Litchfield enquirer., 1855-01-11
MANS DETERIORATION.

The following account of man in his early
condition, is from Mr.. Mann's Inaugural at
Antioch. 1t is curious, and to some exten,
certainly true, and shows the effect Of in
diligence in a striking light.
| Examine the book of Genesis, which
contains the earliest annals of the human
! family. As is commonly supposed, it COM
prises the first 1867 years of human history.
With childlike simplicity this book des-
cribes the infancy of mankind. Unlike mo-
dern histories, it details the minutest cir
cumstances of individual and social life
Indeed, it is rather series of biographies
than history. The false delicacy of mo-
! dern times did not forbid the mention of
| whatever was done or suffered And yet,
over all that eXpanse of time-for more
than one-third part the duration of the hui
! man race, not single instance is recorded
of child born blind, or deaf, or dumb, or
idiotic, or malformed in any way! During
the whole period, not single case of "a ma
tural 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 of good old age, and full of years." or
he was sold and full of days" No cpl
showing that they died the death of healthy
men, and not the unnatural death of ds.em-
pered ones.
Through all this time, except in the sim
gle instance 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 or young lady ever tainted
Bodily pain from disease is nowhere men,
toned. No cholera infantum, scarlaina,
measles, small pox-nor even a toothache
SO extraordinary thing was it for son to
die before his father, that an instance of it
is deemed worthy of special notice; and
this first case of the reversal of natures law,
was 1900 years after the creation of Adam.
Sec how this reversal of natures laws has
for us become the law !; how rare it is now
for the children of a, family to survive the
parents Rachel died at the birth of Ben
jamin; but this is the only case Of puerpe
raj death mentioned in the first 2,i0O years
of the sacred history; and even this hap
pened through the fatigues of a patriarchal
journey when passengers We're not waited
along in the saloons of rail road cars or
steamboats,.
Had Adam, think you, tuberculous lungs1
Was Eve fat chested, or did she cultivate
the serpentine line of grace in a curved
spine! Did Nimrod get up in the morning
with fatigued frame, or was he torment
ed with the dyspepsia Had Esau the govt
or hepatitis Imagine how the old patri-
archs would have looked at being asked to
subscribe for lying-in hospital or an asy-
lum for lunatics, or an eye and ear infrmary.
or school for idiots and deaf mutes What
would their eagle vision and swillfootedness
have said to the project for blind asylum
or an orthopepic establishment Did they
suffer any of these revenges of nature against
false civilization No!
Man came from the hand of God so per-
feet in his bodily organs, SO defiant Of cold
and heat, of drought and humidity, so sur
charged with vital force, that it took more
than 1000 years of the combined abomina
tons of appetite and ignorance, even sue
ccssive ages of outrageous excess and de-
bauchery to drain off his electric energies
and make him even accessible to disease
and then it took ages more to breed all those
vile distempers which now nestle like YER
min in every organ and fibre of our bodies.