Hunger Saves.

“Death? Why, no, I’ve never given that a thought. I know, however, that I am not going to die. Why, God wouldn’t let me die. If I do then nothing will be accomplished by my fasting.”

- Mrs. Ernest S. Harrington, on ending her 48-day fast intended to influence her husband to join her church, 1921.


When asked by reporters if she objected to visitors, she replied: “No, for God told me it would be all right for you to come and see me. He said, ‘If they come in by the front door admit them to your room, but if they come in the back door I do not want you to see them.’”

Although she claimed to have gone without food for 48 days, a doctor examining her declared the fast could not have been longer than one week, stating her condition was virtually normal. Harrington was upset by the claim, saying it was an attempt to “cheat God of the glory of preserving my body and keeping me alive until the great victory is won.”

At the conclusion of the fast, Mr. Harrington had still not joined the church. During the fast, he repeatedly said, “I’ll be damned if I give into her.”