The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-09-23
THE WASTE OF LIFE.
Why We should Take Better Care o.
Ourselves,

why We should Take Better Care {
Ourselves.
a hotel-keeper, past the middle age {
life, Of long experience, and who had quit
acute powers Of observation in regar
to the physique OF his guests, was quit
positive that there had been developed G
late a better form In womankind. "
know Of no reason to account for this in
provement," said he, ''than by advancin
the idea that women and girls are bette
fed. l miss those STOPPING, wan.faceC
women and girls Of former times who haC
no stamina. Once they were in the m q
iority. Delicate hands and feet were, o
course, to be found, but 1t was accompa
MED with dropping head, no breadth 0
chest and general debility. do not know
II 1t arises so much on account Of NOR
exercise, but rather from the fact thA
food, such as women use, is better cooket
and more plentifully. given to then
than in the time OF our. mothen
and grandmothers. There used to be al
old'fashioned school which was founded
on stintinG. 1t was unladylike for a cir
TO eat hearty meal. Our sisters used L
be half starved. Cravings for that sole
food which was absolutely necessary fol
growing girls were satisfied with cups o.
tea or thin slices Of bread and butter or
which a little preserve had been spread
Now, you may think but little Of my ex,
perience, but a seaside resort is exactly
the place where fair judgment can be
formed as to the size, weight. and general
appearance OF our women. | am quite
positive that II you were able to weigh the
women and girls who are walking on this
veranda or on the sands, and had a record
oil the weights Of their mothers at the same
age, there would be an increase to-day OIL
from 10 to 10 per cent, quite suffl.
cient 10 add immensely to the per.
sonal appearance OF our women. You
may say that ! am an interested party,
because. l iced my guests as well as / can,
and that better class OF people frequent
my house, but the observations l have the
honor OF entertaining you with are gener-
al, and apply to the great majority Of wo-
men l meet in the streets Of New York.
We haveno better food as to quality, but
l believe that 1t is the preparation OF Il
which has made the change. There is no
country in the world where the necessity
OF good, well cooked food Is greater than
In the United States. The changes in our
climate are terrible, and the wear and
tear on the human frame is immense. Per.
maps nowhere else, in any great city OF the
world, is the stress on human brains 50
great as in New York. It is miraculous tc
think how, so years ago, men or women
got along at all, and preserved their facul.
ties, with the bad system OF feeding they
had then. But il believe can appreci.
ate better physical condition in the city,
cannotsay the same for the country. The
country Is still pie.fed and frying.pan fed
1t reyels in clammy paste, sticky dough
overdone meat, Ignores a rare broiIeJ
beeisteak, is utterly ignorant Of soup
and destroys its digestion by Cloggins
stomachs with bacon fat. It is worse in
New England than in the Middle States
1t is not poverty that does it, but the want
OF judgment in the selection OF food and
ignorance in preparing It. These engen
der long lantern jaws, pallid compilations
and slabsideness in men and women,
Feed man and woman through hal
century on indigestible food, and theil
offspring will show the effects OF Il. It il
not the physique which is only under
mined, but the mental qualities are dwarf
ed. We don't want over-nervous men ant
women, oil tingling brain and no massive
Drawn. Such traits give birth to all kind
OF queerisms. You find me any well.led
people, who would follow those wild re
hgious tenets, which ended in such fear
tul tragedy as took place in New England
this year. That horrible thing came a
straight down as could be from centur,
OF bad food and abnormal digeStions, Peo
pie don't look at food in the right way
Most especially do professional people
those who work the hardest, offer
adopt an asceticism which is fatal Il
them. The thing We all want is stayinI
power. 1t is true, we Americans accom-
plish great deal in marvelously shor
period OF time, but the fact is we use our
selves up doing it. We don't stay. You
lawyer, your doctor, your professor, NOR
especially the two first, too often 90 to th,
most unfortunate OF all extremes. Tha
stimulant which goode well cooked food
and plenty OF it, would afford them the,
do not think about. The great waste tina
Is always pulling them to pieces thel
make up for too often by drink. Thii
works for q time with fearful rapidit,
keeping the machine a.going In triple ias
time, but then it soon Rrinds out the cog
wheels. Your Professor plods, 1t is true
and may not require, apparently, tn,
same printing, but still he neglects hi
stomach, and Is proud Of sucl
neglect. II is incompatible, so he thinks
with the dignity OF his calling TO stool
down to the wants and necessitie
OF men in lower occupation. He:bolts /
little bad food, and is supremely ignoran
or indifferent whether he is feeding OF
baked or boiled meat. Now, how stupiC
it is for man efscience, who ought TO IN
derstand the first principles Of q steam
engine, TO fancy that any machine cal
work without the necessary amount o
good fuel. A professional person shoult
be temperate, but not abstemious; wher
a man Is giving himself away-parting al
the time with his substance-why, teeto
talism often dries him up and withers him
L is good food with single glass Of sounC
Burgundy which Is often the saving Of
mans faculties, and carries him througl
70 future usefulness Great brains tha
do mighty work, and keep Of
doing II, like Bismarck, must b
well.fed men. A man may squirt alon
until he is IS or 40, and accomplish some
thing, but II he is underied he stops the
suddenly and goes all to pieces. He ha
used up half his life, and the harvest @
his later years he is unable TO reap.
the question Of longevity were studied,
would be found that, as far as professions
men go, we kill them up in the Unite
States with startling rapidity, It Is a
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