Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-03-17

i, Instances quoted by teachers pres
ent showing that when they were In
u rundown condition they went sti'l
higher In altitude and recovered Their
Vitality and ambition 10 work.
Do not oucur In the opinion that
4 high altitude Ia necessarily hard
on women. or that sooner or later
people lose flesh here, and become
reduced to- their Lowest terms"
DO not concur In the opinion thai
the standards In u schools q mol
be "a high ~ those In lower altitude
The public schools ~ Denver. Lead
vile. Golden and Colorado Springs
Col, cited 10 s%ubstantiate this opin,
Ion, and Inc university u Colorado al
Boulder. Colorado college at Colorad
Springs. cited az having such stand
arcs that their students are admitted
to advanced standing at Yale, Har
ward, Princeton. the university Ot
Michigan. etc. without examination,
Even the prospectus Of the New
! Mexico Normal university several
years ago lauded the virtues Of our'cli
mate as the ideal for study the yeaI
round.
The following letter from a promi
nent nerve specialist IN New York Il
one al the Las Vegas brothers, wal
read as 4 part Of q discussion Of thu
topic, and it, publication was request
ed a. an admissible REPUTATION Of thu
! charges made against the climate ID
relation to nerve disorders.
We challenge at ono the state
ment that people In general are rem
dered more nervous or have their gen
eral health impaired BY q residence
In an altitude of 5000 to 1000 fee
shove sea level. On the contrary. J!
ID demonstrated beyond question thai
bodily health II increased BY living
id such altitude. Experiments con
Quoted under governmental supervis
ION at Santa re. N. NJ, have shown
that In persons coming into that alti
tude from sea level or thereabouts
have the red blood c0rpuscles very
decidedly augmented In numbers, and
a. d result experience a positive and
beneficial result. II ID u fact beyond
dispute that the presence Of these RED
c0rpuscles IN normal amount. 10 nee
essary to the maintenance Of the cor
rect standard Of health. II Is also
well established that those conditions
which are the dominating ones which
make for health and under which we
are obliged to live are. pure air
Air which Ii free from moisture and
other qualities which foster germ life
Air which Is charged with pure oxy.
gen. At an altitude Of 1000 feet air
will not carry to exceed forty-six per
cent. Of moisture, while at sea level
it will become saturatel. Since mois'
tire Is the absolute necessity Of germ
life we see how superior, In q point
Of health, dry and rarifed air be,
comes.
Dryness Of soil comes next In I'm
p~ortance. Since dampness Of soil II
likewise prolific Of germ life, while
dry soil Is antiseptic rather.
Again, sunshine IL a well recognized
factor in producing healthful condt
lions and since q dense atmospheric
envelope, sue az prevails In low al
titudes, intercepts the rays Of the sur
while the atmospheric envelope Y
much thinner and less obstructive a'
an altitude Of 1000 feet we see al
once another decisive and advantag
eous point in favor Of the higher altf
tude.
Winds are also to be reckoned as Q
factor. We all know that water VIII
become stagnant and noxious II allow
ed TO stand still. SO too will the at
mosphere, and the purifying effect Of
winds Ia beyond question although
raely thought OF. In high al
titudes. owing to lightness Of air and
changes Of temperature, between night
uuu uuyt WHINE oIU w We tVs'Wu WIS"
II would seem, therefore, that the
impression as to detriment to health
which We recognize as existing must
be due to other than natural causes
That instances IN which III health ra-
Their than good health results from
living in q high altitude must be the
exception rather than the rule. II so.
can we discover any cause for these
exceptional cases?
When we consider that by far the
larger proportion Of the population
dwelling In these high attitudes are
people who have been driven thith-
because Of III health. that in Z vast
maiurfty Of these cases n defective