Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1883-01-24
Vitality Of thu Jewish Race.


have, up to the present period Of his
tory, presented the most remarkable 0f
all the vitalitie~ and those of them who
are united to the oteer races by ties Of
blood, though not By any profession 0r
religious indication. are hardly less
privileged. In England ard Wales We
compute the number Of professed Ja1s
does not exceed $4,000, some say not
over 10000; but in addition to these, II
physiological readings be true, and /
feel sure they are, there Is an enor-
nous Chlistianized Jewish population
which, under exceedingly broad and
Protestant principles, accept the Chris-
tian faith with a tendency 10 PuritaAic
simplicity, and all but Judaic methpd,
and in which the names, the beliefs, The
traditions OF the Jewish people, as rem
dered in their sacred writings, f6d
their repetitions. But notice now, in
regard to vitality, the most truly typ
ical of the Semitic typc-those, name
ly, who profess and call themselves
Jews-and it is they, specially repeat.
who show All exceptional tenacity to
life, under circumstances which at first
sight would seem to cause the utmost
resistance to life. l have investigated
this matter with the greatest care, and.
not to trouble you by repeating in de-
tail what l have already published,
may state in brief terms that during all
ages of life. under all conditions of life
to which it has been subjected. under
prosecutions the most painful. under
suppression of liberty the most deter
inmate. under residences in confined
quarters OF towns that were practically
prisons, under isolation the most pitt.
full, under contempts the most cruel,
the Jewish family has maintained a
vitality and health which is at once a
model to the other families of men
among which it has been destined, or
should rather have said permitted. to
exist. The Jews are not free from pro-
clivities to disease Of serious constitu-
tional kind. They are comparatively
free from consumption; they are COM
paratively free from diseases arising
from unchastity; they are very free
from those zymotic diseases or pesti-
lences, smallpox, measles, scarlet-fever,
and such like, which carry Off so large
iy the children of other races; they are
very free, that is to say, they have been
very free. from the diseases which
spring from poverty; and they are very
free from the diseases which spring
from idleness, ostentation, and luxury.
The particular hereditary disease from
which they suffer is cancer. According
to my experience they are more dis
posed to that malady than either Saxon
or Ceit, but it is not sufficiently wide-
spread to affect the general results of
the tenacious life pertaining to them.
For the benefits they have received in
the way of life and health the Jewish
family has been indebted to wise sani-
tary laws and regulations bequeathed
to them from of old, to thrift and pro-
vision for the morrow, to peacefulness
Of heart, to domestic virtue. and most
of all to sobripty. 1t is hard to tell
whether, when set free from everx
political and religious oppression. left
to make their own course in open COM
petition with other people, receiving
from their fathers the wealth of their
past, wealth of wisdom, wealth of SIM
pie homeliness, wealth of riches, wealth
of vitality, they will retain and bank
the same treasures or take out and
squander all. AT the present time it is
as ii the finger of prophecy was point
ing 10 the last-named fate.-Dr. Rich
son IN Frazer'S Magaztne.