The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-11-12

IN ICs
One Who DIED WITHOUT Lry yfsG.-M. Paul
5 Legrand, who died at pijon, Burgundy, atthe
, age Of 70, leaves the following memoir, where
by he proves he has not lived:
All that is suffering sorrow, ennui, despair,
desire, regret, should be deducted from life,
because we should ourselves have deducted it,
had heaven permitted. When three years old
l was weaned; at six ] could speak badly; at
sevenI split my SKULL at nine was cured !
must, therefore, extract nine years from my ex-
istence; for surely to drink nurses sour milk,
not to speak, or badly, and to split ones skull,
is not living. AT the age Of nine began my
studies. Owing to my cracked skull, my head
was hard one, and proved stubborn to tut
I ton. required two years labor to spell the
alphabet. I was indebted to letter z alone for
about fourscore hundred lashes; all the other
twenty three letters made a complete martyr of
me. AT the age of twelve 4 could read, but
my body was lnangled with alphabet scars. An.
attempt was made to teach me Latin, and T
lost my French in the experiment, At fifteen
knew nothing at ALL and a forced diet of
bread and water, had reduced me to the con-
dition of a skeleton. Six years more had there
fore to be deducted. At sixteen my old father
made me notary's clerk. There commenced
a new species Of matyrdom. got up at six,
swept the Office, lighted the stove, was drub-
bed by the taller clerks, and my father, over
whelmed with complaints about me, deprived
| me Of my dinner. This life led for about
five years, and from life will positively de-
duct them.
Attweuty my father, quite disguised with
his son, put me on board a ship at Cberbourg.
washed the decks, climbed up the top mast,
mended the sails, and received thirty lashes
day upon my back. This was endured for
four years. At twenty -four, my father made
me haberdasher. II married mademoiselle
Ursule Deyousins, q turner's daughter, her
portion consisted of $4,000 liyres, mortgaged
upon a sugar estate at St. Domingo. The day
after the wedding, Il found that my wife had
wooden leg, made by my father-in- law, the
turner. The poor woman made thousand
apologies forhe infrmity, and I pardoned her
out Of regard to her marriage portion. The St..
Domingo blacks rose against the whites, burnt
the marriage portion, and the wooden leg was
all that was left to me.
At thirty lost my wife in consequence of
scrofulous disease. l spent six years of mar
riage repenting every minute. Therefore de-
duct these six years from my life. Having, as
every body else, slept a third part of my life, I
deduct twenty-four years Of sleep, and am be-
low the right reckoning, for was very great
in sleeper. A year lost, adding minute to minute
searching for the keys Of my desk, which Twas
constantly mislaying. Does one live when one
looks for key? Three years lost in having
myself shaved, powdered, &C., FIVE years in
suffering toothache, two inAammatons of the
chest with relapses and convalescence.
Three years lost in saying What's o'clock?'
we have bad weather to-day how do you
dog how is your lady?' I.have bad cold
Marlborough srn vaten- -guerre-what mud in
the street-whata winter this year!' Full six
months lost in having the mud brushed off one,
and six in brushings ones hat. One year of
endurance of the entire acts ofthe theatre. One
year lost in listening to the modern Dramas
the chef de'@uvre of genius not understood.
One year lost in complaining of salt and taste
less soups, of outlets too much Or too undone,
of indigestion Of hard eggs. Total, II years
beg leave to declare that in giving up the
ghost do not give up any thing worth keep
ing. .t... + a .~r.t
WATER As A MED1cINE.-Naturea almost al
ways furnishes in the greatest abundance such
provisions as are of the highest utility to man
kind. The strongest proof then is presented of
the utility of water, in the abundance with
which the earth is supplied. .z-,.f ..... .
1t is an undeniable fact, that nations who
make the greatest use of water, both for drink
ing and abluton, to the entire exclusion of de-.
eterious preparations, excel all others in bodily
activity and strength. We can instance the
Arabs and Tartars, and it was also with the.
Turks, until in recent times, the introduction,
of other habits, the exclusion of the precepts
of Mahomet, has caused this nation to degen-~
crate into comparative imbecility.
The drinking of water, we all acknowledge,
to be beneficial, and the sole use of it to the
exclusion of other beverages, would no doubt
decrease the mortality of mankind. ...-.
We learn, that in former ages, water was
often used as a remedial agent. An instanceiss
presented in which Mahomet used it in the
form of ablusion, frequently repeated in a vio--
lent disease, with permanently beneficial ef-
feet. From other instances related, it is alto
gether probable that it ranked high in the list
of remedies, in the remotest ages. Some Of
the old medical writers recommend it as GER
tain cure for various feyers and inhammations.-
We mis- ght suppose that so simple and common
a remedy would, from it's well known effects
have continued to be universally used. But
this very simplicity was, no doubt, the princi-
pal cause of its falling into disuse. Mankind
generally hold in the highest estimation what
is most mysterious. Thus nauseous drugs,
wines and liquors, usurped the place of the
wholesome element The consequence has
been the Introduction of diseases formerly un-
known. But we are pleased to find that a re-
action is taking place and water is resuming its
former character as beverage and medicine.
We have seen the happiest effects result
from its use as an affusion in many diseases,
but more particularly in the fevers-the dread
ed plaques of the Mississippi valley. In ira
yelling through the western States, we have
often seen it used in what is termed chills and'
fevers and always with a good result. Indeed
we have seen the most violent attacks Of that
disease removed by a few dashes
Of cold water, and there was less liability to.
a return of the disease, than when drugs were
used. We have more than once been inform
cd by persons of probity, that they were en-