New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-03-03
THE OLDEST'NIA
The Method by Which He Has Avoided
Sickness.

Sickness.
! A Moberly, NO, correspondent of
the Kansas City Times has been talk
ing with "Uneie'' Robert Gibson, who.
IS ll9 years, old, and gives this as his,
scheme OF living:
Il often got up from the table be-
fore | was satisfied, but soon after nv
appetite would become satisfied, and
did very well until the next meal, I
never Was a very hearty eater, and
breakfast was my heartiest meal.
have always eaten three meals a day
when could get them. Doing SC, long
without meals, and getting so hungry,
and then examining lot of ill-chewed
food into the stomach, will [ think,
do very well for one day, but it will
soon get a mans stomach out of fix,
and he will die if he keeps it Jap long
All the supper | have eaten for years
has been a biscuit and cup, of milk,
or some corn bread with my milk.
One glass of milk is all I have
ever allowed myself to drink for
supper for years, and then you see I
have a good appetite for breakfast. I
have never allowed myself to be in a
hurry while eating, bat have always
taken my time, as a man ought to. I
would advise all, young men and old,
20 eat slowly; chew yourfood well, and
| never, under any circumstances, over
load your stomach with more food
than it can easily digest; you will feel
better and enjoy life more and, I be.
lleve, add many days to your lives.
BE temperate in all things, is the
word OF our all-wise Creator, and this
IS the command given to man that if
he violates he will suffer to a greater
OF lesser extent"
Uncle Robert has some very practi-
cal ideas, in spite OF his infirmities,
and some OF his advice is well worth
needing
~ have always been as particular as
possible to keep my feet dry" said he,
land this, too, Learned by experience.
In my younger days | often went for
! fa'f day with my feet wet and damp,
and it always made me feel dull and
drowsy. AS soon as ! found this out,
just put a stop to having my feet
wet. Ii my shoes leaked, | went and
had them mended. Ii man will find
out what makes HIM feel bad, and stop
| it, there is no need of him going
around with a cane in each hand at
the age Of 80, but instead Of that,
he should be able to do good work at
that age. Icould hardly tell that l
Was failing at that age. People often
laughed at me for unhitching my team
and going into the house and waiting
for it to clear upon rainy day. But
| | found that getting wet made me feel
bad, and | never liked to do anything
| that made me feel bad when | could
| help it. | never would work out of
doors when it was showing Some
say it don't hurt man to work in a
snow storm, but | have always found
more comfort sitting in the house by
a warm stove and looking out at it
than to be out in it. [ took good
care OF myself in all kinds OF weather,
and was not moping around with
| rheumatism, sore throat and head
ache. was never SO hoarse that |
couldn't answer my wife when she
called me to dinner
81 have used tobacco since I was
| IS or 70 years old, and had never
taken a chew before in my life until
that time, and it made me so sick
that did not think should ever try
it again, but did. | had habit OF
chewing sticks, and, when | was rid
ing, Of chewing my riding switch. One
day a preacher by the name of
Wright and were going to a class
meeting, when he said: Brother Glib
son, if you would go to using tobacco
you would stop chewing up your rid
ing switch and sticks. It is wonder
you don't get splinters in your throat
told him had taken chew when
I was little boy and it nearly killed
me. He said | did not commence
right. He took his tobacco out and
told me to take a small piece in my
mouth for short time, and after a
while, to put some more in and let it
stay a while longer. did it, and it
was but short time till l had such
an appetite for it that I could not do
without it, and haveused it ever since
| never smoked"
The old gentleman is not ayerse to
dram now and then, and he does not
wish to go on record as an advocate
OF total abstinence. He said:
In my day distilleries were as plen-
tiful as mills are now, and there was
scarcely any one but what kept whis-
ky in the house, and used it all the
time. Both men and women used it.
It was very cheap and everybody
could get it. To take a sack of corn
to the distillery and get some whisky
was just as common as it was to take
a sack of corn to mill and get meal
for bread. But whisky was pure in
those days, and it did not iniure one
as it does now. and a drunken man