The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-10-04
e. Tracy, Travelling Agent.
Tuesday Morning, Oct. 4, 1864.
Laugh and grow Fat Cry and grow Lea

cause of excessive corpulence. By some it is
attributed to too great an activity in the di-
gestive functions, producing a rapid assimila-
ton OF our food; by others, to the predomin-
ance of the liver; while Incidence and apathy,
such as is commonly observed in the wealthy
monastic orders, are considered as occasioning
a laxity of fibre favorable to this em6onpoint.
1t is certain that exercise, anxiety of mind,
want ofsleep and spare food are Circumstances
opposed to iatnese. This fact is illustrated by
Shakespeare, when Caesar says to Antony:
f'Let me have about me that fat
Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o. nights;
Yon Cassus has lean and hungry look
He thinks to much; such men are dangerous"
Fat is fluid similar to vegetable oils, In
odorous and lighter than water; besides the
elements common to water, to oils, and wax,
it contains carbon, hydrogen, and sebacic
acid, which is pretty similar to the acetic.
Human fat, like that of other animals, has been
frequently employed for various purposes. A
story is told of an Irish tallow chandler, who,
during the invasion of Cromwelps army, made
candles with the fat of Englishmen, which
were remarkable for their good quality but
when the times became more tranquil, his
goods were of an inferior kind, and when one
of his customers complained of his candles
falling of, he apologized by saying, II am sor-
ry to inform you that the times are so bad that
have been short of Englishmen for long
time."
Some of the Gentoos enter their dwellings
by hole in the roof; and any fat person who
cannot get through it, they consider as an ex-
communicated offender who has not been able
to rid himself of his sins. An Eastern prince
had an officer toregulate the size Of his sub
jects, and who dieted the unwieldy ones to
reduce them to proper volume. In China
this calamity is considered blessing; mans
intellectual qualities are esteemed inthe ratio
of corporeal bulk.
There are cases on record among ourselves,
where unWieldiness led to estimation. The
corpulent antiquary Grose was requested by
his butcher to tell all his friends that he bought
his meat from him; and the paviers of Cam
bridge used to say, "God bless you, sir" to
huge professor when he walked over their
work. Fatness has often been the butt of
jocularity. DR.. Stafford, who was enormous
ly fat, was honored with this epitaph:
'Take heed o good traveller and do not tread hard
For here lies DR.. Stafford, in all this churchgGrd."
And the following lines were inscribed on
the tomb of corpulent chandler:
ssHere lies in earth an honest fellow,
Who died by fat and lived by tallow."
DR.. Beddoes was SO uncomfortably stout
that a lady of Clifton used to call him ''the
walking feather bed" At the court of Louis
the XIV. there were two lusty noblemen, re-
lated to each other: the king, having rallied
one of them on his corpulency, added, Il sup
pose you take little or no exercise?" "Your
majesty win pardon me-" replied the bulky
duke, sfor generally walk two or three times
round my cousin every morning"
Various ludcrous anecdotes are related OF
fat people. A scene between Mrs. Give and
Mrs. Pritchard, two corpulent actresses, must
have been very amusing. They were playing
in the parts of Lady Easy and Edging, in the
"Careless Husband" when the former desires
Eioinq to pick up letter she had dropped;
and Mrs Give, who might as well have at
tempted to raise a hundred pound weight, eX-
claimed. mot /, indeed, take it up yourself, if
you like itn This answer threw the audience
into roars of laughter, when Mrs. Pritchard
replied, swell, if you won't take up the letter
must find some one who will" and SO say
ing, she beckoned to servant in the wing,
who came forward and terminated the dis
pute.
There is no doubt that food materially in
fuences this condition of mankind, although
we frequently see enormous eaters who are
mserably lean, and fat persons whose diet is
most scanty. During the late war, a raven
Gus French prisoner was known to eat four
pounds of raw cow-udder, ten pounds OF raw
beef. and two pounds of candles, per diem,
diluting his meals with five quarts of porter;
and vet this carniveruos brute was perfect
skeleton.
Ii ensbonpoint is generally sign of good
humor and a cheerful disposition, leanness fire.
quently betokens a sour, grabbed and lima
tured character. Solomon has said, "a mer-
ry heart doeth good like medicine; but
broken heart drieth the bones.' This obser-
walton, however, cannot be considered a rule
In forming a judgment OF various tempers.
This is by no means an easy attempt in our
intercourse with the world, when physiogno-
my is not always a sure guide ia the selection
of our companions. Dr. Franklin tells sim
gular story on this subject:
"An old philosophical gentleman had grown,
from experience, very cautious in avoiding ill
natured people. To endeaVor to ascertain
their disposition he made use of his legs, one
of which was remarkably handsome, the 9th
er, by some accident, crooked and defOrmed.
Ii stranger at the first interview regarded
his ugly leg more than his handsome leg, he
doubted him; but ii he spoke of it, and took
no notice of his handsome leg, that was suffi-
ciept to determine the philosopher to have no
further acquaintance with him. Everybody
has not this two-egged instrument: but ev-
ery one, with little attention, may observe
signs of this carping, fault-hnding disposition
and take the same resolution of avoiding the
acquaintance Of those infected by it. there
fore advise those querolous, discontented, un
happy people, If they wish to be respected
and beloved by others, and happy in them
selves, to ledce eff looking at the ugly teg.'
Various expedienIs,in addition to better diet
have been resorted to, to restore lean persons
to a better case; but amongst the most singu
lar that we have on record is that Of fiagella
ton. Galen says that horse dealers, hayini
been observed to fatten horses for sale by neg
ging them, an analogous method might be us'
ful with spare persons who wish to becom
stouter. He also mentions slayedealers wh'
employed similar means. Suetonius inform;
Us that Musa, the fayorite physician of Angus
tus used to castigate him, not only to cure hin
of a sciatica, but to keep him plump. Meibo
mius pretends that nurses whip little children
10 fatten them, that they may appaar health,
and chubby to their mothers. No doubt bu
fagelIation determines greater influx o
blood to the surface, and may thus tend to in
crease the circulation, and give tone to part
which would otherwise be languid.