I had another, far worse than the first one. The
first lasted six months; the second a little more than two and one half
years. Doubtless if I had not in the strangest way in the world found
out how to cure myself it would have lasted until now, unless death in
the meantime had come to my relief. But right here I want to say that if
you are looking for some new or miraculous treatment for such
unfortunate people you might as well close the book now, for you will be
disappointed. There is a cure for "nerves" but the cure is as old as the
world. The trouble with poor deluded mortals--doctors included--is, we
are constantly looking for a miracle to cure us, but if we look back on
all the real cures that we have ever heard about, we shall find they
were as simple as the sun or the rain. And in the name of common sense
let me ask: what is the difference _how_ we are cured if we _are_ cured
and are _happy_ as a result of it? Isn't that enough? Most certainly it
is.

And now, as we journey along through the pages of this book, I want you
to know that these words have been written by one who has nothing to
offer you except human experience. As we proceed you will notice that
every statement is tremendously positive. When a man has been through
this literal hell of "nerves" he knows all about it and what can be done
for it. And so when I tell you the things you must do to get well and
_stay well_, I want you to understand that I know. There is absolutely
no theory to be found in these pages. If you put your finger in the
fire you burn it. You don't have to take your finger out of the fire,
call in a lot of learned gentlemen and say to them: "Now tell me your
candid opinion about my finger. Is it burned or is it not?"

And I am just as positive about my cure of "nerves" as you could be that
fire burned your finger. That brings me to what I want to say about the
so-called "rest cures" at the sanitariums. It is a well-known fact that
if a case of "nerves" is pronounced cured at a sanitarium the cure is
only temporary. Sooner or later every one of these patients goes down
hill again.

And remember I am talking about people who have nervous breakdowns
THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN. I have no time to spare for the person
who has brought on his own trouble. I am chiefly concerned with that
host of children in America--and there is a host, I am sorry to
say--born of what I choose to call "pre-nervous" parents. The girls of
such paren