Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-01-09
TO POSTPONE DEATH.
Mans Very Best Inheritance from
His Ancestors.
A HEALTHY BODY AND A SOUND MIND
The Harvest Reaped After Sowing Our
Wild oats-Must Not Disobey the
Laws Of Nature.

months; recruiting their wasted ener
gies by rest and change. We live in
enlightened days, but we live in days
of high pressure and keen competition;
unless the strain were now and again
relaxed the string would snap, and
length of days" would be but dream
of the past. Our forefathers had not
the knowledge nor the advantages we
have, but then, in some respects, their
longevity; and they had better start
Now we have not only survival of the
"fit'' but of the unfit" These latter
are all their lifetime fighting an uphill
battle. with one leg in the grave, and
the other trying to dodge death. And
not only those who are born unfit"
but those who acquire "unfitness, 'have
a constant struggle to postpone death.
1t is true, writes DIR. Egbert, that some
men are born with long life as birth
right, and only need favorable circum
stances to enable them to reach ripe
old age. But how many barter their
birthright for mess of pottage-stray-
ing away from the paths of health; and
by indulgence in unnygienic practices
from which even their natural instincts
revolt, abuse both mind and body. On
the other hand, not few are hampered
from birth with inherited weakness,
which permits at best of but feeble
grasp upon life, and renders probable
an early death despite the best of care.
These two conditions are not unlike
financial requests from anoestors-for
one, money has been laid up and for
tune becomes his legacy at birth; the
other inherits only debt. Someone has
justly likened an unsound constitution
to mortgage on farm, which eats
up all the profits and makes it impossi-
BILE for the owner to get ahead. Do the
best he can, he is unable to clear the
debt and the mortgage hangs over his
head, liable to foreclosure at any
moment. From consideration of
these facts is it not obvious that our
physical and mental endowments to
our progeny are of the very highest i'm
portance and should be made the objects
OF our daily care and forethought, in
like manner as we endeavor to provide
for their financial interests? Mans
best inheritance from his ancestors is
sound mind and sound body. With
these he may gain both health and hap
piness; moreover, prosperity would be
within his reach, and for one endowed
with these qualities poverty need not
be feared. Through the exercise of
the good Judgment normal to healthy
mind, a strong body ought never to be
abused. and in the pursuance Of health
and the requirements Of life such an
individual would most certainly ao-
quire much happiness.
1t has been argued that an advantage
may sometimes be observed in even
feeble constitution, for its possessor is
likely to learn early in life the import
ance Of careful living and the necessity
Of rigidly observing all the laws which
govern health. The argument ad-
vanced is, alas, only too true, for the
man who has inherited vigorous con-
stitution is apt to disregard natures
laws until the punishment for their
disobedience rests heavily upon him.
Many strong and robust young men and
women either fancy their endurance
unlimited or do not grant the subject a
single moments thought, for they give
free rein to their appetites, CRAFTY
their unrestrained passions. laugh at
the warnings of friends, heed not the
kindly pleadings of nature. and thus
persist in the sewing of wild oats until
their acre is well-nigh planted. Then
comes the infection of the penalty for
the abuse of natural talents and dis
obedience to natures laws. How great
the fall How certain the execution of
the sentence! Having sown dissipa-
ton, vice and the seeds of decay, the
harvest can be naught but the results
Of the growth and development of that
which has been planted, to-wit de-
bility, physical ruin-perhaps death.
Let those who would thus openly war
with nature and court the certain PEN
alties of such action, consider for one
moment how fair and beautiful gar
den one single night of frost can de-
stroyl
Granting. then. that the inheritance
Of good constitution from healthy
and long lived ancestors is Of great i'm
portance to him who would attain the
length Of days, it is also to be ad-
mitted that weakly children may de-
velop into robust men and women
under the benign influence of good
care and hyigenic living. An individ-
ual of feeble constitution by inherit
ance may thus reach or at least ap-
proach closely the highway of health,
prolong his life to old age and transmit
to his offspring a larger measure Of
vitality than he himself received from
his ancestors. Can anyone say that
one who accomplishes such q mission
has lived in vain?
Keeping in step with nature is the
best way to postpone death. Popular
Medical Monthly.