Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-13
SUDDEN DEATH.
ONE OF THE SAD RESULTS OF OUR
"GO-AHEADATWENESS."

ONE OF THE SAD RESULTS OF OUR
"Go-AHEADATWENEsS."
Americans, as a Class, Live Too Fast to
Live Long-The Strong Mans Great Mis-
take--The Old Gourmand at the Cafe.
Apopiexy.
The Bible speaks of three score years and
ten as the age to which man may reasonably
look forward. 1t seems as if at least seventy
equable, eontented and happy years-full of
such comfort and qualification as the MEM
bers of each class in the community have
severally a right to expect should and
might be within the reach of every man and
woman. In some countries, however, We lind
this 10 be much more nearly the case than
with us. Americans rule, live too fast
to hive long. Every person is originally en-
dowed with about 50 large a stock of vitality,
out of which to fashion his life
1t amounts to nothing more nor less than
the simplest of problems in arithmetic to
show that if he draws upon this stock twice
as heavily as he should the duration of his
existence will only be one-haf of what it was
originally intended to be. Indeed, the mat
ter stands much worse than this; his life is |
likely TO be at any moment suddenly cut off |
short long before reaching even the half A |
steam engine may use up its fuel in two |
weeks or one, according to the rate at which |
1t is driven; If it is sufficiently overworked |
the result may be general smash, or such |
an injury as will necessitate long and |
tedious stopping for repairs, if, indeed it |
ever becomes 'as good as new" We hardly |
seem ready to recognize the bounds estab-
liShed by nature, but when We have reached
them, In our greed and ambition, we summon
| our will, and, as the expression runs, live
upon our nerve, "congratulating ourselves on
| our praiseworthy display of American 60
aheadativeness. Unfortunately nature has
| not Yet become sufficiently progressive in her
| ideas to manufacture constitutions expressly
| for the American market, and in the midst of
our triumphant tour de force, click, some
thing snaps, and We vanish from the stage or
break down for years, perhaps for life.
In every community such ''breakdowns'
may be pointed out on every side, and many,
even of our most successful" men. freely
confess they have paid too high price for
| their prosperity The prizes OF existence are
so great with us, and seem to be so within
the grasp of all, that practically all set out
to win them. Each is unflagging and merci-
less TO himself IN his grim resolve to obtain
that for which he Is striving. He works day
and night, including holidays, and not infre-
| queDtly Sundays; he refuses to take time to
eat his meals properly, and in such sense
| less luxury as a vacation he never dreams of
indulging; amusement he regards as frivo-
| lOus, and as abstracting too much valuable
time from the prosecution of the all absorb
ing project. Every waking minute he keeps
his brain grinding away over ways and
means, and not improbably the hours which
a sensible man would devote to sleep he un-
naturally curtails for the same purpose. The
social competition runs equally high with
that of business. OF course, In the path
way he treads he jostles and is jostled by
competitors, and in a nature so tense and set
in so great an endeavor as is his, the constant
and wearing, though almost unperceived,
play of the ernotlons-as envy, jealousy,
hatred, disappointment, etc.-ls very great
Occasionally, at some CLOSE shave" or some
crisis of failure or success, he experiences a
eliminating spasm of feeling that shakes
him to his very center Perhaps not satisfied
with this existence of abnormal and unhy-
, gienic physical habits and unnatural mental
and emotional strain, once in a while, when
the racket becomes too intense to cde lse no S
tSsUHE ths time Bei Is s Should do, with change
of scene, Il quiet, wholesome life, amusement
and rest, but by plunging into period of
dissipation for the purpose of drowning his
worries and cares, But, ruinous at any time,
the effect upon his overworked nerves and
-
naturally be greatly intensified. He could
scarcely take more suicidal step.
Died suddenly How few realize with
what startling frequency in this country that
report goes out. The strong man foolishly
fancies he is practically inaccessible to all
\ ment and death, and so pushes on in his ex
aggerated expenditure of energy until-toc
late-insulted nature bestows upon him tha
logical punishment he has so persistently
courted I'VE do fade as the lear is tn,
delusion we fondly hug, while We think o
death as afar off. sIet every day, simpl,
) from faults of his own committing, many al
unfortunate is hurried into the presence o
his Maker without an instants warning. o
the twenty-five deaths reported by Ne'
York contemporary one day last week min
were sudden. Some Of US may wish tina
= such may be our fate-that We die ''in th
harness but to many such thought is ter
rorizing; they pray that to them the en-
10 come slowly-that they may 'ripen for I'll
grave"
What are the causes of sudden death-s
by stroke of hghtningl They are NJ
many when only the SO called natural acc
dents are considered Death on the instal
may result from apoplexy, or bursting of q
G aneurism within the chest or abdomen;
w may be caused by the bursting of an absce
within the chest. Great mental shock
from extreme anger or grief or even joy
, sometimes kills instantly through tot
~ paralysis OF the chief nerve centers. Cas-
of sudden death from hemorrhages of Il
lungs are on record, but they are few
- number. Diseases of the heart render t
- subject liable to instant death, and they a
II the most frequent causes.
As we grow old we should avoid those
fiuences which are likely to induce sudd
and great rush of blood to the head, such
intense mental exctement-as in pub
.! speaking or in a fit of anger-violent must
lar effort, gluttony and drunkenness, e
While one dimes at popular cafes he has
tc,I to look about him and he is quite sure to
bS habits indulged provocative of apoplexy.
tbis familiar sight is the man about 90 years
whose highest pleasure is in tickling his P
! ate He is overweight by fully fifty poun
his face is red and shining he is full to bul
ing, and he looks as though every imports
= button on his clothing was threatened.
- on u warm day gives such a man as wide
BERTH as he would cookstove; be is a
S2s gether too hot to sit near. He commen
his dinner with an appetizer-generally
. cocktail. Then he deliberately fills u
u largely on meat and other hearty" foods,
us of which are washed down with one at le
,urc and generally two bottles of lager beer
ss o. he eats and drinks with one hand, he
'hree himself vigorously with the other, all
liked time growing redder and redder, and flna
1gar, when he hoists himself out of his chair,
omi- face takes purplish hue in consequence
ms IT,. even that slight effort. He is like VII
and when in tone; every part of his system
"a a. keyed up, and something is sure to breai
the unusual aappens. Let such man, $
re. after dining, become violently enraged
shocked by some unexpected calamity,
aSS, the chances are an attack of apoplexy is
consequence Boston Herald.
Life on the Ocean Wave
1ndurates the stomach against sea s
ness, but single OF occasional ira
inn across the ''illimitabe wetuess" is 7