Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-05-30
OKING, LIVE FOREVER
so SAID HIS SUBJECTS, AND THE KING
BEGAN TO DO IT.


BEGAN TO DO 1T.
Common Men to Follow the Example of
the Monarci,-Ir. William Kinnear's
Dietary Doctrine.
''And they said, % king, live for
ever' Whereupon the king Immediately
began to live forever This fragment
of history, preserved in the chorus of a
college song, used TO be regarded in
earlier days rather as singular instance
of royal condescension than as encour
aging any personal efforts at immortal
ity. In one of Mr.. Andrew Lang's sto-
ries young Oxonian, when confronted
with ghostly coach and six, tried to
reassure himself by the reflection that a
ghost would hardly put himself to all
this trouble and expense for mere un-
dergraduate All undergraduates are
not gifted with the same praiseworthy
humility, but without any undue diff
dence most of US tacitly felt that the
honors Of Immortality were prob: bly, be-
yond our reach. However, for this later
and more fortunate generation Mr. Will
liam Kinnear has come to the rescue. 1t
seems that he had been maturing little
plan for living 200 years in average good
health.
The announcement is attractive, but
we must confess that, on Investigation,
it seems to US full Of disappointment. 1t
is possible that Mr. Kinnear's method
of life may promote good health, but so
far as comfort is concerned it fails dis
mally. This is an objection common to
nearly every system which aims at max
ing man something more than human
The element of asceticism in or nature
is almost as strong as our selfishness. In
every age there have been people who
cherish the conviction that they can but
attain spiritual excellence by making
themselves needlessly uncomfortable.
Mr.. Kinnear is comparatively moder
ate in his promises, but his regime, like
the rest of them, is branded with the
curse of discomfort. 1t seems that the
chief enemies to vitality are the air we
breathe, the water we drink and the
bread and meat we eat, all of which ap-
parently conspire to form earthly de-
posits of gelatinous and fibrinous char
acter in our unfortunate system. These
deposits, which mostly consist of carbo-
nate and phosphate of lime, interfere
with the physical functions generally,
and in particular impede the proper re-
pair of tissue.
Moreover, it is to their constant and
increasing presence that the stiffness and
dryness characteristic of senility are
due Hence if we wish to prolong life
and avert, in part at any rate, the in
conveniences Of old age we should min
imize these earthly deposits. Unfortu
nately we cannot dispense entirely with
air, water and food, but we can combat
the mischieyous effect of atmospheric
oxygen by the use of phosphoric acid
By drinking distilled water only we es-
cape the calcareous salts which ordinary
water would deposit in our tissues, and
by avoiding everything fit to eat we
may render our daily food comparatively
luIOtuOuo. IIdCtlOetl1y LIS ICCOllilSuo-
ations come to this: Abstain from
bread, meat and nitrogenous food gen
orally and live upon apples and distilled
water favored with phosphoric acid.
Such menu is a high price to pay
for longevity, and after an orgie con-
Quoted ON these lines for two centuries
the proselyte would probably be able to
give an emphatic answer to the ques
tion, SIS life worth hving?" The mon
otony of the regime is alone sufficient
to make it distasteful, but the objections
to it strike somewhat deeper than this.
Nitrogen possesses to peculiar extent
the power of holding other chemical
substances in combination. This is at
once the cause of the stability, as it is
called, of nitrogen compounds and of
the tremendous power which many of
them display. Nitrogen enters largely
into the composition of muscular tissue
or flesh and thereby becomes the chief
source of physical energy. To diminish
the supply of nitrogen as Mr.. Kinnear
proposes would almost inevitably pro-
duce chronic lassitude. Nor is this the
only danger, for the patient (this really
seems the most appropriate word), cut
off from his usual heterogeneous diet,
would be tempted to supply the want
by larger consumption of the vege-
table foods left open to him and thereby
to overcharge his system with carbon.
A dietary doctrine which proclaims
that in the necessary elements of nu-
triton lurk the enemies of life' may
fairly be regarded with preliminary sus-
picion. But even with this PROPOSE
ton accepted it is surely fatal to Mr..
Kinnear's claim that to follow his sys-
tenn is to live according to nature in the
highest and finest sense. If nature ju-
diciously doctors our necessary foods
with slow poison, it is clear that she
cannot intend US to cumber the earth
too long. If she does not Mr.. Kinnear's
theory collapses. But whether his dag
nosis be right or wrong it seems fairly
clear that nature does not look with fa-
vor ON an abnormal length of life. Ac-
cording to Professor Weissman nature
only favors the survival of the indivi-
dual so far as it is necessary to provide
for the perpetuation of the species. The
moment this point is passed the forces
of nature turn against him. The species
can probably take care of itself physio-
logically without any persuasion on our
part, but the social and political incon-
veniences which attend any wide sue
cess of Mr.. Kinnear's system cannot be
contemplated without dismay. These
are sufficiently obvious to any unpreju-
diced mind and form far too delicate a
topic for discussion here. On one point,
however, we must confess to what we
trust is a pardonable curiosity, How
old is Mr.. William Kinnear?-London
World
Her Message.
A young lady organist in church was
captivated with the young pastor of q
church in the next street and was delight
ed to hear one week that by exchange he
was to preach the next Sunday in her
own church. The organ was pumped by
an obstreperous old sexton, who would
often stop when he thought the organ
voluntary had lasted long enough. This