Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1905-07-15
-1S2X
Home Health
h Club
BY DAVID n. REEDER. Ph. D.. NJ. D.
La Porte, Ind.
e

upon the relationship between cheer
fulness and longevity. | wish every
reader of this paper would read that
chapter.
Personally and generally | have no
patience with pessimists, and especial
ly with the sort that are continually
bowling about the degeneracy of the
times, the increase of disease, the retro
gression Of the human race, and the
terrible increase of crime. | am going
to talk somewhat plainly, and ii | step
on anybody's toes he'd better keep
his toes under cover, for when | an
in earnest | stand about six feet tall
and weigh about 10 pounds.
| want to say, and say it cmphatlcal-
ly, that such talk Is untruel Disease is
not on the increase, the human race is
not degcnerating. nor Is crime On the
increase. On the contrary, exactly the
opposite condition prevails at the pres
ent day and age of the world, and any
one of good judgment and the ability to
make even a superficial examination
can easily prove it.
Why is 1t, let me ask you, dear club
readers, that the daily papers employ
agents in every quarter of the globe to
seek out and send to them all Of the
horrible details of crime? Now, you
say that is a conundrum that cannot
be answered instanter; the pessimist
will at once say that the condition OF
the people is SO deprayed that they de-
mand sensational news. Wrong my
friend, wrong, all wrong! What
makes sensational news? VIII you
nswer that? 'Ah, there's the rub
When you answer that you must ad-
nit defeat. Sensational news must OF
necessity come from that which is out
of the ordinary, must be something of
rare occurrence. If crime We're as COM
mon as goodness, acts Of devotion and
self-sacrihce. would cause no com
ment whatcver-would not be sensa-
tional-would not be news.
During the early days Of a mining
town upon the frontier, and before the
towns are organized, lawles5ness is the
order of the day, robbery and even
cold-blooded murder cause no excite
ment, because they are more common
than deeds Of goodness. But let a few
mining camp desperadoes drop into
New York and kill only one citizen ON,
the streets in broad daylight aud the
act would be telegraphed all over the
world in a few hours.
During the sixteenth century a prom
inent man, wife, daughter or son,
might be kidnapped and held for ran
som without causing much comment
outside the immediate family circle
and friends. but the daring work done
"a few years ago at Omaha in that line
creates CONSERVATION over all the civ
ilized world. Why? Because it is the
eecond successful crime of the kind to
happen in all America during many
years.
| have before me a recent Issue of a
magazine which claims to have a wide
exponent of good health, but among
the leading articles | find such head
ings as "Degeneracy of Man and In
crease of Disease" Increase of Can
cer," Diseased Animals Used AS
Food" MANY Suffering from Tape
Worm" Increase of Consumption
"Leprosy on the Increase" North
American Indians Dying Out" "Ty-
phoid Fever in Oysters" and a lot
more cheeful subjects as at once ought
to prove that the editor is a confirmed
dyspeptic and ought to take a few
doses of cheenful common sense and
mix it with his articles, and men per-
haps he would not create in mis- read
ers the morbid mental condition which
favors and develops disease.
Let us examine a few Of the state
ments. Is the human race deteriorat.
ing? If so, the people must be smaller
in stature than formerly. Practical
evidence, however, the actual measure
ment of the bones of u ancestors,
as compared with ours, proves that we
are larger. 1t would be hard work to
find a company of American soldiers
small enough to wear the coats OF
mail and armor that were worm by men
that were called giants in former days,
A trial made a few years ago in Lon
don proved this to the great %astonish-
ment and CONSERVATION OF the pessi-
miists. Measure the bodies of The mum
mics found in the east, and the great
est soldiers and kings are found to be
smaller in stature than our 1~7-year-old
boys, while the women do not compare
favorably with our ~l5-year-old girls.
Since the sixteenth century the av-
erage longevity of the human race has
nearly doubled, and in some portions
of the civilized world it has more than
done so. Now, regarding the Indians.
They are not dying out at all; on the
contrary, the census report shows that
there are actually more Indians IN
America to-day than there were when
the first whites landed on Plymouth
rock,
Science and common sense nearly al
ways conquer disease, and the doctors
find it hard work to find new and ter
rifying names for the same old aches
and alls that have always existed. But
it must be done if all the great medical
colleges are kept up, and the new crop
of physicians that are turned loose
every year are to make q living. |
think, however, that the fear OF dis
ease is, In many cases, more terrible
than the disease itself. and if people
know the simple, honest, homely
truths they will suffer less and be
much happier. Talk health, not dis
ease; be cheerful, not gloomy; give a
kind word, not a frown or a scowl, and
God will bless you for it.
Care of the Feet.
WIN, ;s a. that croh imnOrtant MEM