letters even are printed by the hundreds of thousands, and
filled in to appear as personal communications by office clerks who
possess absolutely no medical knowledge; that the "diagnosis" blanks are
worthless and frequently dangerous, and simply sent to the prospective
victim to impress him and draw him on; that the medicine furnished, is,
as a rule, made of the cheapest of drugs, bought in large quantities
from parties, whose reputation in the drug trade is not of the best;
that the medicine has no special potency nor value, that it is in all
likelihood a worthless mixture, which in the advertisements is given
false and lying properties; that when they have got all the money out of
the victim possible they will sell his letters to other nostrum venders.
It is a sorry reflection on our civilization that the sick, often the
incurably ill, cannot be protected against their own credulity and the
devices of those who would fatten on their misfortune and profit by
their sufferings.

If every mother who reads this article would quietly think the matter
over and reach a definite conclusion as to just how she may contribute
her share to the educational crusade to crush the patent medicine
monster, I am certain it would not be long before we would begin to feel
that there were the "mutterings of a storm brewing." If each mother
would subscribe to the following resolution, and obey it, she would
really be an agency for much good in her community:

     I resolve never to advise an ailing friend or acquaintance to
     purchase or use an advertised remedy or "cure" of any kind
     whatsoever; nor will I permit any other person to advise the
     use of such remedies or "cures" without, in a friendly way,
     protesting, and thereby converting this person, who undoubtedly
     is ignorant of the facts.

     I further resolve, always to advise an ailing friend to consult
     someone, whose education and experience qualifies him to give
     competent advice.

I would suggest that the above resolution be printed on cards in the
form of a motto, to be hung on the wall, and distributed from house to
house by the eugenic clubs. At the bottom of the card, the word "over"
should be clearly printed. On the reverse side, in ordinary reading type
should be a condensed and efficient argument against the use of patent
medicines. This argument should be complete and convincing in itself, so
that one who may casually ask what the card means may be told to read
what is on the back of the card, and may, thereby, be convinced that "it
is a good idea." This would be an inexpensive way of exciting the
curiosity of the community, and when the psychological moment arrives it
would probably be possible for one of the members of the club to give an
address or lecture on the patent medicine evil. Inasmuch as the
curiosity and the sympathy of the audience would be with the speaker, it
would only be necessary to state facts to make converts. It seems worth
trying, and the suggestion is given with the hope that the women in
every community who are capable (and there are capable leaders in every
community) will take this club idea up and develop it far beyond the
largest hopes which I conceive for them.

If eugenics means anything, and if the women are what they claim, much
will be accomplished by each doing her part intelligently, and by each
community standing upon its own record.







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