Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-03-15
MEMPHIS TENN. FRIDAY EVENING MARCH 15 1875.

44"N Af0u as OacnelOr ever
since.
Before his return, DR.. Herman
dez revisited the Hermitage, and
the question uppermost in his mind
vas naturally in regard to the sys.
tem of diet and daily habits which
had enabled the shaggy Mestizzo to
fight off the common enemy of
mankind for such length of time.
Old Miguel returned eyasive an
swers at first; but the strangers
persistent curiosity did not seem to
displease him altogether, and he
VOLUNTEERED the remark that he was
always glad to give hygienic advice
to persons who honestly Intended
to profit by it.
Never take chica IAN intoxicat-
ing. or at least stimulating, yege-
table substance, used in Eastern
South America almost as extensive
ly as opium in China or lager beer
in Munich-eyidently corresponds
to tea and coffee, as they respectively
contain cafein and THEM, two pois
onous substances which accelerate
the action of the heart and abnorm-
ally excite the nerves. ; never touch
it i you can help ii" he said, "that
is the first thing. | cannot see why
people will fuddle with poison; it Is
SO easy never to begin it. 0verieed-
ing, too, brings on great many
diseases" he continued, $50 many,
senor, that it makes me wild to
think what an easy remedy there is
against that, if people only knew it.
| only eat once a day, you see; a
big, hearty meal, which often takes
me half an hour to get through
with, but It's not possible to eat
more in half an hour than you can
digest in the next twenty-four.
You wouldn't feel like eating be-
tween meals either, after a few
months practice.
"Do you consider meat healthy
food2" inquired the Doctor
81 change my opinion about that
left and right" said the patriarch;
81 do not think it is natural; but
you can get SO used to it that it
would not hurt you, which is more
than you can say of chica or aguar-
diente (brandy). But, to keep on
the safe side, do not eat much of
it, and, what is perhaps better, /
fast on the first and middle day of
every month mean | do not eat
any thing at all Oh such days, but
drink all the water | can find room
for; that cleans me up for the next
two weeks. And if you eat any
thing cooked, sir wait till it cools
off; your teeth will last you your
time then; mine are as sound as
they were nine-score years ago"
"Whatis your exact age, if may
ask ?"
fHundrcd and eighty, more or
less 81 it don't matter much to me
all | care for is not to outliye my
health"
Have you never been sickY
"Only once but that will not
happen again, for l know what
caused it. / made myself sick by
eating tunas (the fruit of the prick
ly pear, when | got short of rations
on q journey to Quito sixty years
ago. For four days after that / was
lying on my belly, crying to God
con mi culo cerFado-in a state Of !
hermetical oonstipation-but got
out of that scrape, once and for
ever"
"You take much exercise, it
seems?"
4 have to; it is pleasure / can
not do without. Work is fun, if |
you work for yourself. | do mot
know how it would be if worked |
for some body else"
"Is there anything else that was
contributed to keep you in such |
good health ?"
The old Mestiz4o made the sign
of the cross. "Pues seguro, senior,
well, certainly, sir; the grace and
the mercy Of our lady Santa Maria
de Monte-BlaDco" "a shrine near
Santa CRUZ. He went there once
a year, he said, to pray, and to sa-
crltice a dozen tapers, made of bees
wax and good lard-the very best
lard, he might say-since he OBJ,
tanned it chiefly from slices Of sugar
cured ham.
In the paper read before the Bo-
gotta convention the doctor reviews
theSe theories IN detail, Even in
South America Yoltaire's efforts
have not been entirely in vain; and
the wax-and-hamfat question was
therefore passed over with eloquent ]
SILENCE, The hermit's views In re-
gard to phiOa and Intoxicating
drinks were simply truisms; "but
his one meal system" says DR..
Hernandez, observes serious con-
Sideration."
"The ancient Greeks, the Mace
d9nlaas and The Homqns Of the
ante. .Casareqn era, men who in hy-
gienic insight, in health and {
strength were so strangely superior
to us, restricted themselves ia one
meal per diem, to which they de-