The Globe-republican., 1891-01-14
HOLDING HIS BREATH.


Lawyers Novel idea.
A slim young man walked briskly up
Broadway, says the New York Sun.
There was nothing striking about his
personal appearance except his chest,
which swelled out as if it would rip the
buttons of his coat. At Canal street the
crowd blocked his way. He scowled.
looked angry, and then great white
cloud issued from his lips. Twenty"
he muttered. His chest slowly fell to
normal size, but only for moment, for
disengaging himself from the hurrying
throng, he caught his former swinging
gait, his shoulders went back and his
chest rose again to its full prominence.
A young man recognized him as a
lawyer in the Equitable building with
whom he had an acquaintance. He
tapped him on the arm and said: TAX
ing your constitutional" mo, l am
out on my daily drunk. see You look
surprised. Yes, you're right; l don't
drink, but l have a way to get exhila-
rated on oxygen and so take an air
spree every day, learned the trick by
accident year ago. l live in Clinton
place. AS had been confined in the
Office every day, last Thanksgiving a
year ago found myself suffering from
symptoms of pneumonia. 1 believed
breathing would cure me, and one
evening in walking from Park place
home tried on how many exhalations
could walk to Clinton place, twenty
five blocks of varying size, making
distance of nearly mile and half.
AT first found it difficult to hold
my breath for more than few PAGES,
but by the time l reached Prince street
my lungs were working better. was
in a profuse perspiration from head to
foot. It seemed that had discovered
depths in my lungs 1 never thought
existed. Every inhalation seemed to go
down to my very shoes. My feet felt
light and l seemed to eat up the dis
lance. AS l neared Clinton place I
began to feel distressed. l know
now that l did too much at first.
Various colors flashed before my
eyes. When my breath went out felt
empty. On arriving at Clinton place l
had sharp shooting pain across my
temples. When stood still it seemed
as if my head would break. But this
feeling gradually passed away and in
half an hour 1 was feeling splendid. l
noted down the count of breaths that
first night-9s.
'Ikept up the practice from that day,
and my lung capacity has so increased
that last Thursday walked the same
distance on So breaths, having
nearly double my breathing force"
HAS your increased lung capacity
been of any other practical benefit to
you?"
"Yes. A few months ago 1 was in q
hotel fire in the West. was one of the
last awakened. My room was full of
smoke. l put wet towel over my
mouth and through it drew one of my
long breaths. On that single inhalation
l made my way through the smoke
filed halls. Had taken one breath of
the smoke 1 would have become con-
fused, and would never have got out
alive. am firmly convinced that if
people knew how to hold their breath
there would be fewer deaths at fires
Il can now hold my breath over a
minute and half, where year ago
forty-five seconds was my usual limit
My tendency to become round Shout
dered has entirely disappeared. My
step has become elastic. and my appe-
tite ravenous. have all of my clothes
very loose to give room for expansion
in my walkS."-N. Y. Sun.