Thom Nickels: Owen Wister and the ‘Western Cure’
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"... Mitchell diagnosed Wister with a severe case of neurasthenia and suggested a trip to a Wyoming ranch.

Mitchell had developed a system for treating nervous men, and that was to send them to the west where they could rope cattle, hunt, ride horses, and engage in male bonding rituals. In his 1871 book, Wear and Tear: Or Hints for the Overworked, Mitchell encouraged nervous men to go west in order to reinforce their masculinity and to test their willpower.

.. Even “Rough Rider” Teddy Roosevelt returned from his western cure without what his detractors called his “former effeminate looks” and “high voice that often provided comparison to Oscar Wilde.”

These were different times, indeed..."
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** About Thom Nickels:
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Thom Nickels is a Philadelphia-based journalist/columnist and the 2005 recipient of the AIA Lewis Mumford Award for Architectural Journalism. He writes for City Journal, New York, and Frontpage Magazine. Thom Nickels is the author of fifteen books, including “Literary Philadelphia ([link removed]) ” and ”From Mother Divine to the Corner Swami: Religious Cults in Philadelphia ([link removed]) .” His latest is “Death in Philadelphia: The Murder of Kimberly Ernest ([link removed]) .” He is currently at work on “The Last Romanian Princess and Her World Legacy,” about the life of Princess Ileana of Romania.

We at Broad + Liberty ([link removed]) are proud to provide readers across our region, state and beyond, with insightful, original investigative reports, and thought-leadership, on education, crime, business and government.

Read more columns on w ([link removed]) ww.broadandliberty.com ([link removed]) — updated daily and as news breaks.
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