186 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1. 



out their breakfast." This comes on the 

 ground, as you may know, of ihe Battle Creek 

 doctrine of two meals a day. When I read the 

 testimonials from the people who had been 

 cured, it brougrht to mind a little newspaper 

 squib of years ago, and it makes me smile again 

 when I think of it. The title of the squib was, 

 "How to be Happy." The directions were 

 very plain and simple; viz., "Go without your 

 breakfast, and see if you don't feel happy when 

 dinner-time comes." And I have not a doubt 

 but there is a grander truth embodied in the 

 above than the writer of it ever dreamed of . 

 This new "gospel of health" says when you 

 don't feel a vigorous appetite for your break- 

 fast, skip it. After a little time, when poor, 

 patient, and docile Dame Nature gets used to 

 the program, you will not only feel just as well, 

 but ever so much better. No doubt of it. The 

 starvation cure is probably as old as the hills; 

 but after having tried both ways pretty faith- 

 fully, I would say, instead of eating nothing at 

 alitor breakfast, eat just lean beefsteak, and 

 nothing else — not even a crumb of bread nor a 

 drop of tea or coffee. I have not the space to 

 review this book, by Edward H. Dewey, M. D.,* 

 but I must give you just one point made by the 

 author. Before commencing the practice of 

 medicine he served an apprenticeship in a drug- 

 store; and having a natural bent toward the 

 matter of curing diseases he made it quite a 

 study; and he says that, boy as he was, after 

 several years in the drug business he noticed 

 this: People came for remedies, who were af- 

 flicted with various acute diseases; and he was 

 surprised to find out that, no matter what rem- 

 edy they purchased, they, as a rule, got well; 

 and then, of course, ascribed their recovery to 

 the medicine they took. No matter what the 

 medicine, the man using it was almost always 

 cured. One whole side of the drugstore was 

 occupied with various patent medicines piled 

 up on the shelves. They all did good. Oh, 

 dear me! Did it ever occur to you, my dear 

 friends, that Nature pprforms a cure, and the 

 dosing gets the credit? Now, is it not true 

 that here lies the explanation, not onlv of Elec- 

 tropoise, Schlatter, "pink pills, "safe cure." 

 and this whole long catalog, and the greater 

 part of the remedies to be found in druestorps? 

 This is the conclusion of an honest Christian 

 physician, who has had a large life-long prac- 

 tice. He gives us a history of his experiences, 

 through this large book of over 330 pages, and 

 now comes out and tells people to givp up drugs, 

 and, when they are sick, go withont their break- 

 fast. Of course, he is most emphatic against 

 the use of alcohol, tobacco, and every thing 

 along in that line. 



Now, dear reader, with your permission I 

 want again to get back to "Divine Healing." 

 This little book is sensible. If it has any fault 

 it is that it urges too strongly, if such a thing 

 were possible, that we shall trust in God. and 

 go to hira direct, no matter what troubles beset 

 or assail us. If that does not do. follow the in- 

 junction of James .5:13-15. Now. if he dropped 

 it right there I should be suspicious of his 

 teachings. But he does not. One chapter is 

 headed. " Hindrances to Healing." In this 

 chapter he speaks of the absolute importance 

 of the one who expocts divine healing of being 

 pureinheart and clean in his habits. He says: 



" Men sometimes apply for healing of dyspep- 

 sia, etc., caused bv the use of tobacco, expecting 

 to continue the filthy habit." 



And again: 



"Women suffering from some dreadful trouble 

 brought on by lacing and wearing of corsets 



* If any of you should want this book, send $3.35 

 to the Henry Bill Publishing Co., Norwich, Ct. 



too often desire to be healed, but are not will- 

 ing to remove the cause." 



And still again: 



"Persons practicing filthy habits, abusers of 

 themselves, etc., call on God to heal them, and 

 yet will not turn from that which makes them- 

 selves self murderers. Is it any wonder that 

 the world says faith healing is a failure ? " 



I would add that, before a man can consis- 

 tently expect that God shall heal him, he must 

 stop defrauding or trying to get ahead of his 

 neighbor in any unfair way. He must be striv- 

 ing earnestly day by day to lead a consistent 

 Christian life. There is one chapter entitled 

 "The Use of Medicine." He says, " Medicines 

 are made for two classes of people — those who 

 are not acquainted with God, and those of his 

 children who are afraid to trust him." In the 

 same chapter occurs the following: 



" What about broken bones '? " 



"In such cases, if no one present were capable 

 of setting it properly. I would call a physician 

 or surgeon, if necessary, to set it, and ask the 

 Lord to heal it." 



The friend who wrote me from California 

 (mentioned above) criticised me severely for 

 my inconsistency in giving Mrs. Root the 

 poisonous drug chloral right after the very 

 plain and unmistakable answer to orayer, 

 where she was given sleep simply by my kneel- 

 ing by the bedside when all the doctor's reme- 

 dies failed. My answer to this is, that I had 

 also been praying that God would give the doc- 

 tor wisdom and understanding in doing his 

 part in the matter. I myself should have pre- 

 ferred that she should not have had the chloral. 

 The doctor was sure it would be needed at 

 about this stage of the disease, and I did not 

 feel likp taking the responsibility of counter- 

 manding the doctor's orders right at that crisis 

 of her sicknes*. Perhaps I erred in want of 

 faith. If so, I hope the Lord will forgive me. 

 By the way, Mrs. Root entirely agrei s with me 

 in regard to the value of medicine. 8he thinks 

 now that possibly she might have got along 

 just as well with less medicine: yet we do not 

 "feel like settine our opinion above that of an 

 honest and intelligent family physician. 



In this little book friend Byrum gives us 

 exppriences of large numbers of people scattered 

 all over our land, who havp bei'n healed by sim- 

 ply making thoir trouhjps the subject of prayer. 

 T was much interpstcd in seeing the large num- 

 ber of te-^timonials from dyspeptics.* and those 

 who have heretofore been unable to eat ordi- 

 nary food. After reading the book the first 

 evening, I prayed earnestly that God would, 



* Tlie.se people ate with impunity things that had 

 been formerly liurtful. by simply asking God to 

 remove the trouble, to give tbem healthy assimila- 

 tion and digestion. Now, a beautiful thought comes 

 in right here: These subjects of divine healing were 

 not cured by praying once about the m;itter, nor 

 once a month. "Day by day they asked God to give 

 them healtliy digestion. Very likely it was done 

 before partaking of each meal. Now, where we sit 

 down to the table, and somebody asks a blessing, 

 we often hear the phrase. "O Lord, bless this food 

 to our use." or some similar expression. It never 

 occurrred to me till just recently that this asking a 

 blessing upon our food, or "saying grace," as it is 

 sometimes called, might and should include asking 

 God to help us in our digestion. When we do this, 

 of course we should do every thing in our power to 

 help ourselves; and especially should we guard 

 against the temptation to overeat, or to eat unwisely 

 of rich foods that happen to please the taste. Those 

 who are seeking holiness certainly can not consis- 

 tently be gluttonous; and thus you see it is almost 

 absolutely necessary that spiritual Ijealing, or heal- 

 ing of tlie soul, should come first, and the healing of 

 the body afterward; and tliis is the way in which 

 the little book, " Divine Healing," has put the mat- 

 ter. 



