The evening times., 1900-02-27

NEW YORK, Feb. 27.-Milton Ra hbun,
the Fourth Avenue hay and grain dealer,
who started to do without food for lorty
days, broke his fast YESTERDAY morning,
after thirty-hye days nd SIX hours. By
eating an orange.
Mr. Rathbun, who lad lost fJrty-th ee
pounds since he ate his last meal on the
evening of January IA, sad yes erdaJ taat
he never felt better in MS lie. 9
looked, however, as if he had just arisen
from bed of Illness
he is hollow eyed. gaunt, and We k.
His clothes hang loose on him. HIS goif
cap comes down over his ears. His col
lar has become several sizes too la. ge or
him.
When Rahtbun went to bed Sunday
night he had no intention OF b. eaK.n ns
his fast before morning. On retiring g
felt slight inclination TO eat. He o-e
shortly before midnight feeii-g raseuous.y
! hungry. he thought TINS a warning that
he had tasted as long as was good for
him, and decided to break his fast. ..e
; awoke Mrs. Rathbun. and together they
desce nded to the dining-rooLn, whe.e &c
ate the following: Two o.anees, cne dozen
oysters. five soda crackers. two-thrds OF
cup of beef tea. half a cup of oolOng
| tea.
| After breakfasting Mr.. Rathb-n returned
/ TO his bed. lie a@oke ag.iu two hours
| later still feeling hungry. ate anotaer
4 orange, and sept soundly until morning,
when he ate crackers and milk. AT nooI
he had his first regular luucn. TIL
what he ate: One cup clam broth, one
dozen steamed clans, one pia.e mock-t-r-
tie soup. half broiled sq-ao. green peas,
potatoes. corn bread, lemon ice.
Despite the fasters long abstine-ce from
food, what he ate caused no distress.
Il suppose the interruption of my fast
was all due to very little a,cld Mt. ID
! MIR. Rathbun, weaTily, wLeL see at his
Mount Vernon home. You see, had lost
all appetite ever since the emu of the se5-
end day of my fast. | never intended fast
ing forty days, unless / felt / might ST
that loEg without injury to myself. / r.
solved TO eat only when my appetite came
back.
Two days ago saw an orange
freshly cut in halves. l felt then that If
| vas only hungry I'd like to eat the
fruit. ! suppose that without rea izing IL
the orange was in my head to stay. Yes
terday morning | went into my cellar and
saw box of oranges. ] was temp. ed the !
TO take one. In fact. they all seemed O
grab al me. ! thought all day Oh taose or !
anges, and, l suppose. they gave me my /
appetite
Desl ite the fact that there are several |
instances on record where men tasted for |
longer time than Mr.. Rathbun. the lat |
ter's fast is likely the most remarkable on |
record. The most noteworthy feature OF |
Mr.. Rathbun's fast was that he appeared |
day after day at his business office, work
ing Just as hard as he did before the fast /
began. During the entire time his sole
nourishment was water He slept from
seven TO nine hours day.
Mr.. Rathbun's reason for undergoing the
fast was the threefold one Of reducing
weight, of proving the superiority of mind
over matter and of demonstrating a new
medical theory that the brain is the dyna-
mo Of the body and that the brain is fed
not by the food we eat but by the tissues
of the body. Many physicians from all
over the country were interested in Mr.
Rathbun's fast and wrote to him asking
for particulars Of his progress aud expert
ences. ~' trr
Mr.. Rathbun. who on 8 previous occasion
tasted twenty eight days. holds some re-
markable theories about the benefits TO |
health OF an occasional fast
Half OF the ills Of the human body are |
caused by eating too much, " he says. Most !
sIcknesses can be cured without the aid of
physicians and drugs IL only the patient
will consent to fast three or four days. |
Take my own experience. l was formerly
nervous today l do not know what nerves
are My sleep used TO be unsound and
light. now l sleep as soundly as a boy OF
ten. Even my eyes have been cured. For
merly | had 10 wear glasses. Today / can
read with the naked eye print which be-
fore l had trouble TO make out with
glasses.
Speaking of Overeating, no one. for ex-
ample, should eat breakfast The man who
boasts of hearty morning appetite is in a
bad way Sleep is not healthy producer
of the appetite One should exercise be-
fore he eats 10 keep in shape. | have not
eaten breakfast in five years, nor has any
one in my family"