Year: 1874

A FRAGMENT FOR THE YoUNa.-Ar


there any among you, my young friends


who desire to preserve health and cheer


fulness through life, and at length t


reach a good old age? Ii SO, listen t,


what am about to tell you.


A considerable time ago, l read in on,


of the newspapers of the day that


man had died near London at tn,
advanced age of ITO years that he hao


never been ill, and that he had main
tanned through life a cheerful, happ,
temperament. wrote Immediately t.
London, begging to know if, in the ole


mans treatment of himself, there haC
been any popularity which had rem
dered his life so heightened and S,
happy, and the answer received wa:
as follows


"He was uniformly kind and obligine
to every one he quarreled with nC
one he ate and drank merely that he
might not suffer from hunger or thirst
and never beyond what necessity re,
quired. From his earliest youth be
never allowed himself to be unemployed.
These were the only means he used.
took a note of this in little book
where l generally write all that l am
anxious to remember, and very soon
afterwards l observed in another paper
that a woman had died near Stockholm.
at l ID years of age, that she never was
ill, and was always of a contented,
happy disposition. / Immediately wrote
to Stockholm to learn what means this
old woman hal used for preserving her
health, and now read the answer:


''She was always great lover OF
cleanliness, and In the daily habit of
washing her face, feet and hands in
cold water, and as often as opportunity
offered, she bathed in the same she
never ate or drank any delicscies or
sweetmeats seldom coffee, seldom tea,
and never wine.


OF this likewise took note in my
little book.


Some time after this again read that
near st. Petersburg a man had died
who had enjoyed good health till he was
l20 years old. Again l took my pen
and wrote to st. Petersburg, and here
is the answer:


He was an early riser, and never
slept beyond seven hours at time /;
he never was idle he worked and en-
ployed himself chiefly in the open air,
and particularly in his garden Whether
he walked or sat in his chair. he never
permitted himself to sit awry, or in
bent posture, but was always perfectly
straight. The luxurious and effeminate
habits of citizens he held in great con-
tempt"


Aud having read all this in my little
book, said to myself, "You will be a
foolish man indeed not to profit by the
example and experience of these old
people"


1 then wrote out all that I had been
able to discover about these happy ed
people upon a large card. which L sus-
pended over my writing desk, so that /
might have it always before my eyes to
remind me what to do, and from what |
should refrain. Every morning and
evening / read over the contents of my
card, aad oblige myself to conform to
its rules.


And now, my dear young readers, /
can assure you, on the word of an hon
est man, that am much happier and in
better health than l used to be. For
merly had headache nearly every day,
and now L suffer scarcely once in three
or four months. Before / began these
rules, hardly dared venture ont in
rain or snow without catching cold. In
former times, a walk of half an hours
length fatigued and exhausted me now
1 walk miles without WEAKNESS.


Imagine, then, the happiness 1 expe-
rience for there few feelings so cheer
ing to the spirit as those of constant
good health and vigor. But, alas
there is something in which L cannot
initiate these old people, and that is.
that l have not been accustomed to all
this from my youth.


Oh that l were young again, that l
might initiate them in all things, that
might be happy and long-lived as they
were


Little children who read this, you are
the fortunate ones who are able to adopt
in perfection this kind of life What,
then, prevents you living henceforward
as heslthily and happily as the old
woman of Stockholm, or as long and as
usefully as the old men of London and
st. Petersburg.