Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-05-04
THURSDAY. MAY 4, 1905.
TENDENCY 70 EXTREMES.

Several times OF late we have called
attention TO the tendency OF the aver
age American mortal TO 90 to ex-
tremes. II he Is a m%onopolist he is
a tyrant the like of which no other
country ear produce and II he Is an
enemy to monopoly he is ready to con-.
denim everything In the way OF combi-
nation OF capital and legitimate corpo-
ration and cooperation.
well illustrated also in the effort Of
mankind to ecure and retain vigorous
health. With the rebound from the
plan OF combining a tubercular patient
in a close room, dosing him with
drugs and carefully excluding from
him every particle Of fresh air comes
the fanatlcism Of exposing him TO the
most rigorous hardships. There is a
fad In eastern climates OF half burying
a man In snow or exposing him to
wind and rain or any other rigor In or
der to keep him out OF doors. This
sort OF fad Is largely perpetuated by
ignorant Or unprincipled physicians in
cold. damp and unhealthy climates,
who wish to keep their patients at
home rather than to send them to
climates where the outdoor cure can
be administered with the best results.
An illustration OF what we mean is
furnished by a picture which we OBJ.
served recently In a widely circulated
eastern health magazine.
The picture represented a man
standing just outside a tent door in
snow UP to his waist. He did not
have a particle of clothing on. Chest
and shoulders. head and face bare.
An article accompanied the picture
and went on to explain how this man
had cured himself of consumption. He
was living In a tent In the severest
winter weather. Staying outdoors
most Of the time, sleeping in the tent
at night, which was freely exposed to
the cold outside air.
We believe In outdoor air all sum
mer long, all day long and all night
long, when the weather permits. But
In the rigorous winter weather when
the ground Is covered with snow and
the temperature below zero, a little
bit Of outdoor air will go a long way.
We believe In the most extremely cold
weather that the windows should be
open enough to make sure that rhe
air inside IL pure and fresh. We be-
lieve the average person should go
outdoors every day, no matter how
cold the weather may be. We thor
oughly believe that there is no better
cure and preventive of consumption
than pure air, whether II be warm or
cold. Pure fresh air from morning tn
night, from night till morning.
But we do not believe in people go.
Ing TO extremes, as this picture repre-
sents. II is foolhardy and shows a
lack of common sense for even a
strong and healthy man to expose his
body to the severe cold Of a winter eli
mate. Standing In snow TO the waist
with lungs and throat and back I'M
protected Will do nothing more than
to make n liable TO pneumonia, bron-
chial troubles, and, perhaps sudden
death. II Is well enough TO harden
the body by o %pampering It, but go,
ing TO such extremes as this Is rank
foolishness.
But this Is just what some people do.
Advise them TO breathe fresh air all
the time, exercise outdoors. not to
coddle themselves in o~verheated
rooms, and instead of following this
advice in il sensible manner they will
20 TO Just such foolish extremes as
to dispense With their clothing and