Nord stern. [volume] (La Crosse, Wis.) 1856-1921, 1900-04-20
Ladies' and Gentlemen.

Ladies' and Gentlemen.
1t has been my good fortune to
attend to a good many of the bust
ness meetings of our Association,
and to listen to the reading Of papers
on great variety of subjects. But
none of them ever approached the
problem of promoting the editors
physical welfare. That seems
strange, considering that, no matter
how deep our minds, how high our
education, how great our attain
ments and how soaring our ambition,
we are all tied down to body of
flesh and blood, ''fearfully and won
derfully made, it has been said, and
truly. The human body, indeed, is
Natures chief production, the crown
ing wonder of all its infinitely wonds
erful creations. And the next great
est wonder is the amount of neglect
and abuse it is able to withstand, i,
and heaped upon it necessarily and
numerically by our modern mortals.
And the reproach to our so-called
modern civilization is contained in
the fact that, the higher the walks
of onr modern life, the more pro-
nounced are the violations of the
laws of nature and of health. Con
sidering their opportunities, the log
ger in the woods, the cowboy on the
plains sin considerably less against
the laws of nature than the cultured
dwellers of the cities and the devo-
tees of wealth and lu, ury.
While the mode of living in city
and country, among the rich and the
poor, differs widely, its common
[endehcy seems to be away from the
QatNal to the unnatural, from the
old and tried to a new and artificial
way, although there is not trace
of art in the physical composition
of man.
For results, look about you! The
medicine men Of the Indians, with
their harmless COMPUTATIONS of the
"Great Spirit" and their innocent
roots and herbs, have vastly muplti-
piled in the physicians of our days,
with their pills and drugs and poi
sonous narcotics. Our own news
papers columns testify to the fact,
that oceans of patent medicines a'e
sold and absorbed. And still the
death rate is high and the average
life of man abnormally low and not
at all commensurate with the pro-
gress of science and the invention Of
sanitary measures innumerable and
great.
Fast and furious living is the bane
Of our age! In the mad and reckless
race for prominence and wealth, the
physical and mental capacities are
numerically oyertaxed, until the
crash is bound to come. Lives, full
Of promise and frightened by every
success, are brought to an nntimely
termination, loss to the family, to
the nation, loss sad and irretrievs
able. We have lately heard Of the
sudden death Of Phil ID. Armour
Jr in California, aged only / years,
while bis father, Phil. Armour, Chi
cago's graudcst merchant, himself
stricken with disease, could not
even accompany the remains Of his
Youngest born home for interment.
Our sympathy goes out to Chicago's
merchandising, whose goodness OF
heart il known to the nation and
whose generous hand has always
been open. But his millions are no
match for the grim reaper at his
own door, for absolute and ineXor
able are Naturc's commandments, 1t
never forgives, il never even COM :
promises. 1t tcolccts is dues to the
last atom, and there is no dollar
mark to lis claims. No matter what
your station, your education, 10 vio-
late nature eternal laws means to
rOt under six feet Of ground
The subject Of rrolonging our
days and preserving our physical
faculties in the battle of life is sure.
ly the science of nm sciences. And
yet it is the study Of only the chosen
few. while the vast majority utterly
disregard il aud in their chase after
rainbows stumble into untimely
graves.
It behooyes the editor, supposed