Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1854-10-21
THE PRIMITIVE MAN.

'"'"' 'HS earliest annals oil the
human family. As is commonly sumo.
sed, It comprises the first 1860 wears Of
human history, With a child.like sim.
PIlcity, this book describes the in(6ncv or
mankind. Unlike modern histories /,
details the minutest circumstances Of rsociol
and individual life, Indeed it is rather n
series OF biographies than history. The
false delicacy Of modern times did not
forbid the mention Of whatever was done
or suffered. And yet over all that ex.
panse oil tlme'-tor more than oneIhird
part OF The duration of the hnman race
not single instance is recorded ola child
born blind, or deaf, or dumb, or idiolc,
or malIormed in any way During The
whole period, not single case of natural
death in infancy, or childhood, or early
manhood, or even Of middle manhood, is
to be fond. Not one man or woman
died Of disease. The simple record is
"and he died" or, he died ''in good old
age, and full Of years." or he was cold
and full Of days" No epidemic, nor
even endemic disease prevailed, showing
that they died the natural death of heahhy
men, and not the unnatural death of dis.
tempered ones. Through all this time,
! (cxcept in the single case Of Job, in his
age, and then only for day or two be-.
fore his DEATH it does not appear that any
man was i'll, or that any old lady or young
lady ever tainted. Bodily pain from dis.
case is nowhere mentioned. No cholera
inantum, scarlatna, measles, small pox
not even toothache So eXtraordina.
ry thing wns it for son TO die before
his father, that an instance oft is deemed
worthy of special notice; and this first
case Of the reversal of natures law was
1000 years after the creation Of Adam
! See how this reversal Of nature's law has
for us become The law for how rare is it
now for all the children OF n family to sur.
viye the parents. Rachel died at the birth
Of Benjamin; but this is the only case Of
puerperal death mentioned in the first D.
400 years Of the sacred history and even
this happened during The faligues of a pat
rarchal Journey, when passengers were
not waited along in the saloons Of rail car
or steamboat. Had Adam, think you,
tubcrcuous lungs! Was Eve fiat. chest
ed, or did she cultivate The serpenine line
Of grace in q curved spine? Did no, MIN.
rod get up in the morning with furrcd
tongue, or was he iormenIed with the dys.
pepsa Had Esau the gout or hepatitis :?
Imagine how the tough old Patriarchs
would look at being asked 10 subscribe
for Iying.in hospital, or an hospital, or
an asylum for lunatics, or an eye and ear
iniirmary, or a school for idiots or deaf
mutes. What would their eagle vision
and swift.iootedness have said to the pro-
icct of blind asylum or an orthopedc
establishment Did they suffer any OF
these regenges Of nature against civlllza-
ton? No Man came from the hand OF
God so perfect in his bodily organs, so de-
fant Of cold and heat, of drought and hu.
midity, so surcharged with vita force, that
il took more than two thousand years Of
the combined denominations ofappelte and
ignorance il took successive ages Of out
raaeous excess and debauchery, 10 drain
off his electric energies and make him
even accessible to disease; and then i
took ares more 10 breed all these vile dis.
tompers which now nestle, like vermn in
every organ and fibre Of our bodies !
During all this time, however the fatal
causes were at work, which wore away
and finally exhausted the glorious and
obounding yigor of the pristine race. At
least as carly as The third generation from
Adam, polygamy began. lntcrmarriagos
we're ali along the order Of the day. Even
All -.f,n r-arried his half.ssier. The ba.
sest harlotry was not beneath one of the
Patriarchs. Whole people, like the Moab
ties and Amortes, were the direct fruit ci
combined drunkenness and incest between
(a,her and daughters. The highest pleas
ures and forces Of the races gradually
narrowed down 10 appetite and confluence
Al length, its history become almost toe
! shocking to be referred to. In its great
es, men, its wisest men, its God favored
men, like David, could be guilty Of muir
; der iOr Inc sake u duhItSi - W my ~
omon, could keep seraglio OF a thousand
wives and concubines, what bIacknes'
could be black enough TO paint the por
traits Of the people they ruled, and the
children they begat
After the Exodus, excesses rapidly dew
eloped into diseases. First came culane
} Gus disiempers-leprosy, bolls, e'epliantl
: nsis. &c.-thc common effort of nature tt
throw yisceral impurities to the surface
c AS early as King Asa, that royal malady
>, The cout, had been invented. Then can't
e consomptions and the burning ogue, ant
!, disorders oflhe viscerai organs, and pes
e tlebccs, or, as the Bible expressed 1t
i great plaques and Of long continuance;
until in the time Of Christ, we see nov
!, diseases of all kinds had become the com
= mon lot of mankind, by the crowds ina
locked 10 him to be healed. Ana 81