Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-01-22
Hard Study VS.. Hard Eating.
Students and dyspeptics, read this arti,

Students and dyspeptics, read this article
from Halls New York Journal of Health
"Hard study hurts nobody, but hard eating
does. 1t is very common thing to attrib-
ute the premature disability or death of stu
dents and eminent men to too close spplica-
ton to their studies. 1t has now come to be
general admitted truth that hard study, as
1t is called, endangers life. 1t is mischiev-
GUS error tina severe mental application un-
dermines health. UnthiHking people will
dismiss this with the exclamation of "that's
all stuff" or something equally conclusive.
To those who search after truth, in the love
of it, we wish to offer some suggestions.
Many German scholars have studied for a
lifetime, for sixteen hours ou. of the twen-
ty-four, and very large number from twelve
to fifteen hours, ard lived in comparative
health, and died beyond the sixties.
One Of The most sterling living minds, Prof.
Siliman, the elder, is now in mid-winter ira
yelling through the country, at the ageof near
" eighty years, and in good health, deliver
ing geological lectures, living mentally on
the hard food of rocks, iron Iridium, and the
like. Another strong example of the truth
that health and hard study are not incompat-
ible, is found in the great Mssourian, Thos.
H. Benton, now just three-score and ten,
and in the enjoyment of vigorous health;
more severe student than he has been, and
is now, the American public does not know.
DR.. Charles Caldwell, our distinguished pre-
cep:or lived beyond the eighties, with high
bodily health, remarkable physical vigor. and
mental force scarcely abaued, yet, for grea:
part of his life, he studied fifteen hours, out
Of twenty -four, at one time gave but four
hours to sleep. john Quincy Adams, the
old man eloquent, is another equally strong
example of our position. All these men,
with the venerable Dr.. Mott, now more than
eighty years old, made the preservation OF
heath scientific study. and BY systematic
temperament, neither blind nor spasmodic,
secured the prize for which they labored,
and with it years, usefulness, and honor
The inculcation of these important truths
was precisely the object we had in view, in
the projection of this journal, with the more
immediate practical application 10 the cler-
gy of this country. whom we see daily disa-
bled or dying, scores OF years before their
time; not, as is uniformly benevolenty sta
ted, from their "ar luous labors," but by a
persistent and;nexcussble ignorance OF the
laws of life and health. and wicked neglect
o. them. We use this strong language pur-
posely, for ignorance of duty to their own
bodies is no more excusable than ignorance
of duty to their OVID souls. for upon both
classes of duty the lights brightly shine. full
enough for all practical purposes; the lights
of nature, Of science. of eipsriencs, aud of
grace. How much of the hard, intolerant
theology of the times was CONGO ted and is
perpeluated by dyspeptic stomachs, reflect
ing men can easily conjecture. We take i,
upon ourselves to guard and guide the shep-
herds. We would like to say much more on
this subject, but long articles are neither
read nor copied, and, by many, long cigar
or a quid would be preferred. For the pres
eDt, therefore, we content ourselves with the
enunciation of the gist OF this article. Stu
dents and professional men are not so much
injured by hard study as by hard eating; nor
is severe study for lifetime, of itself, in
compatible with mental and bodily vigor toi
the full age of three-score years and ten.