BE CAREFUL WITH THAT LAMP!

Otago Witness, Issue 2241, 11 February 1897, Page 12

BE CAREFUL WITH THAT LAMP !

I sincerely hope that Mrs Filmer has abandoned the custom of keeping an oil lamp burning in her room of nights. She does not say what the necessity was, but I trust it no longer exists. If possible to avoid it, no light should burn in a room wherein people are sleeping. The reasons ought to be plain enough, yet wo all need lei«ons in common caution. This lady had hers, an i was fortunate in coming out of the affair as well as sbo did. Writing about it she aays : "It was in the summer of 1886, not long after the death of my husband. I had been used to keeping an oil lamp burniug ia my room for convenience during the night. One night I accidentally overturned tha lamp, and a blaze kindled iv an in»tant. Terrified half oat of my wits I spraug from bed, seized the burning arbiclec, and ran. downstairs with them jmb in time to prevent; further disaster. Happily for me I escaped with slight burns, but not from consequences of another kind. " The frighb and shock quite prostrated me. Do what I would after the danger w.\3 all over I was uuiible to banish the subject from my thoughts. t My nerves seemed completely unhinged, and I rapidly grew feeble, excitable, and debilitated. My appetite failed, and I had no relish for my ordinary food. There was a bad taste in my moulh, headache, distress after eating, loss of flesh and ambition, with a disposition to worry and freb over things which when I was well had no influence with me wn&tever. I sought to build up my strength with beef tea, and other nutritious and digestible forms of diet without success. "The dootors whom I consulted said I was suffering from nervous debility and weakness. They gave me prescriptions, which the chemist; made up for me ; but they had no effect, and what I suffered I have no words to tell you. My health appeared to have been all broken up suddenly, as a railway train goes to pieces in a collision. Month after month I struggled with this strange ailment, but could find no remedy to relieve me. Not until January 1887 did I gee my way out of the trouble which followed my adventure- of that fearful night. 41 At that time (January 1887) I chanced to come upon a little book about; Mother Seigel's | Syrup as a cure for indigestion and dyspepsia and the complaints attending it. Letters that were printed in that book from others who had been cured by this rem-dy gave me confidence, j and I got aHOottle from Mr J. H. Brown, patent medicine dealer, 15 High street, Margate. ; After taking it I felb decidedly better. I could ! eat and digest needed food.; my nerves were ! more under control, and I got better rleep and ( rest. I will merely add that, feeling saro that Mother Seigel's Syrup was helping me, I continued to take it, and eventually recovered" my health. For this I thank Mother Seigel's Syrup ; and if you think so singular an experience us mine would be of interest or use to anyone you have my consent to pablish it.— (Signed) (Mrs) O. L. Filmar, Thanet Cottage, Draper's road, Margate, July 24, 1895." Now I invite the reader's attention to a double fact : First (as is daily shown in these articles), that indigestion will disorder and disease the nervous system ; and, second, that a violent shock to the nervous system will produce indigestion of a profound and intractable type. Tha latter fact is illustrated by the case we are now considering. There is no space hereto treat of ib at length. Let it suffice for the present that, either way, the remedy must be addressed to the digestion — not to the nerves. No competent physician treats a so-oalled "nervous" disease as a nervous disease. He seeks for the location of tho evil force, whioh is commonly the stomach ; corrects that if he can, and leaves the nerves to right themselves, a* they always do. This is what Mother Seigel's Syrup did for Mrs Filmer, and will do for you in case (which Providence forbid) you are ever overthrown in like manner.

The Forbury School Committee have voted for the election of Mr.W. Blackio, Me J. F. M. Fraser, and the Hon. J. MacGregor as members of the Edncation Boird. At a meeting of the Opposition party at Woodville on the 2nd Mr Mauisty, the Opposition candidate at the late election, was presented) with a purse of sovereigns as a mark- of appre« ciation of the manner in which he had fought the recent Pahiatua contest. Messrs Leth« bridge and M'Lean, M.H.R's., were present! and spoke ; so alno did Mr M'Lean, president) of the Hawke's Bay branch of the National Association. It is probable that a branch of the National Association will ba formad fn» this eleofcos**"