The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1871-06-21
Good Health.

Good health is so necessary to enjoy
ment of life, to sound thinking, to pru-
dent and successful working, that eve
ry mans prime duty is to secure sound
health. There are thousands of peo-
pie who pass for healthy men who are
far from being so. 1t is true that they !
need no physician, that they require no
medicine, that they lose no time, but
keep on regularly with their business.
But they do not get ont of their body
half of the work Of which it is capable,
and they altogether fail of that enjoy
ment which tho Creator has provided
for perfectly healthy persons.
A man may have neither dropsies,
fevers. nor any marked disease, nor
even be i'll, and yet he may lack tone,
strength, buoyancy, and cheerfuiness
of spirits, and that courage which is
apt to go with full health. He may
drag himself through a business opera
ton consuming hours, when half an
hour only would be necessary if one
was sharp and clear. With dull AK
one may hack and pound upon a log
, four times as long as would be needed
with a sharp ak. Our faculties are
tools. They must he we'll tempered,
and. be kept with cutting edge.
If a man suffers depression of spirits
: when he first wakes in the morning,
! and requires two or three honrs before
he gets warmed up to his work, he
! surely is not in good health. If one
= suffers from drowsiness after meals, if
y at evening all his powers are tagging,
y he is, not in good condition. A real
! healthy man is bright and cheerful at
. waking in the morning, goes to his
o meals with good appetite, and thinks
- no more about his food after it is eaten
y than mill does when the grain is in
h the hoppers, works and thinks with
{ alacrity, directness, and efficiency
4 looking before him all the time witt
;r gentle hopefulness. The natural ant
! heathful action of faculties and organ:
- is pleasurable. A gentle pleasurable
h ness is sign of health. The absence
~ ~ of it marks either disease or an under
w tone of the system, ont of which dis
u eases are easily developed.
~ While physicians would classify il
. scientific manner the ailments o
u men, it is enough for our purpose sim
IN ply to refer to the most causes whic
=. contribute to produce low state of til
ID human system.
~ First, is over-cating and drinking
N When boys are growing, and TIL
- body is building itself at rapid rate
,;r the appetite, though voracious,
"a natural and heathful. But after tn
~ age of twenty growth is usual
at an end, and all that the system the
.ct needs is resupply of material waste
w. day by day in labor.
~, Those who are subject to hard m;
,ls terial labor, and in tie open air, n
ct quire and viii bear more food tina
I'll those who are sheltered, sedentary, an
No subject to very moderate exertion.
lie men eat more than they need, all Il
he digestive apparatus is overworked; Il
nd various parts of the body are owe
e;r nutriated, the brain is dulled, the st
~ mach is at length enough impaired
m. keep up complaining state.
~ The higher the civilized conditiO
ths OF society, the more apt are men
N.Y. suffer impaired vigor from over-fee
roo ing, because viands are multiplied, a
aI made more tempting-because m
ON have more leisure, and eating becon
hm a luxury as we'll as a necessity
ras cause people are less addicted to wol
md get less fresh air, and live less in 81
tho light. Every da y we see men OF go
,wn morals, of position in society, OF es
ino mable qualities, who are inferior or !
md happy for no other reason than tt
de- are not wise in eating.
There is many an irritable man, fl
tbe FLOODED, ford in face and quarrelsoI
,;cI, who would become peaceful and G.
nca tented if half of his meat rations W
it's knocked off.
tho Anotherfount ofill-healtll is fou
sa6 in over-cerebral excitement and und
sleep. These causes lower the wor
ing power of society, we should thi
nts. one full third.-IExchange.