The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-03-17

LII
air and have more Of the comforts Otliie'
Moreover the nervous temperament
which usually predOninptes in brain
workers is autagonistic 10 acute, fatal
disease and favorable to long life.
Statistics show that those in whom the
nervous temperament prevails, Lire longer
than those in whom any other tempeFa-
ment prevails, AS We have before
stated, clergymen are lOuger-lived
than any other class Of brain
workers, The ages Of 2,442 clesgymeP
have been ascertained and found that the
average age was 70 little over sixty
years" DR.. futile found the average at
death Of 40S individuals mot clergymen),
who had died over twenty-onc years
.Oi age was little over fifty years. One
OF tho most interesting themes discussed
in these reports is the relative influence
OF city and country lie on morality
health, sc, We can appreciate tho facts
more by comparing the i'll effects Of large
cities with the more favorable results Of
life in tho country. We have no doubt
that tho noticeable decline in the health
OF the American people is due to the too
great crowding into cities. "a French
psychologist has said that the Emphatic
temperament accompanies physical de-
generacy, and ought therefore to prevail
among old families in cities" Thegrcat-
est part Of tho black catalogue Of diseases
which ravage human life Is the offspring
Of the tenderness, the luxury, and the
corruptions introduced by tho vices and
false rclnements Of city life, Mr.. Martin,
a member Of the Health Of Towns Com.
mission, says 1t Is reckonCd that out OF
1000 births, 29l onlydie under five years
Of age in agricultural districts, while
no fewer than 1856 die annually
under the same age, in closely built up
towns. The most trying timo for chill
dren in cities Is during the hot summer
months. Tho dreadful mortality that Oc-
CURED in tho week ending July, 1872, in
New York city amounted to 1901 deaths
-229 moro than was ever before regis
tered. One thousand and seven or 63,2
per cent Of these were children under five
years Of age, and forty.fve Of persons
above seventy years Of ago, This is enor-
nous. When wo think Of the foul air,
intemperance and dobauchery carried on
in cities, together with tho want Of exOr-
cisc and the gratifying Of sensual sppc-
tites, We may not wonder so much. TAX.
Ing tho SAME population, We find that In
four years greater number die in town
districts than in country districts by
OO,759, This may DO explained on tho
suppOsitiOn that condensation Of popula'
ton lessons life. Life in cities Is short
ened, not only by disease, but by the cir
cumstances connected with civilization,
which favor and hurry on development,
which ends in death, Luxury, such Us
we find in our larger cities, makes people
indOlent, pampers vice, leads to intem.
pcrance and debaucllery with all their at.
tendant evils. We all willingly subscribe
tho old motto-DRm ririm,u riramus-
It is said that tho deaths exceed the
births in London by 10000 annually. II
all the Inhabitants Of the globe were llv-
ing In cities like London and were sub.
jccted to tho same influences, tho whole
human race would become extinct in q
century or two.
Look at the fall Of Rome, Prof
Seelyo in his lecture on Roman i'm
pcrialism, says "tllat Rome fell for want
Of men; the human harvest was bad,-it
was a physical, not moral dcgcn.
eracy." Largo cities have heen called
the grdrcs Of humanity aud certainly they
are not favorable to health and longevity.
Those who would live to o good old age,
and hand down their names to poSterity
endowed with rich MENTAL gifts; should
avoid tho great dangers Of the city, and
choose the country life. There are nu.
merouS other reports in this volume Of
equal interest with those we have brought
forward, which We shall hope to lay
before our readers at some future time.