New-York tribune., 1891-05-25
stroying two terrible temptations which now
confront weak human nature
A DISMAL OUTLOOK.


A few vears ago controversiaists were en-
gagged in making very positive ana coh1ra-
dctory replies to the query, "Wlli the coming
man drink wine?n After the discussion mad
proceeded for a considerable time those who
were listening to it began to perceive that the
problem was complicated, and could not be
solved without taking into consideration numer-
Gus points which the propounder had not
thought of. Statistical philosophers for ex-
ample, threw doubt upon the conclusions which
some of the debaters had reached with much
satisfaction to themselves, by deducing from the
records of the phylloxeras ravages the startling
proposition that there would be no wine for the
coming man to drink, in case he happened TO
retain the bibulous pr0pensites OF his ancestors
When the CONSERVATION produced by this as
sertion had in q measure subsided other con-
testants came to the rescue of the original
conundrum with the retort that the statisticians
we're guilty of jest verging on imperinence,
and that for the purpose of settling the ques-
ton it was sufficient to determine whether or
not the coming man would drink an intoxicat-
ing fluid bearing a superficial resemblance to
wine and called for convenience sake by lts
name. If Professor Totten had at that time
reached his present stage of certainty respect
ing the sacred prophecies he might have an
nounced still more fundamental defect in the
problem, for he has ascertained that there is to
be no coming man, and doubtless, therefore, he
is of the opinion that it is idle to discuss what
a being who will never come into existence will
drink at an epoch that will never arrive.
But assuming for the sake OF argument that
the Professor has made the trihing error of
million years or so in computing the duration
of time, we confess that we are more interested
in coniecturing what the coming man will eat
than in deciding whether he will or will not
drink wine. As everybody must have noted
with agitation, the index expurgatorius of food
products grows longer every year, and its rate
of increase is out of all proportion to the dis
covery and invention Of new cOmestibles. In
fact, we doubt if there is now left single
article capable of being swallowed and digested
which fourishing writer's on hygiene have not
definitely enrolled among the posons. No in
dividual disciple of the late Dr. Dio Lewis has
inherited his genius for detecting the treach
erous and malignant properties of reputable
fruits and vegetables, but the school which he
founded has grown at an amazing rate and is
characterized by restless activity which more
than makes up for the eclipse of his superlative
powers Of intuition. The earth is growing old,
the soil dscloses signs of wcariness, and it
would be rash to expect that new edibles will
continue to be evolved forever.
What, then have we to lCob forward TO be-
yond rapidly diminishing list Of harmless
viands? Within few years we have lost
green corn and tomatoes, spinach and asparagus,
pork products and all the crustaceans; our sheep
havo the rot, our COWS are tuberculous milk is
out of the question and the cereals are under
indictment. The future is indeed gloomy, and
the question of to-day is not, viii the coming
man drink wine? but, Will the coming man
starve to death? If Professor Totten is able to
alleviate the situation by an assurance of speedy
extinction, who shall say that he is not public
hanpfactOr?