The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-12-02
MAN AND NATURES LAWS.
An Address Delivered Before the sani-
tary Council In Mankato. Nov. 18th,
1881, by the Hon. sumner Laid. Of -.
Peter, Minnesota.

Peter, Minnesota.
| 1t is 4 thought of speculative phi.
losophy, that one law pervadeS all
things, producing an endless chain of
cause and effect; that while each
particular subject matter seems to
have its own peculiar laws, in reality
these are but notifications of the
one eternal, Jaw in its adaptation to the
variety of phenomena, both ply
and moral, which comprise the uni
verse. We seem to see confirmation
of this in many things. Take the
life of Il man: he passes on from in.
fancy tn youth, to maturity, to old
age and finally to death. We will
perceive that the life OF "a nation
takes on the same stages succeeding
each other in the same developing
series and final elimination. At first
IL has the feebleness and crude no.
tons Of infancy, then the yigOr and
hope of youth, then the strength and
accomplishment of manhood. then its
declining years and finally it passes
away.
There is al analogy, too, In the &C.
cidentS and disasters which befall, in
the vices which wealth and luxury
entail. and in the moral elements
which npbuild and cast down men
and nations. The same law holds
good in systems OF thought. of phi.
losophy, of religion, of government !;
they each have their stages of growth,
maturity and decay and rs the living
spirit becomes incorporate in the
carnal body of man, and the essential
spirit of q nation becomes manifest
in its laws and career. SD do the es-
sential truths OF those various sys-
TENS become envelOped with purely
human elements which constitute
their practical form, and which final
ly sloughs off hut the disembOdied
truths pass on to succeeding ages.
| We will see the adaptation of
another subordinate law to large
variety of distinct phenomena.
Plants, animals, men, nations, races.
governments and opinions are shaped,
changed, modified and determined by
external circumstances. This is the
law of environment. Differences in
climate, food, soil and the external
ASPECTS Of Nature have produced es.
sential differences in national char
|acter. Uniformity of character and
mental traits of people composed
of diverse races, can only be account
ed for on the ground that the cOmpos-
ite mass has for long period been
subjected to the same influences. The
sea and mountains of Greece fash.
Toned beauty.loving people. The
ipractical character of the old Tuscans
gave the national bent to the Romans
with whom they became incorporated
at an early day, and the same feature
at the decline of the Roman empire
ipassed into the Roman church and
still remains. The large amount of
|succnlent food, both animal and
vegetable, produced 10y constant rains
which the warm Gulf stream cast
lover England, made her people vigor-
Ious. They bullied and beat the
French in the old wars because they
were stronger men. The better
muscle also won at Waterloo. The
blending of the Goth and Celt and
geographical autonomy made the
French nation tickle, but elastic and
enduring. Plants and animals obey
} the same law: those extinct, whose
fossils are the hierOglyphics of the
rocks, attest the same law. Opinions
not fixed are changed by every breath
of opinion; and while external Cir
cumstances of great force may not be
: able to move from their foundations
those which have become fixed for
centuries, they may, by constant bat.
terry, be able to greatly change their
aspect. All things have an inter.
relation: each influences each. The
wind would convert to wind the rock
which opposes it, and hurl it along
its own path the feather floats away
lin the first breeze. The aim of ma
tture is assimilation.
Most of these are trite facts made
prominent by Darwin's theory, a
theory which is true in subordinate
particulars, whether true or not in
. its leading dogma, and which has
wonderfully stimulated scientific in.
lquiry, vastly extended the domain of
knowledge and the boundaries of
thought.
Or the three learned professions.
that of medicine is the only one
which deals with the laws and pro-
perties of physical Nature. The
physical laws Of life, the diseases of
man, the study Of what Nature Sug.
gests to expel them, is the province
lof the physician. He calls to his aid
1.-THE other kingdoms of Nature, the
mineral and vegetable other sciences
linter.act with this: the erucible of
1.-The chemist makes manifest to him
1.-THE conditions of life or death cleo.
tricity and magnetism may work
their magic spell. The elements
(which surround man in the earth the
air and the sunlight, each by the
professional courtesy of Nature lends
to the physician its medicinal powers
Unlike patent medicines, the wise
physician never arrogates to himself
lpowers not his own. He never per.
forms cures, but reverently stands by
and observes how Nature may do that
herself. 1t is only the credulous
twho believe in mans omnipotence,
and the credulous are legion. The
best medicine would be for the mind
| it would involve the cure of all dis
eases:
1.-THE spirit doth the body make"
Nature Is the great restorer. and il
she refuses to bring back health to
the emaciated limbs no doctor need
fapply. Her punishments are neither
wsnton nor cruel; they are exactly
iprOportioned 10 the offense. They
are Just but merciful intimations tC
the race that her laws must be
lobeyed. She uses the skill of the
physician as she does her other agen
cies to facilitate her restorative pro
lcesses. He may even coax the grea,
mother of US all, il the offense be moi
q mortal one, to be mercifui and len
lent to her son, who has devOured hel
living with harlots and wasted hii
inheritance OF health in riotOus liv
ling, but she can never be cheated OF
Icajoled. She abOlninates an empiric
Ishe abhors u pretender, and at times
lno doubt, glances at diplomas from
1.-The learned schools with a SUSPICION
scrutiny.
The wise physician is Nature
hand maiden, attentive to her wants
solicitous for her interests; swift
thoughted and feet of foot on he
errailds !; deft In cOntrivances a
auxiliaries of her powers and pun
poses; tolerant Of her apparent capric
iousness, gentle to her seeming faults
rapt student and lover of her laws
Most all the sciences bear upon tn,
profession Of medicine and surgery
either directly or by means Of thei
analogies, and all learning, it may b