The National tribune., 1891-04-02
WEALTH BINTS
For Old and Young.
ny FELIX l. Oswald. ". y,
Author II Physical Eluc,.iou"; Household
Remedies; The EiS,s o. Nature etc.


About five years ago q Berlin court chaplain
4 delivered n sermon in which he announced his
belief that the remarkably long life Of his
sovereign ought 10 be considered q reward Of
his orthodoxy.
iii tell you what makes thoze Holy ALI
auce fellows live 50 long," was H0uri Roche
forts comment; "tbsy arc afraid 70 meet Old
Napoleon in the other world"
On questions concerning tho causes OF lon
gevity the opinions Of medical men differ
almost a. widely in many res poets, though all
seem 20 agree that freedom from care contrib
utes as much to length Of life rs freedom fsol
hereditary diseases.
In regard to tie Iife-shortcnin2 or lise-pro-
longing influence Of stimulauts. the evidence
adHEcci in support Cs various theories seems
So contradictory as TO almost make outsiders
doubt tie value Of sanitary statistics John
Brown, VI. d.. CT Berwick, England the founder
Of the "BruHOnian School OF Medicine" di-
vided all diseases into sthefic and asilgfsic COM
plants. l. e., Disorders arriving from excess or
from defect Of excitement. The latter and by
far most numerous class Of malaCies he pro-
posed TO cure By strong ssimrlauts, aud his
disciples pretended TO prove that his system
had added several years 70 the average Ion
gcyIty OF his eUuntsymen. lis opponents
ascribcd that increase 10 a change ia TIE saui-
tary habits OF tho nation, better wages, more
comfortable dwellings better food, etc. bat
use OF stimulauts bad not prevented sJuC Of
the Berwick doctors patients from reaching
an extreme old age. There are oil tobacco
smokers and venerable customers Of the wine
merchant, nay. even hGary habitas5 Of tbs
liquor shop, v hilc on the either hand ouF tenn
pcranee writers could mention hundreds OK
teetnlalers who have survived their tiPqIing
brothers and cousins.
That apparent paradox can be explained By
tho circumstance that now aud then person
OF special viii force, and Of that st0Iid stability
Of habits often associated with 4 phlcgmltic
temper, may for years IIrIit his stimuIant RI
tons To a minimum that cannot seriously affect
human being Of a strong physical coustitg-
ton. Ia considerable plurality of cases the
maxims Of moderation will, however, be apt TO
yield 20 the progressive tendency Of all stimu-
liant habits. The wonted tipUle pals, while
the hankcTing for stimulation remains and
constantly tempts It's victim 10 crafty ia im-
puTtunIties by increasing the quantity % their
tonic, thus gradually wearing out the viZOr
even Of the stourest constitution. The asser-
ton that the habitual use Of alcohol in small
quantities is not Incompatible with longevity
ought therefore % be qualified by the admission
that the moderate use Of any ssimulaHt in
wolves constant temptation 10 excess. And
that temptation increases with the strength OF
the tonic. Prof Goodwin Smith. who opposes
temperance legislation on general principles az
tending TO increase the already lengthy liss Of
meddlesOme laws, recently c0uyuIsed tho pub
lie with one OF the wittiest pamphlets ever
written on the question Of tOta! abstinence.
" Drunkard and drinker." be says, seem to
be Synonymous terms in the vocabulary Of our
weIl-meaning friends, who appear unable 20
conceive the possibility Of alcoholic stimulant5
being used with moderation. The condiments
on our dinneT-table are stimulauts too, hut
that fact does not tempt a lover Of good cheer
to distress his friends by suddenly swallowing
the contents Of the mustard pot
IL does tempt thousands Of gourmands 10 in
crease their allowance Of mustard from a few
grains to an ounce aud half and it is a sug-
gestive circumstance that hOt-spiced made
dishes constitute the main stumbling block Of
dyspepiies. They would feel but little inelina-
tIon to gorge themselves with bread End apples,
but the first spoonful Of u hot pepper stew
breaks their moral resisting force, as the taste
Of drop of strong brandy oblitcrates toper's
meiHury Of hrs reform projects. An equally
futile objection IS the argument derived from
the wine statistics OF antiquity. IL the Old
Testament speaks Of triHs 10 does mean fer
meuted, Intoxicating wine. not must or sweet
cider, but at the time when people lived a
couple OF centuries before setting up house
hold OF their own fermCuted grape Juice was
the only popular stimulant, while the second
half Of the nineteenth century has increased
It's list of alcoholic tippIes to half a hundred,
net 10 menLIOn opium, choral, and nicotine.
Ali strong stlmHlant5 worry the nerves into
a condition which can be best expressed by the
word fTetfGiness and il IS a sad truth that the
reverse Of that condition has become rarer aud
rarer till We have forgotten almost the mean
ing OF life prOlOnging equanimity. SeIEpos5es-
sion (which may conceal a storm Of passions is
our nearest approach to it. except in much out
o. the say regions. as western North Carolina
where an old granger. retired ON the rent of
iuea!calable real estate, may now and then ct
tain To something like the classic ideal. Duly
ordained country parsons develop their un-
paralleled talent for longevity on q similar
taSIs though lung exercise may have sOme-
thing To do with their success in that respect.
They speak in iIl-ehinked meeting houses,
where broken windows and missing shingles
secure an abundance Of ventilation, and OPen-
AR reyivals compensate the lost opportunities
Of the times when their itiuerant brethren had
often TO accomplish their circuits afoot.
An equally striking instance is THAI Of the
Russian HHjiks, or senli-feudai rusties. whose
AVERAGE li'e-term seems to have been shortened
some five years in consequence Of emIuei patton.
The owner OF an old serf under the medieval
regime, was not permitted 10 starve him, nor
could he work him To death as Squire Leeree
did his black veterans. After passing his 6Oth
year serf could not be compelled TO perform
any labor, and received a stipulated Guautum
VI otNss'if Ht'db anu lAfi Hat allowance ne
was az liberty to increase by the wages Of an
occasional job of volunteer labor like the PEN
siyners Of our American Soldiers Homes, and
his children thus naturally came 10 consider
thrce.scOre years of drudgcTy "a a preliminary
70 the enjoyable real lite beginning on the
morning of their COth birthday That hope
sustained them in the darkest hours of their
bondage, and after attaining the prescribed
age they were kept alive by the determination
To get even with their owner by enjoying their
sinccure for she greatest possible number Of
years. Centeunarians were nothing az all ex-
CrptlOnal; OctCgeaarians with undimiuished
arpctitcs could DO found ia every village.
Emancipation has changed ali that Tie
mmjik now is free and with the aid of an in
nucutial friend may obtain permission to emf
CRATE, but ii he stays hG has year after year to
pay an amount Of rent ard taxes that almost
absorb the proceeds Of his toll aIld leave him
but scaut chance to provide resources for the
needs Of extreme old age. Novel methods Of
agriculture upset the traditions of ages, and.
while the demand for manual labor decreases,
the COStS 81 living increase from year to wear.
All thOse things contribute 10 make long life
undesirable and the wish Of an early requiem
becomes the father OF its fGlflmcnt
The longevity Of mountaiueers has been ex-
planned by the frugal die. of communities
where luxury is as rure as extreme indigenee.
but may be partly due 20 the dry, cool climate
OF highland regions. A few years ago. when
- cit air