Mower County transcript., 1890-08-06
REGARDING PARAai1tsM.

l{sls -
Z y, Nsvor-Faillug Cause 0l Death to An1s
mat and svogetsbls Life
Every one u familiar with the fact
that al the higher forms Of animal and
vegetable life are infested with innu.
merable psrssites-a name given 70
those snimalcul@ or plants which sre
nourishcd wholly or in part at the sx-
pense OF other living organisms We
can not 60 through . forest without
finding the noblest trees In the embraces
of clinging vines, and there are large
tracts Of the most productive soil whore
different forms Of parasitic life flourish
80 sbundantly thst the higher organ
isms and existence impossible. The
same fatal conditions threaten sll Va
rieties of animal life, and countless in.
dividuals Of the more helpless OF the
brute creation, unable to protect them-
selves from these little enemies, live In
constant suffering, while multitudes an
nually die from their ravages. Although
al are fsmiliar with this general fact,
only the NATURALIST knows the wide ex.
tcnt Of parasitic diffusion, or the In.
juries which It causes to animal life
and health. Not. only in fesh and
blood, but IN eye and brain. do theje
fatal creatures exist. Man, with all
his medical skill, can not rid himself OF
multitude Of invisible and disgusting
creatures which live at the expense OF
their victims health, sapping their
strength and causing premature decay
and death.
The same conditions are still more
prevalent in. the social body. Para
sitism is clearly defined here, as wide
in its extent and as fatal It's rayages, ss
throughout the animal and vegetable
world. A multitude of creatures exist
whose nature is essentially parasitic;
they derive no subsistence from Origi-
nal and natural sources, they serve NO
useful purposes in themselves, they are
excrescences clinging to and feeding
upon the social body, they sap its
strength, they undermine its health,
they cause decay and death. Certain
classes of them are easily recognized.
The criminal class, the beggars and the
idlers are we'll known to be wholly and
essentially parasitic in their nature, but
the generalizat ti0n is far wider than this.
Whenever there is any individual who
draws his subsistence from the public
and gives no adequate payment in re-
turn he is nothing more or less than .
parasite. This is the classification of
the panderer. of the extortioner SO far
as he extorts unjust gain from any
source, OF the lawyer. who prostitutes
his abilities in behalf Of any cause in
furious to society, of the politician who
seeks his own end regardless Of public
interests, of the saloon-keeper who
stimulates that he may make pecuniarJ
gain by satisfying the unhealthy appe-
tites of his victims, of the minister who
tones down his divine message that it.
may be more agreeable to the infuen-
tial sinners, of the business man who.
reaps where he has not sown, Or.
who by artful scheming puts un-
just prices upon the necessaries-
of life. All these are instances of that
partial parasitism of which nature gives
us So many examples. Every profess
sion furnishes its illustration of the
fatal parasite-the quack in medicine,
the charlatan IN theology or philosophy.
the escandal-monger in society or jour.
nalism.. While 70 man has any right to
Judge another, the unerring fact Of
every one'slife and actions will show
plainly enough whether he belongs to
this class or not, and without under.
taking to pass judgment on any indi-
vidual, it is perfectly correct to say that
every one is; q parasitic who does not
draw his existence from some original
and natural source, or who does not
render society an adequate return for.
his support-Providence (R. L. Jour-
nal.