Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-12-06
THE FITTEST SURVIVE.
From Paris Letter

From a Paris Letter
When / wrote last from Paris, giving
an account Of the singular views enter
tanned by NJ. Louis Lsngue in regard to
the necessity OF abandoning the weak
and sickly to their fate without making
any attempt to rescue them from death
by medical or surgical treatment, had
learned but half the deductions made
by that servant from Mr.. Darwin's doe
trine of the survival Of the httest. II
viii beTemembered that nature method
% producing a tue race was the law Of
the survival Of the fittest, since in the
struggle for existence the weak are
crushed out and only the strong survive
and propagate. By reason Of our hos
piJals and doctors we have ioT ages in
terfered with nature, apparently for our
own good, but really 20 our own hurt,
since now there is hardly . man who
has not some inherited disease or dis
eased diathesis, whereas, II We allowed
nature full play, the earth would now
be inhabited by a rsce OF intellectual
and physical giants. NJ. Langue there
fore prOposes-since it is even not now
too late to correct our error-thst
medicine should be done away
with and the sick and weakly
MiHr cAuEE AntN arc uAiAAt AZ
survive. A peculiar twist has been
given 20 these views by August File
mont. q member Of the same scientific
coterie, somewhat cynical and sort OF
madcsp philosopher, bat thoroughly
well Informed IN modern science, and
occasionally contributor 10 Thu AeCBe
eFcs DellT MJades. u e was an intimate
friend of the late Alfred de Mussett, aud
is. as he was, addicted 10 the use Of sb-
siuth. a late article IN TIE RctUe deS
Ds,lr AEOndes, entitled "AlcohOlisme Ell
Absinthism, y which attracted wise at
tention, is said 10 have been suggested,
in mart at least, by him. His thesis j. as
follows: From the earliest dawn Of his
tory we fiod that alcoholic stimUlsnts
have been used, the whole process OF
distillati0n being, as Humboldt pointed
out, depicted in the pyramids OF Egypt.
The Hebrew scriptures show that Noah,
the survivor Of the delUge, became in
toxicated almost as soon as he had land
ed on Ararat Nearly al the great men
Of antiquity, as Alexander, Demetrius,
Antony the triumyir, Caesar, aud
Others were addicted TO the use
Of alcohol, even Ia profusion.
Races, which are the strong races Of
history, as the NoTsemeD, the Romans
the more m0Gerl Anglo-Saxon, the
Germans, and the English have always
been great drinkers, the NOrsemen pour
ing down mead by the gallon, as the
modern Germans do their wine and
beer, while the people known for their
effeminacy aud weakness have been alb
stemious-witness the HindOos and
Asisucs generally. Conquering races
drink; the conquered are abstemiOus
. 80 -, - #rrrr
Of the individual. In literature and art
nothing great was ever produced by q
total sbstainer, while much that il best
came from the hands Of men whose
brains were endless receptacles Of alcO-
mol, which they could hold without detri-
ment to physique or intellect. Ii may
be said that man, take him 10y and large,
drinks alcohol, always mas and always
will DO so. The poor inebriate who reels
about the streets, Heglects his duty, and
ruins his estate, is the eXceptiOn-he j.
weak. and in the struggle for existence,
OF which alcohol IS a couc0mitaut, he
goes down, his powers decay,sDd among
other evidences Of his general uniitness
for his environments, he becomes una.
bic TO propagate his species. This il
one OF the earliest and most marked
symptoms of alcoholism. Those who
drink largely, and whose systems
are strong enough TO survive and con-
guer alone propagate in the long run,
and thus Enthusiastically evidence their
fitness. They are our great men, and a
glance at the great leaders Of men now
in the world-notOriOusly Prince Bis
msrck-will conclusively show that here
NJ. FillemOnt Is right. Our weaklings,
our Spiritualists, mals-dTess refOrmeTs,
advanced persons, political ''reform-
ers, ''come-outers, " and al that sort Cf
persons, are almost TO a man ebstemiOus
and dyspeptic. In the struggle for life
so far forth as alcohol is concerned, it is
evident that the "bummers, and those
who attempt to bsffie all imperious de-
mand OF nature for stimulant, sni there
fore quarrel with their environment,
must sooner or later disappear from the
earth. Toe race then dominant will be
capable Of the widest abandonment to
pleasure when so inc. inc I, and the sblest
attention 10 action Is e PlUtarch on
DemetTius and Antony when this is
needed. 10 short, the world may 90 Oh
a great undetrimental drunk, and the
new. race crown itself the king Of men,
s. did the Old Berserkirs. The theory is
able, and seems to be thoroughly legiti-