Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-07-15
NUMBER 40
A AHERMIT'S DELUSION
THINKS He HAS SOLVED THE PROB
LEM OF PERPETUAL LIFE.

LEM OF PERPETUAL LIFE.
Claims to Have Secured Immunity From
Death by His Goodness and Manner of
Living He Has Tested His Theory In
Solitude Five Years.
Out in California Richard Rowland,
philosopher, prophet and hermit, is try
ing to solve the problem of eternal life.
The queer old man has selected lone
ly spot at the base of the Fruitvale
hills, where he will engage in con-
test with nature and endeavor to DEM
onstrate that man can live forever if
he follows certain rules. The professors
of the California Baptist college have
taken a deep interest in the old man.
and occasionally visit him to see how
he is getting along.
A few years ago Rowland was swim
died out of $4,000 by speculators. At
that time he took an oath to never again
indulge in any money making scheme
or even affiliate with humanity. He re-
solved to become hermit and said that
he would live forever, putting his faith
in the Bible and living perfect life.
He selected for his future home a spot
under lone pine tree, and there he
has camped for years. During the win
ter Rowland sleeps III an old wagon, but
in the summer months he makes his
bed on the ground.
Rowland declared recently that he
had just completed the fifth year of his
test. He danced and jumped TO show
his strength and remarked that the ex-
pertinent was making him younger
man. He is now Go years cid and shows
wonderful vitality. He is very careful
about his diet, and three times a week
INDUCES in the plainest kind of food,
cooked by himself, as he says, in man
ner that tends to prolong life. It is his
scheme, SO he says, to overcome the ne
cessity for eating. This he claims can
be accomplished by him in the course
of time. As he believes he has forever
to live the matter of dispensing with
nourishment must take long time.
In order to carry out his aims and
purposes Rowland's first principle is to
forget time Days, months and years
are nothing to him, as from this time
forth, according to his queer belief, he
will have no age. He says that he must
be the best man in the world. This he
claims to be already and will have no
trouble on that score. He reads his BIZ
BILE diligently and says that, according
to its teachings, he is perfect man.
So long as he can remain such he as
serts that he will have everlasting life
on this earth. AS for death, that sub
ject will never be considered by him.
Having made up his mind to never hear
from the world, he will not know what
death is, and in the course of time he
says he will have forgotten the world
entirely. In explaining how he will
live without money or friends the old
man says he will do as he has done in
the past, wait for things to come to him.
He asserts that he has always had plen-
ty, and it just seemed to come to him
in some mysterious way.
II am quite sure that can make
success of my experiment., said Row
land. "Of course people think am
queer, but have no concern with them
A man who is going to live forever can
not afford to be bothered with what
people say or think. I am hermit, a
philosopher and prophet, and have
my own world right under this pine
tree. 1t is my intention to remain here
until time is no more. 1 have said that
the good shall live forever, and you ask
why Abraham and other good men died.
Simply because they did something that
broke the charm. You see l seem to
have all the conditions down perfectly,
and l cannot imagine that my test is
going to be failure am now man
without age, without future. and, in
deed, without anything that has any
connection with time Some professors
have been down here to see me, but IN
the future am going to try and keep
away from erybody. 1t is bad thing
for me to meet worldly people. New
York Telegram.