The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-12-07

mson oso,,v d, a. we're rather pleas
WI mue ,haa ~, Tho first struggle
for life Oh 900 of wnyiug
me assuiheu lot q feeling OF
green neius. ,;ts a down, over
poweredby sleep. IN the ~"
the cool meadow. ,;;nn.s
Now, this is precisely the condition pre-
,entad in death from disease. lnsensioM-
;tv soon comes on, the mind loses con
Seriousness of external objects, n deatn
ranidlyand placidly ensues from asphyxla.
in ssite of the natural antasonlsm 70
death y moments reflection Will SNOW unat
it is as mucha physiological process as lie.
! the two terms are correlatlve, the degree OF
vital activity depending on the extent OF
molecular death occurring atthe same .tine.
! Strange as the paradox may seem, without
death wa cannot live; every thought emanat-
;nn From the brain, every blow struck by
the arm, is accompanied by destrucp0n OF
neryous or muscular tissue. The otoplasm-
atlc or living matter which enters lnto inc
formation of every animal tssue Is con-
stantly terminating into ceilsN'he origin
of all life). and us constantly passing INTO
decay, Their places being taken by protop.
lasts, thus keeping up the active uahce Oh
life.
This dissemination, or interstltial death
| occurs to such an extent that ha.uie' III
her wisdom, has provided eXcrementofy Or
cams for the purpose of removing from the
sys,em the eifete material 'hus plouuceu.
Every living structure a,.ei passing
through certain stages Oh oeSeioP'neh' la.
turity, and, finally, retfosfessioh niust
come to IN end. Ihis may %, o1t the
ephemeral existence OF some "a tne ioWef
FERNS OF tHngl, Whlch, poih IA wy uooi W
the morning, die as the sun goes mo"h, or
like the famous dragon,tree OF leheiAhe,
may outlast the pyramids ina keep "atch
by the Nile.
The last topic for consideration is the
rseudopia of death, d. visions OF the dying.
THIS subject, coming under the realm OF
mental science, properly belongs TO meta
physics rather than physiology. Various
theories have been advanced 10 explain
this phenomena, but they must remain as
hypotneses at best, for they are oot suscep-
tible Of demonstration. 1t Is not IN un-
common occurrence for the dying, after
living ON hours In a ~seml-conscious con-
dition, to start up suddenly, ana. with
glowing face, point eagerly to some object
invisible to the oystanders, and, with AMI
mated voice and gesture, state that they be-
hold the glories of heaven or the familiar
countenance OF some friend long since
dead.
The question naturally arises rs. to wheth-
er these conditions are merely the fantasies
of a disordered and fast disorganizing brain,
or are the dying actually permitted a mo-
mentary view of those mysteries hitherto
unknown?
The traditions and superstitions of the
past have led to Il popular belief i'll the lat
ter theory. Shakespeare expressed the SEN
timent Of his day, when he placed in the
mouth of the dying Queen Katharine these
words:
saw you not even now a blessed troop
invite me to q banquet, whose bright faces
'l'"sa'u DeanN' upon ino ilhe sur:
Science, with its iconoclastic hand, has
swept away these pleasing fancles, and in
'nelf places has constructed a fabric found
ed on analogy. In the anmsthesia induced
by cnioroiorm a condition Is prodnced re-
Semoiing That Immediately preceding death
caused the carbonlc acid poisoning-in
Whlch Visions are constantly presented TO
.he lliha' 1ne character OF which depends
upon ,he natural temperament OF the indi-
siauai. ihus II often occurs that a
paslen'' ~uen NICER 'ne influence OF chic
teiotli, mas oeat'ic visions similar to those
mane usins. II is my fortune to have az
present d patent "ho lnvailably, when I'M
tha. .he lnnuehce OF cnioroform, asserts
1 1n she seesansels hoSei1ns roundh her bed.
hne IMPRESSION Is SO strong that she be.
umn H u annoyed II the reality OF these
hs Is uiSpulea. ne aspnyxla produced
ns burning charcoal Is oft-tlmes accom-
panied os disturbed iancies similar to these
i, bet rs oo".nl anu cue natural inference
% % 80 .raa enoS aie ine RESULTANT Ia both cases
i ~ que anu .ne same cause. During the
hss iiohie..s Oh NE the MN gradually
aoss' cobn'Aince OF external surroundings,
1 W. IS Wrapped IN seif-contemplalion.