Morris tribune., 1881-09-08
HOW TO LfVELON(a
From Harper's Weekly.

From Harper's Weekly.
We have, to a great extent, the power of
prolorging our lives. Living by rule and
obeying natures simple laws may seem
very irksome to people at first. but doing SO
soon becomes habit, and blessed habit,
and one that tends to happiness, to conf
fort, and to length of days.
Be regular in your hours of getting up in
the morning and going to rest at night, but
you cannot easily be SO unless you are reg
ular in Sour light of day life. The sim Pile
fact that you lie down for SO MANY hours
out of the twenty four does not prove that
you have secured that necessity of life-a
good nights rest. A little preparation of
both body and mind is needed to enable us
to enjoy sound and refreshing sleep, and so
be fortified by morning to struggle success
fully with the events of another day. Do
not forget hat during sleep the brain is in a
comparatively bloodless condition.; but ex-
element causes flow Of blood to the cap
illaries of that vital organ, and If you retire
to rest before it be toned down, you will be
little likely to fall into refreshing Stun
Der. Indeed, it will in all probabil-
ity be just the reverse; the very en-
deavor to sleep will Danish 1t effectually for
hours, if not for the whole night; there will
be war between mind and body, and the
latter will assure1ly come off second best.
They sleep best who have neither worry
nor care to annoy them; but one should try
10 get into habit of being able to lay off
care with ones Office coat. and of devoting
the evening to reading or any kind of calm
enjoyment. But what are termed might
caps" or soothing drinks, should never be
had recourse to. They are generally of a
spirituous nature and composition, and
therefore they are narcotics, and shonld
not be needed for healthful sleep. They
never did and never could tend to longevity.
There is great and intimate connection
between brain and stomach, chiefly through
the medium of the pneumogastrc nerve,
hence heavy suppers are not conducive to
healthful sleep. do not believe, of course,
IN going supperless to bed, but the last
meal should be light one, and certainly
an easily digested one; man is not in &C
tual health if he needs heavy supper to
cause him to sleep. would not advise
such person to purchase an annuity, for
obvious reasons. A hearty supper will no
doubt induce sleep. but it is not sound.
blissful, child sleep. 1t is turgid, BRAIN
putting, bloted sleep. A SOW eats hearty
supper, and heavy siumber follows; a boa
constructor swallows an OK, and goes to
sleep for fortnight. Neither animal is
much to be admired. However, what !
wish to impress upon you is the fact that
want of good refreshing sleep is incom :
sleep well who would live long, and re-
fra eli 1c ,of To t1 oh TO-, II
Though the narcotism of nightcaps OF
enormous suppers.
Regularity in meal times is another thing
one should study, If health would be retain
ed and long life hoped for. need hard
ly say that the food should be partaken of
slowly, and that all excess or intemperance
in either eating or drinking should be stu
diously avoided. 1t is very injurious to
the health to stimulate the appetite at the
table by wines and piquant sauces. One
should find ones appetite by legitimate
means before sitting down; it should be
brought to the table, not manufactured
there, or taken up as you do your table
napkin.
AS regards food, some people-nay, but
I may say very many people-oftentimes
commit grave error i'll this way; they sit
down to table and eat, whether they be
hungry or not. Sit down to table by all
means; but if you have little appetite. if
he stomach tells you it needs res t, let it
thave it, and eat but very sparingly indeed.
But person not only desires to live
long, but to retain his faculties and sense;
how, then, are we to do this? Why, by
exercising them regularly, but never to the
verge of fatigue. Take the eyesight, fol
instance. Would You preserve it? Well,
do not forget that to great extent that
beautiful optical instrument, the eye, is
presided over by muscles which not only
alter its discretion, but even its focus; the
eye, then, that is used not only to read
small print, but to discern objects at q dis
lance, is the one that, apart from the dim
ness incidental to old age, is likely to last
the longest. And the same may be said OF
the ear. Acuteness of hearing may be cul-
tivated in youth by civilized beings just as
it is by savages; and where it is so, tits sell
dom lost till advanced old age. The species
of aural exercise, however, is out of the
question in towns. But wherever one lives
the organ of voice can be cultivated and
exercised. Music of all kinds, and the
practice of singing especially, are great aids
to health, happiness and longevity.
Mental exercise is favorable to long life
and even under adverse circumstances q
man with we'll trained mind will live
longer than lout: the former has some
thing to fall back upon, the latter depends
entirely upon external impressions. think
that Euclid and Algebra should be within
hounds) as much studied by girls as by
boys, even the puzzling out of anagrams
riddles, enigmas, etc., should be encour.
aged, and, above all, original composition
and the writing of verses.
Thousands of people annually ruin theil
constitutions by simply swallowing too much
medicine. 1t may seem strange thing fol
q medical man to say, but it is nevertheless
fact. 1t is dangerous thing to fly with
every little ailment to the medicine chest
The use of tonics, unless under medical
advice, should be discountenanced; tonic
is sharper than two-edged sword; it is +,
tool that needs to be used with caution
There are now, am sorry to see, some ne.
rated waters coming into use which contain
the strongest mineral tonics, that are apt to
accumulate in the system, with the mos
disastrous results. They should therefore
not be drunk ad Hbitum as to quantity. OF
without guidance as to quality.
Rest should be taken with great regular
ity. have already spoken of nocturnal
|
apart for the complete rest of both body
and mind. Independent of this, all who
can afford it should take an annual holiday
Travelling is cheap, and two weeks or q
months relaxation from care and business
cannot make big hole in the purse of one
who works well all the rest of the year, and
knows how TO economic time. Innocen,
pleasure and wholesome recreation conduce
to longevity. All work and no play sends
Jack to an early grave. Recreation is tc
the mind and nervous system what sun.
shine is to the blood.
AS physician, must be allowed to So,
just one word about the quieting, calming
effect of religion upon the mind. The truly
religious make by far and away the bes
patients, their chances of recovery from
serious sickness are greater, and so is thei
chance of long life, simply owing to thu
power they have of submitting themselve.
quietly, vet humbly.and hopefally to what
soever may be before them.
The amateur gardener rIust not be over