s and
nostrums. Whenever an individual has descended so low that he imbibes
these things, he has gotten out of our class and has become a common,
every-day fiend. No, the neurasthenic is no commonplace fellow. He may
undergo a useless operation for appendicitis, but he will not swill down
dirty dopes. His office is high-toned and esthetic. Perhaps that is the
main reason why he is so often reluctant to give it up and be cured. He
may display morbid fears and fancies that border on lunacy, and he may do
some freakish and atrocious things, but for all that he is usually a man
of good points and perhaps superior attainments. Our cult is respectable
and made up of gentlemen who seldom defile their mouths or stomachs with
tobacco, cigarettes, impure words or patent medicine.

But I could not refrain from doing something for my health's sake. After
taking a little mental survey of the past, I saw at once that all of
nature's methods had, at one time and another, been called into my
service. It seemed to be an unconscious rule of action on my part never to
do the same thing twice if it could be avoided. Now I resolved to invade
the realm of the speculative and unseen by dipping into New Thought. The
subject seemed to be fascinating, although one in which there was still
something to be learned. The psychic research people claimed to have
telepathy and thought transference about on a paying basis. I thought that
if I could get some strong "health waves" permeating my system it would do
me good. The thing to do was to get my psychic machinery attuned to that
of some good healthy, clean-minded individuals who were skilled in this
line of business. I attended the meetings of a Theosophy Mutual Admiration
Society and tried to get some of their wholesome thoughts worked into my
system. It seemed to act nicely and the results were gratifying, but I was
of the opinion that perhaps Christian Science was better adapted to my
needs. It would be a stunner to be able to address a little speech about
like this to myself:--

"The joke is on you, old chap; you don't feel any of those symptoms you
have complained of all these years. Why? Well, because you haven't anybody
and haven't anything to feel with. Mind is all there is to you
and--and--and I'm afraid there is not enough of it to give you much
trouble."

I liked Christian Science pretty well, although the name seemed to me
somewhat of a misnomer. The main part of it consisted in trying