The Bossier banner., 1892-08-11
VITAL STRENGTH.
rho Intangible Something That Enables
Mon to Defy Disease.

rho Intangible Something That Enables
Mon to Defy Disease.
WHY does man like the Duke OF |
Deyonshire, with splendid brains and |
excellent physique, die of exhaustion at
eighty three, while Mr.. Gladstone, only
one year younger, with the same kind
Of brains and apparently the same ply
.;fque; is as tive and healthy as
Young man? What, in fact, is vitality,
the power of continuing to live, which
iiffers so radically in every two fami-
lies that, If we were all pensioned off
tomorrow in our ten shillings week
there would be as little equality in
happiness as ever?
Is it an energy, or quality, or soine-
thing material in the body? We all
know, to begin with, that the thing ex-
lists, though it can neither be weighed
nor mea stired, nor seen with the bodily
eyes. There are families, beyond
doubt. as well as individuals, over
whom disease seems to have no power;
who are either exempt from illness, or
survive it as if it were but an emotion,
who, apart from accident, always fulfill
the years of the Psalmist, and usually
die only because the still unbroken ma
chine has exhausted it's stock Of, motive
power. Doctors, when called into such
persons, are always cheerful, assure the
friends that there will be rally soon,
and would like, If they dared for
the credit of their craft, to admin
lister as little medicine as possible.
| They have not an idea as to the
reason, unless it be "heredity predispo-
sition,'' or, in few cases, cheerful
| temperament but they know quite
well that in such patients there is re
| cuperative power" and as they like
cures, partly out of kindness and partly
from self-interest, they are well con-
tent. And there are also families, as
well as individuals, in whom the life
| lies low. about whose attacks, how
ever slight they may appear, the doc
| tors shake their heads, and whom,
when among themselves, they will re-
mark: ''The Blanks have a constitu-
tional habit of dying" Such people
rarely live to be more than middle
aged; they never attain old age; and
when they die, they die unexpectedly,
most frequently in the first stage OF
convalescence, from what is called a
relapse"
Something is wanting in them which
furnishes their rivals with staying
power; but then, what is the some
thing? 1t certainly is not size, for
giants die rather rapidly; and the men
who are dear to insurance societies are
usually of the medium build, or even a
little under it, their weight in particu.
lar being for the most part slightly be
low average. Fatness is weakness
more or less. And it is certainly alsc
not identical with physical strength
for athletes are scarcely ever long-lived
women have, on the whole, If we de
duct their mortality from collaborating
more vitality than men; and very eebl'
men, in the athletic sense, CONSTANT.
attend the funerals of far stronge
juniors Nor does the quality of vital
ity arise from any superior strength o
brain The able often live long ant
often die young; and, as we have said
the Duke of Devonshire and Mr.. Glad
stone, men probably of the same de
gree of mental power-the one secon'
wrangler and Smiths prizeman, th
other adoublefirst-haved displayed quit
different degrees of the power OF SUI
vival-London Spectator.