The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-05-10
Our 0lio.
Cheating Old Age.

1
Old age, which used to come gradually
and be in no particular haste to begin Its
visible progress. has recently caught the
spirit of the time and advanced upon some
people at galloping pace: The fault is
with the victims themselves. The life en-
durance of any given person is fixed by
nature, and the man who draws most large
ly and steadily upon his physical capital
must be the first to display gray hairs and
discover chronic bodily weaknesses. Any
one can find scores of men who at 30 have
whitening heads and nerves that need
''bracing" at short intervals every day.
Whether they reach this condition by too
much work or too much play (of the kind
that uncharitable persons call dissipation }
the indications of Fastening age are equally
significant. How is the progress of the
destroyer to be arrested?
Many physicians are devoting themselves
to the task Of prolonging the lives of per-
-sons who are not i'll, yet have begun to wear
away too rapidly. Among the praetition-
ers who study the subject carefully there
seems to be but little difference of method.
Their first and hardest work is to convince
their patients that it is dangerous to live
'sfast" "a word which has special signiti-
canoe which makes it absolutely insulting
to many eminently respectable transgressors
of the laws of health. 1t seems impossible
to persuade merchant who does more work
in one hour than his best clerk can do in
three that he is guilty of fast living and
dissipation, even if he never drinks drop
and refrains from all improper pleasures.
The LAWYER or broker who accomplishes
wonders in the morning, but feels sense
of sgoneness" early in the afternoon, can
not be made to believe that part of him is
literally ''gone," and that if he urges him
self beyond that point, without first taking
a little rest, he expends vitality with fright
full rapidity. Ladies who, between house
hold cares, religious duties and social re-
sponsibilities, are steadily active from eight
in the morning until midnight, sometimes
wonder why they lose the freshness of
youth, while some of their sex, whom they
occasionally see, but would not for worlds
speak to, preserve face and figure in spite
of lives of which the less said the better.
But when these, as well as less innocent
classes, are convinced that they are living
too rapidly, able physicians begin to arrest
the advance of age by urging rest. No
practitioner of high standing now prescribes
stimulants to any person not really ill, ex.
cepting those who are absolutely compelled
to more exertion than is good for them.
Short periods of relaxation throughout the
day are always found beneficial; some bust
ness men have been greatly helped by drop
ping upon a lounge for five minutes in
every hour OF two; they may not-cannot
stop thinking, but there seems great re-
lief in merely assuming a recumbent position
for little while. During the recent civil
war a General, whose men were noted for
coming out of a hard march in fine fighting
condition, attributed his success to his i'm
perative order that his men should lie down
whenever a halt was ordered. Regular and
full hours for sleep are also insisted upon,
and until the patient endeavors to adhere
closely to this rule he does not begin to
comprehend how natures great restorative
is diminished in quantity by the demands
of BUSINESS and society in a great city. One
or two half-nights of sleep per week do not
seem to mar the health of young people,
but any person who has reached the age of
35 is weakened by such privations, and few
of them who have active nerves can never
make good the loss.
"High living is remorselessly tabooed-
not only the custom of drinking great
deal of wine at dinner, but that of eating
concentrated food with stimulating condi.
ments and sauces. Much meat and little
vegetable is the rule with active people in
large cities. 1t is the result of physical
craving, born of rapid waste of physical It's
sue, for stimulation. A hard-working farm
er, who is in the open air all day, would
not-because he could not-eat as much
meat as slightly built business man will
consume daily in New York, and be would
become excitable almost to madness were
he to partake as sparingly of bread and veg
etables. Good physicians place no restric-
ton on the quantity of food for city man
or woman of active habits, but they urge
that the proportion of meat and pastries to
vegetables be lessened. The free use Of
fruit and milk is strongly advocated to cor
rect the bad effects of over-eating and of
stimulating food Fruit juices are believed
to accelerate the natural and healthful ac-
ton of the alimentary canal to prevent the
retention of wasted tissue and to maintain
at its normal condition the prespiratory
system, one Of the most important aud least
remembered portions of the physical ma
chinery. While not delaying or diminish
ing nutrition in any way, fruit, if used in
sufficient quantity, is known to lower the
temperature of the blood that is overhead
ed by liberal feeding combined with lack of
exercise. Every one should eat heFies,
melons apd peaches during the summer
months, but In eight Of the twelve months
Of the year fruit is regarded as a luxury
rather than as necessity. A physician
with large practice said recently that care
full inquiry failed to diseoyeF thai aay one
Of his patients eyer bought apples, except
for special treatment in the kitchen, al
though the apple is the most abundant,
cheap and ever-present of the fruits which
are peculiarly beneficial as food.
The few rules given above do not obviate
the necessity for special treatment of per-
sons who are growing old taa rapidly, for
age nearly always manifests its approach by
finding its victims weakest part and attack
ing it. They are, however, so contrary to
general custom that they will be pew tq
Most people who 4ead them, as they are to
nearly all who obtain them, for the first
: time, from family physicians
A Chinese coffin resembles the trunk Of
tree planed off, and is made of the hardest
} wood procurahle. So expensive are these
cnf1ns that the wood for one will sometimes