by Norman Townsend, Scripture Press Staff Member
A t f ir s t , it seemed an isolated case. George, a normal teen-ager, alternated between boredom and bedlam in his adolescent activities. But recently, he seemed to lapse into prolonged periods of that state described by one authority as “ the suspension of the organs of sense,” with Sunday being the time of the most acute attacks. Now, it seemed contagious, for almost all the young people of our church were displaying the deadly symp toms—listlessness, a tendency to be inattentive, incapable of intelligent response, and indifference. Parents and church leaders, at first unconcerned, have turned to authorities for advice and aid. Dr. Noah Webster, upon being consulted, described the sickness as “ the absence of any voluntary activity for any rational object or purpose.” He went on to analyze the condition as one in which “ there is a lessened acute ness of sensory perception, a confusion of ideas, and a loss of mental control, followed by a more or less unconscious state.” While appreciating Dr. Webster’s analysis and descrip
tion, those concerned felt that measures must be taken to cure the present affliction, and to prevent a recurrence of this epidemic among the youth of the church. With this in mind, the following remedies were prescribed and used: 1. Patented Pills These, of various sizes and colors, were usually sugar- coated to make them more palatable for the young people to swallow. All were designed to cure the condition by entertainment, or “ giving the young people what they want.” An assortment of magicians, clowns, comical pic tures, acrobatic song-leaders, and ecclesiastical circus performers administered the dosage, but to no avail. Despite the Hip-Hip-Hooray Happy Hymn-Hollering, and the side-splitting spiritual side-shows, the victims would arouse from their stupor only to lapse deeper into their semi-comatose state. 2. Hypodermics or Shock Treatments The milder methods having failed to produce the
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THE KIN G'S BUSINESS
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