FAITH CURE 



2130 



FALCON 



of Richmond, and Seven Pines the name of a 

 tavern on the battlefield. In the battle about 

 42,000 Federals under McClellan engaged an 

 equal force of Confederates under Joseph E. 

 Johnston and G. W. Smith. After the battle 

 of Williamsburg, which occurred on May 5, 

 Johnston began a slow retreat toward Rich- 

 mond. McClellan, who was following him, 

 threw his left wing, under Heintzelman and 

 Keyes, across the Chickahominy. 



On the morning of May 31 Johnston sent a 

 Confederate force to attack this wing, and only 

 the arrival of reinforcements under Sumner 

 saved the Federals from a serious defeat. The 

 Confederates were then driven back with heavy 

 losses, Johnston himself being among the 

 wounded, and General Smith taking chief com- 

 mand. On the following day, after the Fed- 

 eral left had repulsed an attack by Longstreet, 

 General Robert E. Lee superseded Smith, and 

 on the night of June 2 the Confederates with- 

 drew to Richmond. The total Federal loss 

 was about 5,000, and that of the Confederates, 

 about 5,200. 



FAITH CURE. This term, also known as 

 mental healing and psycho-therapeutics, refers 

 to the recognized influence of the mental atti- 

 tude upon the bodily processes. The normal 

 functioning of the processes of digestion, res- 

 piration and circulation, and that of all the 

 complex chemical processes which determine 

 energy and well-being, are peculiarly dependent 

 upon the proper action of the nervous system; 

 this last, in turn, is most intimately bound up 

 with the attitudes of mind hope, fear, appre- 

 hension, despondency, worry, attention to symp- 

 toms (pains). In addition, this mental factor is 

 peculiarly prominent in certain forms of ail- 

 ment known as functional nervous disorders. 

 The disappearance of symptoms under strong 

 mental stimulation is thus explained. The 

 disorder known as hysteria provides the most 

 favorable culture-bed for such effects. Hysteri- 

 cal symptoms are not the products of sham- 

 ming, but of an exceptional suggestibility; im- 

 pediments, in the form of conviction that mus- 

 cles cannot be controlled, induce paralysis. 

 The sight of disorder, as of twitching or con- 

 vulsions, induces the same symptoms in the 

 hysterical; nervous disorders may thus spread 

 by contagion. 



On the basis of such observation it follows 

 that a strong belief in the power of a religious 

 ceremony, the laying on of hands, prayer, the 

 visit to a shrine, the touch of a relic, may 

 release nervous impediments to health and 



prepare the way for a prompt or gradual im- 

 provement and cure. This influence may be 

 traced in the history of miraculous cures from 

 ancient times. J.J. 



Relating to Various Beliefs. The articles on 

 the following topics, while not bearing on Faith 

 Cure, are of interest in this connection. 



Palmistry 



Phrenology 



Psychical Research 



Psycho- Analysis 



Physiognomy 



Spiritualism 



Suggestion 



Superstition 



Telepathy 



Theosophy 



Trance 



Witchcraft 



Alchemy 



Astrology 



Clairvoyance 



Conjuring 



Demonology 



Divination 



Hypnotism 



Magic 



Medium 



Mesmerism 



Mind Reading 



Necromancy 



Occult 



FAKIR , fa keer ' . Because of the resemblance 

 between the word fakir, which comes from an 

 Arabic word meaning to be poor, and the slang 

 word faker, which is probably from an old 

 English word meaning to deceive, most peo- 

 ple have the erroneous impression that all 

 fakirs are dishonest. India is the home of 

 fakirs. There, some of them are ascetics who 

 live in communities and are very devout Mo- 

 hammedans; others are wandering beggars who 

 torture themselves in all sorts of ingenious 

 ways, either from sincerely ascetic motives or 

 to convince the people of their holiness; still 

 others are jugglers and sleight-of-hand per- 

 formers, said to be the cleverest in the world. 

 The first class probably constitutes the ma- 

 jority. 



FALCON, faw'k'n, or fawl'k'n, a strong, 

 graceful, powerful hawk, at one time widely 

 used in hunting game. Its claws are sharp 

 and hooked, its short, stout legs are heavily 

 feathered, and its curved beak is armed with 

 a sharp hook. 

 The peregrine 

 falcon, known in 

 America as duck 

 hawk, is the one 

 preferred for 

 hunting. Its up- 

 per parts are 

 slate colored, the 

 under parts 

 cream, barred 

 with dark slate 

 or black, except- /j 

 ing the upper! 

 part of the breast. ! 

 The female pere-j 

 grine is most val- THE FALCON 



