The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1856-01-17

4 "a
presend the dignity of his superiority and
bis duty TO God as the Creator, and himself
as the creature, to maintain this superiority
bypreserving the physical man as the .'cask-
et'' that the ..jeweln-,he soul---may pass
untarnished back to the giver; although 50
much has been done for man as an animal,
in giving him such superiority in power OF
endurance and adaptation to changes in eli
mate and seasons, yet-"how are the
mighty fallenw
Compare the civilized man with the man
OF nature and behold the contrast. The man
of nature comes forth with firm tread and
heavy muscular development; with life and
vigor coursiug every nerve, and the vermil-
lion current dancing merrily in every vein.
He bids defiance to the heat of summer, or
the frosts of winter, because he has main
tanned the animal superiority, thar the God
of nature has given him. Civilized man
exhibits pale, feeble and trembling exist
ence, closed and bloodless cutaneous sur
face, and consequently a dyspetic stomach
and care-worn brain have robbed him of
the beauty of his animal existence. He is
no longer able to bear the vioissitudes Of
the seasons. The heat Of summer depresses
him until he finds himself fit receptacle
for every prevailing epidemic; the approach
of winter pierces him through with its chill
ling blasts, and eolds, coughs, eatdrrA, ASTHMA
and sonsump;ion become his constant oora-
panions. He complains Of the severity Of
the season. He may for while brave the
whitening frosts Of mid-winter, but its winds
whistle the requiem Of his premature death
-he falls prey, at last, to the changes of
the seasons. t2a 80 f.SsisS9s' t'3.3
Now why all this2 Why should civilized
man suffer sickly existence and prema-
ture decay, while the man Of nature lives
in the full enjoyment of health and longev-
ity7 The latter is moro exposed to sudden
changes than the former, and seldom suffers
from winter diseases Colds, coughs, asth-
mas, and consumption may be the immedi-
ate cause Of great mortality in civilized So
ciety; but the real cause.-The predisposition
to disease--the foundation upon which dis
eases Of the chest build, and without which
the system would scarcely ever succumb to
the influence of cold, lies far back in the
sickening habits and indulgences of man
kind. Erfp. Hg1Js e9gssAt ,rsH
The man who obeys the laws of his phys
ical being, defes the cold and braves the
storm with impunily, because all the organs
have healthy action. The system itself
is citadel, the keeper is the available vi
tai force, and when there is perfect integri.
ty, this force is thrown upon any part, suf-
ficient to protect the system against the i'm
pressions of cold; or by virtue OF its power
of equilibrium, it guards The system against
the inroads of disease. This force depends
upon healthy digestion and healthy assimi-
lation--two processes which cannot go on
harmoniously without strict observance Of the
iatcs Of life and health. Here then we get a
view of the cause Of SO much sickness and
premature death in civilized society. Al
roisoas of whatever kind or name, when
taken into the stomach, are at antipodes
with the laws of life. All over-excitement
of the brain, irregular habits or wrong in
diligence Of the appetite and passions, are
at war with life and health, and tend direct
ly to destroy or weaken good digestion or
assimilation, and in the same proportion de-
slroy the vital force. I:t
Wha, wonder then that colds, coughs, ca
tarrhs, asthmas and consumption arc SO
prevalent in the winter, plunged as society
is in physical and moral dissipation! For
how can the system react against The with
ering effec, of winter storm, when the re-
active energy is feeble, and the cutaneous
surface bloodless and collapsed? How can
the reactive energies be kept in full force,
and the tone Of the surface kept up, and it
be filled with rich blood except by good d.
gestion2 And how can you secure good di-
gestion and assimilation except by properly
controlling the appetite and passions and
mental exercises But when these are all
trampled upon with impunity, digestion be-
comes irregular and bad; the blood is there.
by impoverished, the system depressed, and
all the processes Of life become abnormal
the available vital force feeble and yielding,
and the man begins to fancy himself SICK
The cause of the trouble is entirely over
looked. Medicine is resorted to with the
hope Of remedying the evil, and in cases
where this is Of paihogenetic kind, or of
the secret nostram kidney, it draws the avail
able vital force TO the internal surface to the
detriment of the skin, building a chronic
fire on the mucous Innings, producing Co.'S
titieness of tho bowels and constipation of
the skin. The attention of the physician is
directed to the stomach and to the bowels;
they are iritated with drastic drugs TO make
them expel, but very little attention is paid
tothe closed up skin, although the most inn
portant excfeting organ of the whole body.
These "twenty.eight miles Of pores" hav-
ing their mouths nearly closed with morbid
matter, cuts off cutaneous exhalations, iorces
| the vast amount of cutaneous excretions