"COMMON SENSE."

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1629, 10 March 1884, Page 2

"COMMON SENSE."

There is a "sense" which is common, and there is a " sense" which is " uncommon." Tiio one of these senses should never be allowed, to; displace the other. This is perhaps more manifestly important in the healing of diseased bodies than in anything else. Let us try to give a few thoughts on this important subject, A sense is a something in us in the use of which we have the material, so to speak, of knowledge. This capacity, or whatever you' like to call it, is that by which'every one of (is moro or less knows what to do to help ourselves' or others in cases of bodily trouble. So far as every one has this capacity, it is " common sense j" so far as only a few have it, we may say it is in degree at least, " uncommon sense." We must try and make this clear in a simple practical way. Here, then, is a head which is hot and sleepless. Toothache, or some other form ot neuralgia prevails, and the poor owner of that head has a very bad time indeed. Neither the word " toothache," nor yet the word "neuralgia" rasans anything to the great majority of minds, Even the word "nerve," which is in so many mouths, has no useful meaning. To one who has an uncommon capacity of knowing in such cases, these and similar words have meaning, but to the vast, majority of people they mean just nothing. But now see how different' it is with the word "heat," as applied to the burning brow. "Where is the person to whom that word does-not instantly convey real knowledge? We think that the common capacity of making J

a clear good use of what is meant by it that word is common sense. Leave pi all those words which, to the great r< majority of people, mean just nothing, w for those .words that mean something h to -everybody) and yen land in the most f< important domains of real common tl sense, Lay your hand gently on the n forehead of the'suffering.person, and n feel how hot the brow is: do yon need fi anyeno to let yon know one. of the e most important matters of knowledge of which any of us can form a conception ? That heat is just as easily known and understood by one us it is by any other—the knowledge of it is common to all, common sense takes hold of it. r at once, But it is not only the brow ] that is hot in that burning head -the ( whole mass of that head is burniug. c Who can thero possibly: be on earth i to whom that is not patent? You see ] a nurse put a little bit of rag on the forehead of a fevered patient. Yon ] say: Is not this proof that common { sense is not common as should bo de- \ sired 1 No; it only tells you that f that nurse fails to use the sense that is ( common to her anil everybody else, j You cannot for a moment contend that \ it is not perfectly within reach of her s knowledge that the whole head is \ burning, and that it will tako a lain- s tired times tho cooling power of that , bit of rag to cool down the heated , brain, Or you see another nurse put ] a large towel, wrung out of the 'cold , water, round this hot head, That looks ( as if common sense were to be used; , but no, it is not so.' The cold towel is , very speadily heated, and it is allowed j to stay on the heated head and increase , the burning. That is not the lack of , any common sense, it is only the result of such sense being unused, No one can be beyond the reach of knowing that a burning brain cannot bo cooled in such a way, If one thinks at ailthat is, if lie uses the sense which he 1 has in common with all his fellow- . • creatures—he will know that it will ' take the pressing of a cold cloth, often 1 changed, for an hour at least, to bring down the fevering heat of that restless > brain. Nobody needs to be told that, ! because it is difficult to know except ' to uncommon sense, . , , If the head is chill instead of hot, it could be no stretch of uncommon skill to see that it should be now gently and also persistently heated; and yet this is all | that would be required to produce the most delightful results. We have seen j the most excruciating pains turned into a most delightful feeling of relief by ' this ceating alone. It was only in the ' use of such simple thought as is common to us all that such a change was secured 1 We have written this only that the benefit of simple natural heal--5 ing may be more widely known, . , 1 —Professor Kirk's' Papers on Health,'