The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-05
LIVING ~ THE WEST INDIES.
Julian Hawthorne's Observations Re
garding Effects of mn

kaEulnR Euefte VI m8
Can we live in the tropics permanent
ly and yet retain our native character
istics of energy and ability? To settle
That question statistics are needed.
And they must be extensive sta
tistics. for Isolated instances are
OF no value. ] may relate
my OWL experience, however.
While i was In the West Indies I did
quite as much physical and mental
work as during any other similar pc
ROO In my life and / was sensible OF
no I'M of energy. walked
ABOUT 10 miles a day, took other exer-
else Tor an hour or two. n wrote
from three to six hours or more daily.
] was well In health all the time. with
the exception OF one illness resulting
from poisoning and one from eating
unripe fruit. But against this record
must De set the facts that 1 have al
ways been active of habit and healthy,
ana that while on the island / lived at
an Of never less than 1000
feet above the h~igh-water mark. l
fnew how to take care OF myself"
and never committed any ndiscretion;
i ate lightly and drank nothing in the
way OF liquors. I was advised to keep
out OF the sun. but to this caution I
paid little attention and, my blood and
digestion being good. | never suffered
" tAPoSuIt ~ IL. Dul Il uoAlttu Tia
IL you will get III in the tropics IL Is
more difficult to get well again than 1t
IL Is In the North: there seems to be
nothing to catch hold of to pull your-
self up; nothing To brace yourself
against; your tendency is to slip down.,
further n further. 1t Is then (and
only then In my experience) that you
become conscious of that languor of the
tropics of which one hears SO much.
My so1ourn was limited to three
years. Had I stayed longer IL Is of
course possible that ! might have de-
teriorated; but IL is at least possible
that l might have held my own, or even
improved. n OF the strongest young
Americans l have ever known had been
living there 10 years or more when l
arrived the tropics certainly did not
hurt him, and his residence was not
on the hills. but down in Kingston it
self. He was a model athlete and in
defatigable at his profession-dentistry.
He could not have been better or more
efficient had he lived in Dakota New
Hampshire, Southern California or
wherever else the climate Is healthy
and stimulating. 1 also knew numbers
of English and Scotchmen. merchants
for the most part, who also lived in
the city and had done so for thirty
years or more: they were all hearty and
healthy men, never i'll. But IL must be
admitted that the men who were the
son of mote posterity of earlier set
tiers did not have a very robust appear
ance; they were pale and s~oft-looking
and lacked stature and sturdiness.
Again. the officers and men of the
regiments who were stationed there,
and whose terms were two or three
years, were not all in good condition;
but l found that, as regards the officers
at least. the reason for their i'll condi-
ton could easily be ascribed to the fact
that they ate and drank the same as
they had done in London; cocktails,
beer. whiskey and wines. and plenty of
meat will not do in the tropics. no mat
ter who you are. But many of these Of
ficers were active and alert M took
care Of themselves :loand they
complained of the, climate. They may
not have liked IL as well as that of
England suppose no Englishmln
could do that. or he would not admit 1t
IL he could. on the other hand, my
observation disposes me to believe that
Americans do better than Engl1shmen
I'm tropical countries. They have no
heat like ours in England. and the Their
mometer appears to affect them more
than it does our people. especially our
southerners. The most dangerous foe
that either they or We have to contend
with is drink: there is a strong tempta-
ton to drink in hot climates. for OBJ
vious reasons: and il IL Is yielded to
the consequences are always bad.