still you do not seem to
realize that the thoughts and emotions have an effect upon the body.

A day or two ago, while conversing with a friend, we were speaking of
worry. "My father is greatly given to worry," he said. "Your father
is not a healthy man," I said. "He is not strong, vigorous, robust,
and active." I then went on to describe to him more fully his father's
condition and the troubles which afflicted him. He looked at me in
surprise and said, "Why, you do not know my father?" "No," I replied.
"How then can you describe so accurately the disease with which he is
afflicted?" "You have just told me that your father is greatly given
to worry. When you told me this you indicated to me cause. In
describing your father's condition I simply connected with the cause
its own peculiar effects."

Fear and worry have the effect of closing up the channels of the body,
so that the life forces flow in a slow and sluggish manner. Hope and
tranquillity open the channels of the body, so that the life forces go
bounding through it in such a way that disease can rarely get a
foothold.

Not long ago a lady was telling a friend of a serious physical trouble.
My friend happened to know that between this lady and her sister the
most kindly relations did not exist. He listened attentively to her
delineation of her troubles, and then, looking her squarely in the
face, in a firm but kindly tone said: "Forgive your sister." The woman
looked at him in surprise and said: "I can't forgive my sister." "Very
well, then," he replied, "keep the stiffness of your joints and your
kindred rheumatic troubles."

A few weeks later he saw her again. With a light step she came toward
him and said: "I took your advice. I saw my sister and forgave her.
We have become good friends again, and I don't know how it is, but
somehow or other from the very day, as I remember, that we became
reconciled, my troubles seemed to grow less, and today there is not a
trace of the old difficulties left; and really, my sister and I have
become such good friends that now we can scarcely get along without one
another." Again we have effect following cause.

We have several well-authenticated cases of the following nature: A
mother has been dominated for a few moments by an intense passion of
anger, and the child at her breast has died within an hour's time, so
poisoned became the mother's milk by virtue of the poisonous secretions
of the system while u