Body & Soul

Mental hygiene interests the Protestant Episcopal Church. A chief feature of the Summer Conference for Church Workers of the Middle West, in session last week at Racine, Wis., was a course in psychiatry by Rev. Herbert Ralph Higgins of St. Paul's Cathedral, Detroit, who explained: "If the church does not move forward to newer fields of knowledge, she cannot complain if medicine takes them over."

A lively squabble over mental hygiene has been occupying Episcopalians in Manhattan for several weeks. Scene was the old Church of St. Mark's in-the-Bouwerie, where Peter Stuyvesant lies buried. Medicine was represented by mysterious, some say hypnotic Dr. Edward Spencer Cowles, 52, son-in-law of William Gibbs McAdoo, fashionable neurologist, psychiatrist, director of the Park Avenue Hospital where died Actress Jeanne Eagels of an overdose of heroin and rich young William E. Swift of Chicago by suicide (TIME, June 9, Sept. 1, 1930). The Episcopal Church was represented by the conservative vestry of St. Mark's, and somewhere in the background by New York's Bishop William Thomas Manning. Midway between was Dr. William Norman Guthrie, tall, handsome, voluble rector of St. Mark's, who ten years ago founded with Dr. Cowles at St. Mark's a non-sectarian "Body & Soul Medical & Mental Clinic."

Last June the Body & Soul Clinic, declaring that it had thus far treated more than 400,000 ailing New Yorkers, held a tenth anniversary celebration in Town Hall. Greetings were received from friends and directors, including Father-in-law McAdoo, Lawyers Samuel Untermyer and George Gordon Battle, Episcopal Church Historian E. Clowes Chorley, Editor Guy Emery Shipler of The Churchman. Former patients appeared to tell of their cures, which each called "a modern miracle." The Town Hall meeting was startled when Lawyer Dudley Field Malone arose and shouted that Bishop Manning was "plotting" to remove the Body & Soul Clinic from St. Mark's.

Bishop Manning refused to comment. But three weeks ago the Body & Soul Clinic was ousted. The ten vestrymen met thrice, finally voted 8-to-2. Dr. Guthrie was understood to agree with them that the clinic was not an essential feature of divine worship. He had lately collaborated in clinic affairs only to the extent of giving occasional religious talks which most of the patients could not understand.

Dr. Cowles threatened to fight for his clinic, announced that under canon law the vestry had no right to interfere. Historian Chorley agreed with him.

Many a loyal patient joined in to plead for the clinic's continuance. Socialites, East Side Jews, Italians, professional folk milled about the Body & Soul Clinic. From them newshawks learned something of the methods of treatment. Chief feature seemed to be an amber-colored "elixir" which produced an agreeable vagueness-- "makes us so drowsy that we have to sit and relax until it passes away." Dr. Cowles's assistant described this as a "placebo" (substance of no medical value, given for moral or suggestive effect). Patients described how their worries had vanished, their physical condition improved. After administering the elixir, Dr. Cowles would use "suggestion." Like the late famed Dr. Coue he would say, "may your mental nerves become stronger, your physical illness become better. You must relax, relax, relax and abolish all fear."

Last fortnight Dr. Guthrie admitted that he had agreed with the vestry in their action. Thus was removed Dr. Cowles's legal objection to the ouster. Dr. Guthrie offered to demonstrate his sympathy by appearing publicly at the opening of the clinic elsewhere. But Dr. Cowles was determined not to budge. Said he: "I did not start this movement frivolously and I am not prepared to have it abolished frivolously." To his aid last week went the Body & Soul Medical & Mental Asso ciation, composed of his old patients, who begged Dr. Guthrie: "After looking into the drawn and pitiful faces of the patients and hearing their tragic stories of mental agony, soul suffering and despair of life, how can you, as a man of God, have the heart to close the church to these people?" Lawyer Malone and Dr. Chorley also sent word of their eagerness to help. But Dr. Guthrie kept mum.

Deadline for the clinic's stay at St. Mark's is July 31. Last week, as a last stand, Dr. Cowles planned a militant street rally in front of the church. He told his patients that "things will probably be said that I feel should be said outside the body of this church." He announced that Lawyer Malone and Dr. Chorley would speak at the meeting. Dr. Cowles also made public a letter he had written Dr. Guthrie, charging him with abandoning a "humanitarian work which you explicitly state has your warm approval in order to avoid the criticism of the conservative element because you fear it will invoke the loss of financial support. . . . Is this the time for you, Dr. Guthrie, to become the victim of fear? To close your church and be another example of Depression hysteria after having demonstrated to the nation such a noble example of what can be accomplished by this joint service of religion and medicine?"

On the day scheduled for the street rally last week, plain-clothes men, reporters, idlers, 40 Body & Soul patients and a scattering of well-dressed folk gathered about St. Mark's in-the-Bouwerie. For hours it looked as though no meeting would be held. Dr. Cowles was said to be in bed with bronchial pneumonia and a temperature of 103DEG. He appeared finally, flanked by Dudley Field Malone and Mrs. Guthrie. He made a speech attacking Bishop Manning for trying "to get Dr. Guthrie's scalp." Dr. Guthrie had a practical suggestion to make: that the clinic be moved to St. Mark's Hospital, around the corner, bankrupt and vacated last year, which could be bought "for a song." There was polite applause, no offer of cash.

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