, 1872-12-01

flannel, and his meagre, spectral legs require,
three pairs Of stockings to give them
respectable look. Almost literally q pigm.
IN size, he vas SO deformed that hi
life was one long disease. Look ut brave
Samuel johnson, SO feeble as o child that tht
physician said he never knew another RAISED
With such difficulty, 1ty,-Btrugg1ing all his life witt
severe scrofulous disorder, that twisted hiE
body into strange contortions,-and with con.
statutional melancholy and hypochondria, "u
vile melancholy" that kept him, az ho said
mad half his life, or, at least, not sober,"-sc
languid at times that he could hardly tell the
hour on the clock, and yet, with ono pair of
hands and one brain, doing the work of an acad-
emy! See, again, the giant lnbora performed
ny chann1ng, with his frail, clayey tabernacle ;
and note the vast amount Of writing and other
useful labor performed by those physical ghosts
Of men, Professor Goddard, of Brown University,
and the late Professor Hadley, of Yale Need
We add to these the caees Of Torsteneon,
| the Swedish General, who, afflicted with gout,
had to be borne on litter, yet by the rapidity
| OF his movements astonished Europe,-or that
OF General Wolfe, who, though the seeds Of sew
eral fatal diseases were laid in his constitution
from infancy, yet wrested from tho French the
Gibraltar Of America?
But, some one T7ill ask, has that spectra1-look-
Ing lawyer, or that statesman, who apparently
performs such prodigies of 1abor,-that PALE
lean man with face like parchment, and moth
ing on his bones,-a constitution? We answer
in the words Of the London Times to similar
query some years ago,-"Yes, he has; he has o
working constitution, and ten times better one
than you, my good friend, with your ruddy face
and strong, muscular frame. You look, indeed,
the very picture Of health, but you have, in re-
alty, only sporting constitution, not toork-
ing one' You do very we'll for the open air, and
get on to1erab1y well with fine, healthy exercise,
and no strain On your brain. But try close air
for week, try confinement, with heaps Of con-
fused papers and books Of reference, blue books,
law books, or books OF reference to get through,
and therefrom extract liquid and transparent ro-
suits, and you will find yourself knocked up and
-~-"~@AE "44~AA *AAo Po4o 1GAA AAA 4a-A4 Abk klS
fresh as daisy," which be never is being Of the
perpet1ally cadaverous type,-at least as unaf-
fected as q bit Of leather, and not showing tho
smallest sign Of giving way. There are two
sorts Of good constitutions idle constitu-
tions, and good working ones"
Another test Of strength is the power OF en-
during hardship touching which We sec repeated
the paradox ne have already noted. Far from
being associated invariably with great muscular
force, his power is often found in union with
catastrophes and seasons Of great peril, has not
seen trei, delicate women, WHO would scream
and Almost faint 1T the sight of E. mouse,
bear up under tolls, perils, and sufforings
which would kill the stoutest men? Who
has forgotten the Ignum-vitn toughness of
DR.. hane2 Though sailor by profession, he
never vent to sea without suffering from gea-
sickness; he had q heart-disease and chronic
rheumatism; yet he had o vitality,-an iron en-
durance which enabled him to 20 through |
sufferings in the Arctic Seas under which big.
burly Sailors and other men specially trained to
endure such hardships sank into the grave.
William H., OF England, was not strong man,
nor Was Lu1embnrg, his fiery opponent in the
Netherlands; yet it is doubtful whether among
he 100000 men whom they commanded, there
vas one With greater power Of endurance than
hat Of tho hunchbacked dwarf that led the |
aosts Of France, or that Of the asthmatic akele-
;on that led the hosts Of England.
Among the tests OF strength longevity must be
considered one; and here We arc confronted by
|acts that make the explanation Of "s!rength"
5tlll moro difficult. Had we space, ne could cite
;ho names OF numerous thinkers, than whom
aono have ever ezerted greater influence upon !
Literature, history, and philosophy, who lived to
he average age OF 80 years. Yet many Of them,
t is well fnown, we're prodigious workers and
7olumino1s authors, and not few Of them,
here is reason to believe, would be- regarded by
'ur modern phyEical-culturo men rs weaklings. {
Ascertain the united ages Of twenty-five of the +
nost eminent farmers tile world has seen, and |
q it probable that the sum total would amount. I
undred and fifty years7 Il
IL 1a customary, where seemingly feeble man,
ortured with disease, shows q durability or
oughness which an athletic man lacks, OUTLYING 7
nd outworking him, to explain the mystery by
aging that the former has &c a bettor constitu- q
ion than the latter. But does this solve the
lddle2 Evidently not. It simply gives it Il
mother name. What is that thing which ne. for C.
'nVenlence, or to hide our ignorance, call 3
constitution, which may be constantly i'm G.
aired, but has the ability to withstand 30 znony
locks It has been well observed bv r. d
loughtful writer that 81 a table von1d mt bo b
lied strong il two Of it's less were cracked d
I'd several of its joints loose, however "
ugh might be its materials. and O
oweVer good its original workman Il
up. But if the table showed a
over Of holding together and recovering G.