The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16
LAUGH AND LIVE TO
Be 100 YEARS OLD
One Time Invalid Attributes
Recovery of Health to
Laughter
From the New York sun.

From the New York Sun.
Clarence T. Atkinson, a New Jersey
lawyer. author and orator. is out with a
new lecture: How to Live 100 Years,
and Some Moore. Mr.. Atkinson, who
was an invalid for twelve years. has
completely recovered his health and
strength and believes that he should
give humanity the benefit of his expert
ence.
II tried doctors, medicines, change of
climate. Christian Science, New Thought,
charms. hand layers on new foods,
vegetarian diet and nostrums OF a thou
sand hues," sair he. II have sat a night
Through with the people who see spirits
and hear voices-they said | was too
gross to see or hear them.
Il have found authority for Fletcher
izing and authority for bolting food.
II have watched the increase Of sui
cides. insanity and the human wrecks.
| have noted that in half a century how
few of my professional and business as
sociates are still alive.
THE minister and private tutor with
whom I pursued my studies used to re-
mark: why do people die just as they
have learned from experience how to
live, and when they should be most use
full to humanity
For thirty-five years l have been seek
ing an answer to that question I have
been close observer and student of
centenarians.
mo. 1 am not establishing any fad
or cult: on the contrary, would got
rid of them. My theory is that we
want to live normal lives and especially
give the mind its God commissioned func-
ton in relation to the body.
Have philosophy of life-have faith
that all things work for good in the end.
This Is optimism. of course; but it is
better to be a live optimist than dead
pessi1nist.
Since God made no almanac, clock or
stop watch man should not measure his
life in years.
81 advise people not to bother about
death. If we are mortal we die; IL we
are immortal we live; normal people feel
that the personality is immortal. Keep
on feeling that way.
Eat meat? Well I advise that the
high cost of living can be reduced and
the cost of high living curtailed by cat
ing fresh meat two or three times a week.
Most of the Yegetarians have to eventu-
ally abandon their fad. Some of them
do not, of course.
THE cells In the body of a centenarlan
are as young as those in the body of a
1-year-old baby. This is scientifically
true. Therefore the body is no older than
the cells composing it, Think always
of yourself as young--it is true; why shy
at truth?
THE vital organs never wear out. They
are broken down by i'll use, abuse ex-
cesses and stimulation.
Classification and arterio-sclerosis cause
old age condition; they arise from vio-
1ence to nature. My lecture tells how
to stay and avoid them indefinitely.
TN Bulgaria, Rumania and Servia there
are about 5000 living centenarians. One
in 1907 was 1S7 years. They do not have
mon with our western nations.
I'VE have got to stop the nervous
haste and hustle, worry, anxiety, laying
up for rainy day scare.
Last year there were 122,00o suicides
in Europe. We had too many. This
wretehed self-chosen route to death would
never occur if people adopt my philos-
ophy in life.
IF we cannot develop any other saw
ing faculty let us cultivate sense. of
humor, a real sense OF humor, that
matches a laugh off the frowning brow
of anger; pulls a smile out of the turbu-
lent waters of anxiety; puts jollity in the
vacuum of a coming sigh; draw sorrow
out of the human heart with the magic
wand of joy; ties loaded weights to the
cioven feet of the devil worry and casts
him into the laughing waters of babbling
brook; blows away the densest cloud OF
gloom with breath of bubbling glee; that
transforms the evil visaged monster fear
to the brilliant glow of faith.
81 have a message for humanity re-
fined in the blue flame of suffering and
experience"