arriage.
As I must be brief, I will only say that, after many efforts and some
failures, he at length succeeded, and was able to ride abroad several
miles a day, whenever the weather was at all favorable. Nor was his
cough at all aggravated by it. On the contrary, as his strength
increased, it became rather less harassing and exhausting.

One more advance was made. He must be helped, as he said, upon a horse.
It was doubtful, even to himself, whether he had strength enough to
endure exercise in this form; but he was determined to try it. The
attempt was completely successful, and it was scarcely a week before he
could ride a mile or two without very much fatigue.

The final result was such a degree of recovery as enabled him to ride
about on horseback several miles a day for six years. He was never quite
well, it is true, but he was comfortable, and, to some extent, useful.
He could do errands. He could perform many little services at home and
abroad. He could, at least, take care of himself. At the end of this
period, however, his strength gave way, and he sank peacefully to the
tomb. He was completely worn out.

Now the principal lesson to be learned from this story is obvious.
_Determination_ to live is almost equivalent to _power_ to live. A
strong will, in other words, is almost omnipotent. Of the good effects
of this strong determination, in case of protracted and dangerous
disease of this sort, I have had no small share of experience, as the
reader has already seen in Chapter XXIII.

Another fact may be stated under this head. A young man in southern
Massachusetts, a teacher, was bleeding at the lungs, and was yielding at
length to the conviction--for he had studied the subjects of health and
disease--that he must ere long perish from consumption. I told him there
was no necessity of such a result, and directed him to the appropriate
means of escape. He followed my directions, and after some time regained
his health. Ten or twelve years have now passed away, and few young men
have done more hard work during that time than he; and, indeed, few are
able, at the present moment, to do more. It is to be observed, however,
that he made an entire change in his dietetic habits, to which he still
adheres. He avoids all stimulating food--particularly all animal
food--and uses no drink but water.

I did not advise him, while bleeding, to mount a hard-trotting horse,
and trot away as hard as he could, and let the blood