New-York daily tribune., 1843-01-07
Mr. G-ahars,s Eirst lecture.

-izF. Sr-UuaEi>F sESl 22cCsaEt'
SYLVESTER GRAHAM delivered his First Lee
ture on the Human Constitution and It's apprepri-
rte Aliment at ..he Society Library on Thursday
evening; but our time AID CUT columns we're SO
preoccupied that we we're unable to sketch his er-
gument for yesterdays paper, and taust row rest
satisfied with the brief abstract furnished by q
friend;
Dir. Graham dwelt at length On the fal!acy of
trusting to our individual experience guide IN
eating or drinking; women or sedentary men drink
their tea, and it has exhilaratisg effect, their
heads ache, and for the moment a draught OF tea
drives away the pain, proving to theit experience
that it is extremely beneficial, while science de-
rnonstrate. tha. ii IS subtle poison, aggraYatlng
what for 4 moment It appeared 10 cure. he same
with ecohol-two hundred years ago 1t was con-
sidcrcd cordial, Il medicine catholiconi and
the experience OF many moderate drinker even
now tells him in some shape alcohol does him
good, though to most OF you it will be unneoesSa-
ry 10 say that scientific investigation has demon
strated that from single dram TO drunkenness,
alcohol IN al shapes is poison, and SO WITH oiher
dfinks-so with eating. He said, " we err
from day TO day in dIaletic, and other na5lts !;
from each sin disease acccrulates, our const!tu-
ton is sappcd, when after org course o. m jnths,
of years, the accumulated weight bursts all bar
riers, and poor humanity sinks 10 an untimely
grave, with weeping friends sorrowing over some
cold, or secondary cause having sent him there
which cold fever, or what not, had he always
lived according TO The laws OF his nature, either
would no: have occurred, or the recuPerative en-
ergies OF nature would have thrown it off with 2
Sigh, effort, like the Snow in Alpiae regions
L. III .Ia fal he ,lit Ot
each fake hardly pcrceptibc on our fingers end; !;
yet there it falls and nccumuates, III! the heat OF
the sun, its weight and oihsr start 1t from
its place, and from The mountain summit 1t bounds
an avalanche carrying terror before it, and leav-
ing desolation in its train, He said it was itnpos-
,ble 10 discuss the SceGce of Life in three Lee
lures; he would therefore mention thet he did not
wish what he said be believed merely on his
ipse dirit-a contradiction from any other man
would be as good-and thus the Lecture hearers
would be swayed about this way and that by every
mind but as he was TO give only three Lectures
he would necessarily have to coafnc himself TO
the results of his investi cations; and for demon
sration of what ne should say in the two following
lectures, as being gincontrovertbe, sci ntif; truths
he would have to refer them 10 his large work on
the Science of Human Life, no one principle OF
which had been controvcrtcd in the course OF the
four years it had been before the public. At the
close of the lecture lie mentioned the death of 4
gentleman whom his friends and DR.. Cox accused
of having died of Grahamism, or starved him
self to dcath;" post. mortem examination was
opposed by Dr.. Cox, but finally had plainly
showing, with other we'll known facts, that Mot
fats pills and an over-worked weak constitution
hnd DESTROYED himself; on the ether hand, he said
that during the twelve or fifteen years which he
had inrcstiguted this subject, he had never koown
one instance which facts did prove every prn-
cpe laid dowa by him in regard sothe science oflite
He pointed out instances amongst the audience,
one Of which was an elderly gentleman who has
lived Grahamism ten years; he began at a low
state of disease with nervous system snstrung and
Bending beneath premature old age; now he walks
from his countins-roem in Wall street, a mile be-
youd the Catharine ferry, Brooklyn, besides his bH,
sincss duties, and possesses the clear head and
animal spirits of twenty five. (His appearance
corroborated the testimony
Mr.. Gaham is fluent, earnest, extempore
speaker, and we'll worth hearing by those who ad-
mrc cloquence, though they may not have faith in
the doctrines he advances. His second lecture will
be given this evening the Society Library at half
past o'clock, on Health, and the means of re-
s,orinr nr retsininp il