The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-04-28
ESSAY ON HEALTH.

A Few Remarks Which Apply to Men
Who Work for "Recreation."
1t is easy to tell why man shouldn't
die, and in point of fact death is almost
always, in public opinion, a luxurious &C.
cident, though the victim have the age
of Methusaleh. 1t was a bad cold. II
was little over-exercise. 1t was some
overwork. It was the failure to have
work enough. It was every thing that
wasn't proper, with most surprising
failure as to the happening of the every
thing that should have been. No man
dies because he is ready to die and his
appointed time has come. Death is 8
perpetual surprise, and when the spirit
of the dead man gets over there
whichever place it may happen to be-
it probably calls with unspeakable in.
dignation and much volume of voicelest
malediction for the cause of the sur
prise and the reason of the unprovoked
establishment.
There is great deal of talk as to the
overwork of Daniel Manning and
Grover Cleveland. The latteris man
of what is called full habit, as was the
former. It is alleged that both should
have taken more recreation and that
| the lesson of Manning should be taken
to heart by Cleveland. These are wise
words; but, after all, what is recrea-
ton? The late Charles Sumner mar.
ried beautiful woman at late hou1
of his life, and in attending the parties
to which she led him experienced such
acute pain because of his misplace.
ment and the absence of his books
that, according to various accounts, he
doomed above the prevailing greatness
and fun and gentility like the awful
embodiment in small space of an i'm.
pending epidemic. Mr.: Sumner will.
ingly submitted to the divorce for which
his wife sued-and no harm to either
and though he died early he lived
happy.
Now, men are the creatures of birth
as well as the creatures of circum-
stances. Probably Mr.. Manning's best
recreation lay in hard work. Few men
get such satisfaction from any thing as
they get from work well done.
There are men who have never been
used to the effort necessary to that end,
and with them-good fellows, all Of
them, beyond doubt, and men worthy
of all possible respect-the lighter
pleasures are as necessary to life as the
blood they carry. But Mr.. Manning
as one Of the light cavalry people
would have been as little at home as
the artilleryman or the foot soldier
He was studious rather than gay, as is
Mr.. Cleveland also. Put either o.
these men under the gay cockade and
give him the small sword and the light
horse, the dashing mustache and the
always uplifted glove, and he would
speedily disgrace himself. Give him
his work and he has his recreation, anG
take away his recreation and you take
away his life.
There is an old adage to the effec1
that it is better to wear out than tt
rust out. There is nothing SO pathetic
as the spectacle of man in his prime
who has always been used to work try
ing to live without it. There are few
things so ridiculous as the exertions O
the man who kills himself in order tt
make perpetual the health the AL
mighty has already given him. There
is nothing more true than the declara
ton that man must earn his life by the
sweat of his brow-he can never ge
so rich as to escape that necessity
The physicians are well enough, ant
rules looking to health are vel
enough; but every wise man is Law
unto himself, knowing the tempera
ment that rules his health better thai
any physician can; and behold, con
trary to all rules and all popular belief
it is life that is the accident and deatl
that is the rule. Y. Graphic.