The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-16
STRENGTH AND LONG LIFE.
ENJOYED BY ALL SAY AGE RACES IN
THEIR PRIMITIVE STATE.

Are These Outyveighed by the Bless
ings of Civilization :-Diseases of
Epidemic Character Always Due
to Whites-Indians and other Alb
OriSines Recover MarveIOusIy
From wounds.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.
In the prescientihc era savages were re
garded as the happiest of mortals. The
Spanish conquerors admitted the fact. but
they assigned it TO the visible protection
of devils Cartier and Drake and Raleigh
agreed that men lived in America as in the
golden age. Cook was perp3exed by the
felicity of those very sinful islanders of
the South sea. Rousseau built his theory
of human rights upon the innocent happi-
ness Of primeyal man and Vo.taire wrote
tale, famous in its day, with this motif.
our johnson would have none of il. of
course, and presently the reaction SET in
1t was proved by deductive argument that
the savage is a miserable creatlIre-sad
weakly, prey 10 disease; in all resneots
interior to the civilized man.
mere are plenty of people who bol5
.Il9 view sun though the wise have ceas-
ed TO rely ON deductive argument in mar
tiers of the sort. 1t is comforting fo, t,,r,,
dfum toWnsfolk to believe that those who
uWeh' seemingly without care amid nc
sIofles OF the tropics are really far worse
OH IMAM themselves. To envv-thOueb nm
conscious attribute the ready accent
aIce ana the obstinate survival Of STATE
Ihents winch are only true, in fact of a
tlhy percentage among the savaga nao-
/ iC oil
pfoVero that the supreme compensation for
misery IS health, and so this is denied H.
the nrst place. But it may be asserted
l1uhuly that every disease of an epidemic
character by which savages are afflicted
mas been introduced by white men
diseases Unknown to Aborirines
Inc Hottentots We're almost the lowest.
very few of them remain now. In 1874
wren they abounded, terrible unknown
Inaiady assailed them and Gov. Goske
uieW up a report on the subject II states
mat the Hottentots did nor surfar IRON
any particular disease until the arrival Of
europeans. Many reached a great age
anime lesSened their numbers perio1i
cdIly, out it was not attended bv fever.
thls Is shrinking testimony TO their sound
ness OF constitution, for the consequence
OF dearth generally claim more victims
than the dearth itself We have denonu-
" A.
sles, scarlet fever consumption and
know not how many plaques but has it
ever been alleged that the poor savage
impaired one to US? The origin of Ienros,,
is mysterious, even if we agree upon the
form of disease so described but all the
White persons who have taken it in India
CHINA and South Africa can be counted
in hundreds, perhaps in scores. Rheuma-
tIsm is hardly known among the people
VINO go naked, affections of the nerves
quite unknown. Even toothache will rare
~ be heard Of still more rarely seen.
But the most efficient tests of general
health are fine build muscular strength
and readiness of the flesh to heal under
injury. Upon each Of these points the evil
dence is overwhelming in favor of saw
ages. There are races of low stature
among them, as throughout the Far East,
but Rajah Brooke could find plenty of
his subjects under feet inches in hight
who would hold their own in a trial of
strength against European athletes. Joke.
the Kennowit warrior who carried Wal
ter Watson in d chair seven miles over
a jungle path, with one halt of ten min
utes, was very little over feet. Wat
son weighed fully sixteen stone-I knew
them both. But most of the savage tribes
show stature and a chest equal to those
of Europeans when NOT superior. Hum
boldt pronounced the Indians of the Grin
OcO the Hlesl specimens OF the human
race. OF their neighbors on the Amazon
Wallace says: The development of the
chest is such as I believe never exists
in the best formed Europeans, exhibiting
a splendid series of convex undulations,
without a hollow in any part of it,"
The Indian and the Zulu.
In spite of drink and degradation, the
physique of the Indians in the United
states is still above the average of whites.
The Zulu is almost becoming a proverb for
superb development, but other kafirs
equal him, and the biggest group Of men
l ever saw were bastard Griquas belonging
to some nomadic families encountered
when lost my way on the veldt by Camp
bell grounds. But the most tremendous
creatures IN my experience are Kroomen
In average hight they do not equal the
Papuan giants of New Guinea, but their
breadth of shoulder is almost deform-
ity.
Power Of muscle Is not necessarily sign
of health, but it demands a note Drake
was a cool-headed man and truthful above
all but he wrote that the Indians of Cali
fornia were commonly so strong of body
that that which two or three Of our men
could hardly bear one OF them would take
upon his shoulders and without grudsing
carry it easily away, uphill and downhill,
an English mile together" One is embar-
raised by the choice of testimony as to the
muscular powers Of the negro, and in
truth 1t is nos required, for everyone has
friends somewhere IN Africa. ! have men
toned the astounding feat of the Dyak
Joke within my own knowledge the pres
ent Rajah Brooke and Mrs. McDougall
refer 10 81 in their books. But other Dyaks
saw nothing wonderful in the achievements
Humboldt weighed the loads Of ore which
Indian serfs carried to the surface from