The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1855-06-30
Is not our Race Deterioratingi

ana women as we Illlu Tue UutTbI race.
in their physical condition, now to be-
Examine the book Of Genesis, which con-
tains the earliest annals of the human family
AS is commonly supposed, it comprises the
first twenty three hundred and sixty-nine
years of the human history. With child
like simplicity this book describes the infan-
cy Of mankind. Unlike modern histories.
it details the minutest circumstances OF So
cal and individual life Indeed, it is rather
a series Of biographies than history. The
false delcacy of modern times does not for
bid the mention of whatever was suffered.
And yet over all the expanse of time-for
more than onethrd part Of the duration Of
the human race-not single instance is re-
corded of a child born blind, or deaf or
dumb, or idiotic, or malformed 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 found. 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 days. No epidemic disease prevailed
showing that they died the natural death of
distempered ones. Through all this time
except in the single case Of Jacob, in his old
age, and then only for day or two before
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 disease is
never mentioned No cholera infantum
scarlatina, measles, small pox-not even
toothache So extraordinary thing was it
for a son 10 die before his father, that an in
stance of it was deemed worthy Of special
notice and this first case of the reversal Of
natures law was two thousand years after
the creation of Adam. See how this reversal
Of natures law has for us become the law r; for
1o,,, t.. II a, 4 Z
family to survive the parents Rachel died
at the birth of Benjamin but this is the
only case of puerperal death mentioned in
the first twentyfour hundred years of the
sacred history, and even this happened du-
ring the fatgues of pa,riarchal journey.
when passengers were not waited along in
the saloons of railCar or steamboat.
Had Adam, think you, tuberculous lungs !?
Was Eve fiat chested, or did she cultivate
the serpentine line of grace in curved
spine? Did Nimrod get up in the morning
with furred tongue, or was he tornented
with dyspepsia Had Esau the gout or
hepatis6? Imagiue how the tough old pa
triarchS would have looked at being asked to
subscribe for lying-in hospital, or an asy-
lum for lunatics, or an eye and ear infirmary
or a school for idiots or deaf mutes.
What would their eagle-vision and swift
footedness have said to the project Of
blind asylum or an orhopcdic establish
ment? Did they suffer any of these revenges
Of nature against false civilization? No!
Man came from the hand of God so perfect
in his bodily organs, so defiant Of cold and
heat, of drought and humidity, so surcharged
with vital force, that it took more than two
thousand years of the combined abomina-
tions of appetite and ignorance it took sue
cessive ages Of outrageous excess and de-
bauchery, to drain off his electric energies
and make him accessible to disease; and
then it took ages more to breed all these vile
distempers which now nestle, like vermin,
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 abounding
Ninnr Of the rristine race II lnact ne On ri