X A WORD TO TIIE SUBSCRIBERS OF 



In the treatment of these great subjects the solemn 

 watchword throughout has been, EARNESTNESS; and the 

 only desire, as the world's recognition and appreciation 

 of an effort thus humble but sincere, is simply the intel- 

 ligent and grave conviction, it is HONEST. 



The real desire has been to get something of the natu- 

 ral science of that piece of the venerable spheroid (the 

 earth) called the Alleghany Mountain, made more gen- 

 erally known to men, also to try to introduce some of 

 its metaphysical elements into the recorded soul of the 

 world; but, above all, to assert its sanitary claims or 

 powers to produce health and happiness. 



It will occur to the intelligent thinker, that such an 

 undertaking was anything but a "joke" to a wretched 

 slave of a country physician, trying to scratch his bread 

 from a surface of naked sand-rocks; and weeks, even 

 months of continuous arrestation of the work, and stand- 

 ing still of all things, were, from the nature of his en- 

 gagements, inevitable. 



The story of the mountain has in this manner, as 

 already stated, been, FORCED to crawl slowly and lan- 

 guidly out through a multitude of never-ceasing occu- 

 pations. Torn by distractions, bewildered by complex 

 functions, will you, subscriber, pardon the delay in the 

 appearance of the book, when you are assured that 

 something really useful has been attempted; some cata- 

 logues of facts, even if they are fragmentary and unfin- 

 ished, some suggestions, however crude and inelaborate, 

 have been made; and that some earnest aspirations and 

 prayers have been breathed (however untimely, un- 

 comely, and ungrateful to averted ears) for the well- 

 being, especially of diseased and suffering fellow-sin- 

 ners? 



One thing you WILL accord, and have the justice to 

 acknowledge, that WHATEVER the BOOK may be, a reality 

 is in the Mountain and its Sanitarium, positive and alive, 

 as the blood and heart of man are alive. 



Be it then what it may, "monstrum horrendum" or 

 "ridiculous mouse," the book of "The Mountain" is 

 now a fact on the stupid list of existing things. 



From the tyranny of the hour, and the inexorable des- 



