1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



973 



WHAT SHALL WE DO WHEN WE DO NOT 

 FEEL WELL? 



Perhaps I had better put my heading to 

 read hke this: " What is the best thing for 

 old people to do when they feel that their 

 powers of mind and body are giving way? " 

 Of course, we must expect to fail sooner or 

 later, and die; but we all know, I think, 

 from past experience, that our strength and 

 vigor of mind and body depend very much 

 on how we take care of ourselves. Of 

 course, this is a question I have discussed 

 again and again, dear friends; and I think 

 I have prayed oftener that God would guide 

 me in this matter of caring for myself and 

 advising others than for almost any other 

 one thing. I have quoted many Bible texts 

 on the subject; and it seems pretty evident 

 that even devoted Christians do not inter- 

 pret Bible promises exactly in the same 

 way. Even if not all physicians are godly 

 men, they are as a whole a benefit to hu- 

 manity; and I think we may safely thank 

 God for our intelligent and up-to-date fami- 

 ly doctors. They are having a pretty severe 

 time of it just now with yellow fever in 

 New Orleans and vicinity; but I have said 

 all along that they will eventually prevail, 

 and stamp it out as they have done in Cuba 

 and some other places. The yellow fever, 

 typhoid fever, diphtheria, and other conta- 

 gious maladies, are at least largely the re- 

 sult of negligence in regard to sanitary 

 measures. But now, if you please, let us 

 get down to business — the business I have 

 in mind at least. 



During the months of July and August, of 

 late years I usually have a tussle with my 

 old trouble, malarial fever. I generally 

 have a warning of its coming by a lack of 

 circulation, indigestion, etc. Some time in 

 July a postal card came through • the mails 

 with something like this on it: 



"Are you in good health? Is your body 

 throwing off and disposing of the refuse 

 matter through the kidneys, pores, etc., as 

 it should do? Are you getting in the condi- 

 tion of a dwelling when the drainage-pipes 

 and the sewage are clogged up so poisonous 

 matters are getting into your blood, clog- 

 ging the circulation, nutrition, etc. ? If so, 

 we should be glad to explain to you what we 

 are able to do for people in your condition, 

 especially elderly people." 



I sent for further particulars, and found 

 the institution was a nicely arranged sani- 

 tarium; but the expense of treatment was 

 from $18 to $40 a week, besides a fee to 

 start with of $10 to the corps of doctors 

 whose business it is to look patients over 

 and make a diagnosis. Now, I am not writ- 

 ing up a humbug institution. I believe this 

 establishment, fully equipped as it is, is do- 

 ing a good work for humanity. I meditated 



paying them a visit just to see what they 

 could do. I prayed over the matter. Was 

 it God's will that I should seek for health 

 along this line? If they could do all they 

 claimed, I should want to write it up for 

 Gleanings; and then the question came up. 

 and I prayed over it some more. Even if I 

 should receive such health as I might expect 

 at my age, would it be just the thing here 

 on these pages to advise others to go to that 

 institution or a similar one? It did not seem 

 to me that it would. If I am blest in my 

 search for health I want it to be along some 

 line in which I can ask all my friends to fol- 

 low me. If it is where they can not consis- 

 tently follow, I do not know but I should 

 prefer ill health with the rest of humanity— 

 that is, if it is God's will. 



I presume the above confession will be the 

 means of deluging me with a lot of circulars 

 and letters from friends who have been 

 cured— from Christian Scientists, Ralston- 

 ites, and a thousand others. Although I 

 have spent a good deal of time in investi- 

 gating these things I do not feel satisfied 

 with any of them. They may be right, but 

 God has not called me to indorse or accept 

 them. What he pointed out, as nearly as I 

 could make out, was to go back to the 

 "cabin in the woods" where I have so 

 many times found health and happiness and 

 a revival of the Holy Spirit in my heart— at 

 least I think I am stating it fairly when I 

 say so. 



We did not get up to the cabin in the 

 woods until the last of July. It usually 

 takes me a week or even two weeks after I 

 get there to enable me to begin to feel like 

 a boy again. This last trip was no excep- 

 tion. As we had no horse and buggy, no 

 automobile, and not even a bicycle that was 

 of much practical use through the sand and 

 over the hills, I was compelled to go on foot. 

 For several days I got so tired in climbing 

 hills I really would have meditated going 

 back to Ohio had it not been for the memo- 

 ry of other experiences. Pretty soon I 

 made a discovery. I have been making 

 them all my life; and may God be praised 

 for the happy surprises he has given me 

 along this line. My discovery was a plan by 

 which I could climb the highest hills and get 

 rested instead of becoming tired. You may 

 laugh at it; and, to tell the truth, I am 

 not sure it will work with everybody, but I 

 think it will be all right if you will only per- 

 severe. I want a lot of you to test it and 

 let me know about it. 



When you climb a long hill on foot you 

 soon begin to pant for breath, or to breathe 

 hard, perhaps I should say. Now, do not 

 give up just because you feel tired. Keep 

 right on cHmbing hills, but walk slower, and 

 encourage as much as possible nature's de- 

 mand for more oxygen. Draw in a great 

 lot of air. Swell your lungs out away be- 

 yond their natural capacity ('uring ordinary 

 breathing. Let the air out slowly, then 

 take another big long breath. Stand still 

 during a breath or two if you choose, but do 

 not stop very long. Keep going so as to 



