The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-15
A HERMIT'S DELUSION
THINKS HE HAS SOLVED THE PROB
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 II
he follows certain rules The professors
Of the California Baptist college have
taken 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 $50, 900 by spectators. 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 a hermit and said that
| he would live forever, putting his faith
in the Bible and living perfect life.
| He selected for his future home spot
under a lone pine tree, and there he
has camped for years. During the win
| ter Rowland sleeps in an old wagon, but
| in the summer months he makes his
bed Oh 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 60 years old and shows
wonderful vitality. He is very careful
about his diet, and three times week
INDUCES in the plainest kind of food,
cooked by himself, as he says, in man
ner that tends to prolong life 1t 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 Rowlands 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 nc
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 heal
from the world, he will not know wha
death is, and in the course of time h'
SAYS he will have forgotten the worl'
|, entirely. In explaining how he viii
live without money or friends the oil
man says he will do as he has done II
: 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 hir
in some mysterious way.
81 am quite sure that can make
success of my experiment, said Row
. land. "Of course people think l al
queer, but have no concern with then
: A man who is going to live forever car
. not afford to be bothered with wha
:. people say or think. l am hermit,
: philosopher and prophet, and hay
my own world right under this pin
!. tree. 1t is my intention to remain hel
!. until time is no more. have said thi
the good shall live forever, and you as
- why Abraham and other good men diet
Simply because they did something thu
80 broke the charm. You see seem
70 have all the conditions down perfectl.
II and / cannot imagine that my test
70 going to be failure. l am now ma
"A without age, without future. and, II
"a deed, without anything that has al
connection with time. Some professo
- have been down here to see me, but
=. the future l am going to try and ke'
,e away from everybody. 1t is bad THU
n for me to meet worldly people. NE
/ 81