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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1910)
WKy Our Liver Are G rouiia Shorter , , mmm m w mvmmss-Sb zi5g r iu i iiiiujiiii mil I iiiiiiimw i I ni i xr i i rij citiii itx nr m u YT Sjp-zjsrzP y7& i u rv . N view of nil thnt has boon Bald about tho fall In tho death rato, It oooms strango to realize thnt wo nro not liv ing bo long as our grandfathers and grandmothers did. Moro babies live to grow up now ndnyH than formerly, but people In later llfo dio faster than thoy used. Onco arrived at adult ago, tho nyerngo man or woman has fowo"r years of survival to oxpect, slnco tholr physlcnl vigor nnd vitality nro less nble to throw off disease than would havo been tho case half a century ngo. This seems, on tho face of'lt, so surprising n statement that, In order to be accepted, It should bo backed up by data authentic nnd Indisputable. Such data nro furnished by tho figures of the In surance companlos (which all agree on tho point), but it Is easier to rotor to tho government cen sus reports, which tell tho talo In simple nnd convincing fashion. Not only nro people living less long than they did half a century ago, but the decreaso In longevity is progressive. Even during the last 15 years the death rate among all porsohs over 55 years of age, of both sexes, has risen very considerably. In Part I of tho third volumo of tho United States census will bo found a tabulated state ment which shows In n very striking way tho rise in tho death rata for all ages from GO up. I have brought tho figures up to date, with tho help, of fresh, information from Washington a matter of no little Importance, Inasmuch as tho increase has been marked. Thus corrected for accuracy, the reckoning shows that there has been this In crease In the death rato for tho entire United States: For peoplo of ages from CO to 64, seven per cent. For peoplo of ages from 65 to 69, 6 per cent. For people of ages from 70 to 74, 16 per cent. For peoplo of ages from"75 to 79, seven per cont. For people of ages from 80 to 84, 15 per cent. For peoplo of ages from 85 to 89, 12 per cont. For peoplo of.ngos from 90 to 94, 30 per cent. For peoplo of 95 and up, 20 per cent. Theso flguros tell tho story moro clearly than tho most eloquent discourso on tho subject. They show that, notwithstanding Improved medical knowledgo and tho benefits of modern sanitation, wo aro dying earlier than our grandparents did. Tho reason why offers a topic for considerable discussion nnd Is not to bo summed up In a word, but one may discover It without much difficulty In tho moro complex and luxurious llfo that we lead. The lives of our forebears wore compara tively simple and their constitutions, unweak ened by tho luxury nnd lntonso nervous strain of an exlstenco llko that of to-day, wore stronger than ours nnd better able to withstand tho ap proaches of disea6o. Plenty of proof of this fact may bo found in tho'vitnl statistics of our population, especially In tho cltlos. tho figures showing that, while tho donth rato from diseases common to children hns enormously diminished, within tho last few years, tho mortality from maladies more properly bo-' longing to later life, such as heart disease, apo plexy, cancer and nllments of tho liver and kid neys, has risen to an alarming extent. Nay, moro, It is still going up nnd seomB likely to con tinuo to increase. Tho averngo baby born to-day has n chance of reaching fivo years of ago bettor by 50 per cont, than would havo been tho caso half n cen tury ago. Its prospect "of escaping tho diseases of childhood and growing up is vastly improved, as compared with earlier days. Now, it 1b vory doslrablo to save the babies and ono of tho groatcst triumphs of our newer .civilization Is the successful rearing of threo hu man infants for every two that survived half a century ago. nut It is undenlnblo that tho race ns a wholo suffers by tho change, Inasmuch ns the weaklings, Instead of being weeded out, nro thus enabled to grow up. Theso weaklings not only propagate other weaklings, but, by reason of their Inferior vigor of constitution, commonly fall to reach old ago. In this fact, doubtless, is found ono causo of tho rlso in tho death rate in later llfo. Nothing surely could well bo moro strango than tho spectaclo presented to our view of a great and increasing acceleration of tho sweep of tho dread scytho among jieoplo boyond middle ago, while multitudes of children aro constantly escaping who must formerly havo succumbed. In both cases, too, it is our advanced and perfected civilization that furnishes tho cause, rescuing tho young but mowing down tho old. o far, Indeed, docs tho harm noutrallzo tho good that, notwith Btandlng nil tho achievements of modern hygiene and medical discovery, t is doubtful whether tho arc average prospective life time of all is much .rrenter than was tho caso f6r' those living 50 years ngo. Most of us do not re al I zo, perhaps, how much more complicated life Is than it used to bo. The typical success ful business man of to duy crowds tho work of 20 hours .into 10 hours and only leaves his of fice to plungo Into so cial dissipation of one kind or another, eating too much, drinking too much, 'smoking too much, going to bed too lato, and keeping his nervous system continu ally on tho rack until, nil at onco, it breaks down. Incidentally, his digestion becomes im paired, his vital organs suffor irritation, which is often tho beginning of dtsoaso, and his. circula tion is clogged, threatening apoplexy. No won der, then, that in many an Instance ho dlos sud denly, while yet In the prime of llfo. Sudden deaths aro much more common than they used to be. The high pressure of modern life, with its keen competition nnd Intense strain, Is tho chief causo. Tho busy merchant drives his body machine boyond Us capacity and suddenly It collapses. Heart dlsoaso or apo plexy the attack may bo, according to tho phy sician's diagnosis, but It is really ovpr-drlvlng that. Jd nccountable'for tho mischief, Tho stren uous llfo Is all very well, but it Is Hablo In theso days to bo carried too far. I havo known several traglo Incidents of tho kind within tho last few years ono of thejn tho caso of n gentleman whom I had earnestly advIscU to load a moro simple life. "Nature," I Bald to him, "did not provide you with a mnchlno cnpnblo of enduring such use. You havo so mnny hours for sleep, so many for work nnd so many for recreation; you must arrange them accordingly." But ho kept on nt tho same gait, and, not long ngo, whllo speaking nt a dinner on board a stenra ship that was entering tho harbor of New York, ho dropped dead. A blood-vessel had given way. When tho body-machlno is weakened by over It cannot withstand tho hostile gorm llfo which It cannot wlthsttnnd tho hostile germ llfo which it is obliged to encountor. In other words, Its power of resistance Is diminished,. And when tho hours thnt should bo devoted to healthful recreation aro given up to the enervating dissi pations of club and social life there Is a doublo drain upon tho vitality. Many business men nowadays nro kept under such continual ner ' vous strnln that they resort to stimulants In working hours nnd it is this sort of nbuso, com bined with constant and racking excitement, thnt hns earned for paresis recognition ns n brain disease to which stock brokers are pecul iarly liable so much so, Indeed, that it might be called broker's Insanity. The conditions of luxury under which most of us live for theso nro days when ovon tho poor man enjoys comforts such ns were unob' tainablo by tho rich half a century ngo havo n; tendency to weaken our constitutions nnd Impair our vitality. Our houses nro overheated nnd oven tho vehicles In which wo ride aro ofton warmed almost to suffocation. Thus wo havo become like hothouse plants and, If by chanco exposed to a current of cool air, we catch cold, or perhaps contract bronchitis or pneumonia, a trifling chango of temperature cutting our lives short In a twinkling. Or, again, it may be that a llko causo will bring congestion of tho kidneys, leading to dlseaso of tnoso organs proving .even tually" fatal. Not long ago, whllo travollng, I chanced to stop at a village on the river Rhino, whero I found an astonishing number of old people. There were a dozen over 100 years of ago and many from 80 years old up to tho century mark; yet Btralght nnd vigorous. Ono woman nearly a hundred years old was onrnlng her living by picking hops; her grandchildren woro middle aged. It wns quite wondorful. Dut thoro was no mystery about it; It was merely tho otfect of n Blmplo llfo spent lnrgoly In tho . fields, with plain dlot, consisting of a fow vegetables -nnd fruits, llttlo meat, and natlvo beer and wino for beverages. Nothing can be moro obvious than that tho very complexity of our modern civilization Is shortening our lives, Dut of all tho ovlls that afflict us tho worst and most dcstructlvo aro hurry and worry, Hurry drives tho body ma chlno beyond Its capacity, whllo worry racks It Inwardly. Of tho two worry ,1s probably the worse, This might, indeed, be called tho ago of worry. Because of tho Intense nervous strain to which wo are subjected wo do vastly moro wor rying than did our forobears. Tho average man of to-day is continually surrounded nnd pursued by phantom troubles, which, though fow of them over materialize Into realities, haunt him con tinunlly, ruining his pcaco of mind nnd Injuring his health. Worry Is not only distressing, but positively dangerous, It Is tho fruitful causo of many brain diseases and is often tho beginning of dis orders, of tho nervous system. Mon worry about money matters, about business nnd about fnmily nffnlrs. It becomes a habit, growing by what It feedB on, so that tho victim, with nothing on earth to bother htm porhap3, looks around to dls cover something to worry about. If thero Is nothing else to bo found, ho will worry about his own health, or nbout his snlvntlon'in tho next world. Worry Is ono of tho most Important fac- tors in tho development of kidney troubles It may bo said in conclusion that the fact, shown by tho census figures of 1900, that peoplo in rurnl districts livo longer than residents of tho cities affords rnther a striking illustration of tho influence of the complex oxlstenco upon ion govlty. If wo nro "dying at tho top," as seems to bo tho caso, the mlsfortuno Is unquestionably nttrlbutablo to Inherent defects in tho clvlllza' tlon of which wo aro so proud. Wo have more nmusoments, travel faster, aro moro daintily fed, wear finer clothes and nro surrounded by moro comfort nnd luxury than nny Generation thnt has preceded us; but wo pay for all theso things literally with our lives, which, as if by tho working out of somo Inexorablo law of coraneti satlon, havo beon considerably ohortonod already anu seemingly show n tendency" to become pro grossivoiy niiorter and shorter still. A Noble Woman. Guardian You say you nro going to marry a man In order to reform Mm. That Is very noble oi you. way l osk who it 187 Ward It's Mr. Oofbyrd. Guardian Indeed? I wasn't awaro that had any bad habits. Ward .Yes, His frlcndB say thut ho Is bocom ing quito miseny. HKotch. he All Klndo. "It takes nil kinds of people, to mako a world,' saw i no rcaay-mauo philosopher. "Certainly," nnsworcd tho plain person, "look at explorers. Somo of them excel with mathe matical instruments and somo with typewriter and picluro machines." Washington Star, "That seems to bo a curious namo you have for your inuior' "Yes, sub. I calls him Climate, 'cause da mo' you abuses him do mo' disagreeable ho gits.". Ciipid Among the Crabs By OLIVE ROBERTS BARTON v (Copyright, 1903 by Sibyl wnV furious. BransonAid city editor, had nsked her to interview tho only man lh tho city who absolutely" refused to bo Interviewed, There wcro men on thb pnpor for work llko that, hardonod veterans grown eld In tho service. Why not thoy? But Branson know why. Each ono had had his turn matching his wits ngalnst thoso of tho financier, trying to aurpriso him Into a fow un guarded words. All had failed. Ho had llttlo hope of tho girl doing moro, but It wns worth a try. " Sibyl wont homo nnd cried. Sho wns tired and discouraged after two wcoks of hard work. This was tho Journalism that she had dreamed of nil her life. Then her pluck, novor long dnuntod, returned nnd sho dried her eyes, Womnn-llko, tho wondered whnt sho would wear when ohb went. Bho d6 cldcd on bluo. It was her color and matched her oyes. "I don't sco why a newspaper worn- nn should bo n scream," sho Bald ap provingly to tho dainty flguro In tho glass. "I suppose, though, I would look inoro buslnessllko In a shirtwaist and black skirt nnd n sailor hat, with n puncll run through my hnlr. And I 1 should wenr glnssos. Well, I gucKs I nm ready to beard tho lion In his den. I hopo ho doesn't eat mo." But her bravery diminished ns Bho neared tho building In which woro tho offices of the man sho sought. And hey spirits sank ns rapidly ns tho ele vator rose. When tho office boy who had taken her card returned to tho outer office with, "Mr. Hill is out," her frozen blood thawed and dyed her checks. Then sho brenthed a llttlo prayer of thankfulness and left. She had gained day's respite nnyhow. Onco moro In tho street, sho looked nt hor wntch. It was too lato to roport at tho ofllco and too early to go homo. Associated Utcrnry I'rcw.) "Bravo!" cried tho man. "Isn't ho n beauty?" sho exclaimed 'dropping him into the proKerei bucket. A perfect whopper !' Boall'Imlno nil hollow. I supposo thero will be a fight now, a tempest Jn n tia-k v Sibyl started to answer then stop ped. Sho realized with a gnsp that sho wns talking to nn utter stranger. She turned a fiery red and tho hardor 'she tried 16 think of something to' bbj the hottor tho blushed. She looked down nt the mud stains; qn her, skirt' tnen sho mndo nn pffort to brush, thorn oft nnd smooth out the. wrinkles, 'hn nM nnnln sco a bug or .crab A Pretty Little Creek Splashed Over Stones. It was n perfect day nnd tho glimpse of n greon hilltop botweon tho build ings mndo hor long for tho country, Sho wns tired nnd sho wanted ponco nnd quiet. Sho would hunt some uhndy nook nnd rest. Tho car loft hor standing nt tho cor ner of n cornflold. A dusty road crossed tho track hero, but Sibyl had seen from the car that It ran past tho rows of corn straight to a clump of willows. Thoro roust bo water near by. Sho was right. A pretty llttlo crook spiasueu over tno stones as it in a hurry to got away, and all along tho bnnks woro ferns nnd moss arid brown-oyed daisies. As sho stood looking down Into tho water n greon crab slid from beneath n stono, looked for n mlnuto nt tho grent bluo crenturo bending ovor him and slid under again. With n cry Sibyl was down on her knees tugging nt tho stono. Sho had not won honors in tho zoology class for nothing. Sho would got that lovoly crab or know' why, But sho must havo something ti put htm in. Sho looked nbout. A hundred foet or so down stream lay a man flat on his stomach, IiIb head sticking out over tho water. Ho was In cap and knickers, and seemed to bo poking at something in tho water. Suddenly ho mndo n grab and flopped something into n rusty lard bucket besido him. Ho, too, was catching crabs, "There's a beauty undor this stono," ealled Sibyl excitedly. Tho man looked surprised, then smiled. "All right," ho answerod heartily. "Can you catch him 7 Wait and I will help you." Ho camo toward her dangling tho bucket. "No novor mind, I'll got him," sho answered, tugging at tho stono, "I " pull "I Just " pull, "want your bucket, plenso." Then tho stono camo up. Sho waited a mlnuto for tho water to clear and caught Mr. Crab by the back Just as ho was backing into a nolo under tho bank. Sho held him up for inspection. "I got bo excited. gctically, "when I oc nnythlng llko thnt Wo twed to catch crabs In tho park and and I am afraid 111 novor grow up. "And bo did wo," Bald the man, "Wasn't it fun!" lie reachod .Intofhia pocket nnd hauled out a pleco of strljig nnd 801110 pins', , . "I got theso nnd tho bucket at the farmhouso yonder. I. wns looking for bait when I spied tho crab you saw mo go after. Thero nro a million min nows in that pool boyond tho log. Do you want a lino? I am afraid,. thingh, that I can offer you no bottorVooK than n bont pin. I camo unprepared to fish." f'"' -1 "Yes, I'd lovo to' fish," snld Sibyl, t Thoy rolled away a rotten log to look for bnlt. Tho umn stuffed grubby looking worms nnd bugs Into his Jacket pockets llko n boy, When thoy had sat for a tlmo In sllenco waiting for a blto tho man took out a clgaretta caso. "Do' you mind if I smoke?" he asked. "No; I wish you would. It's restful to sco a man smoko." Thoy gazed in sllenco again .Into tho clear water below them. The bank over which thoy swung their feet was a Btralght drop to tho water. "I need this rest," said he-finally. Ho looked at tho quiet girl besido him patiently holding tho lino over tho wa ter. Ho wns enjoying himself . Im mensely, j "So do I," answered Sibyl frankly, woth a bright smllo, "But I'll tell you a secret, I ran off to-day." "Ran oft?" "Yes. I am shirking my duty. I ran away from trouble." A cloud passed ovor her face, us sho thought of tho hateful task ahead of her. Botoro sho realized it, sho waB tolling the w'holp story. Ho listened quietly. "It Ib not fair to send we to try to bully a fow words out of a man like Grant Hill. I gpt frightened to dentil whenever I think of it. I havo tried bo hard to get along, but Mr. Branson glvos mo tho hardest things henn think of to do. Journalism is not what I thought it Oh, oh, oh!" Sho Jerked up the lino with n shining white fish on tho end, and tho bank gnvo Way. They woro both soaked and muddy when they stood again oh terra flrma. Thoy laughed ns thoy fncod each other. Thon Sibyl ronllzodsho was cold. Thoro waa no sun In tho woods. "Como," snld tho-mnri with; 'author ity, "wo mllbt got out of hero. Thero aro covers In my motor car over by tho road, and I'll' havo you back In town in 15 minutes." Without wnlting for nn answer from Sibyl ho took tor hand and thoy rnn for (ho car, wlioro ho wrapped up lier wet, bedraggled Ut tie flguro. When thoy reached town nnd Sibyl was unwinding herself prepuratory,w lcavlnc. the stranger slowed up U machlno and spoko for tho1 first timi .Inrlnir'ilin trln tirimA. VH rt-V uui () v t "Miss Morris," ho snld; "you woro kind enough to tell me your namo. Will yoU pardon my rudeneris In not tellng mlno? But you will forgive mo perhaps when I toll you that it would hnvo spoiled ono of tho happlost days of my llfo. You cannot understand what the companionship of a' fresh ln nocent girl means to, a lonely man llko me.'1 Ho stopped. " ' "Oh, thnnk yoU!" was nil Slbyl'could think of in hor confusion. "I, too, ran away to-day," he con tinued, a morry twinklo in tho gray eyes. "I ran away from reporters. I havo been bothorcd to death nil tho week, but I forgot to road my horo scopo or would hnvo known it wns of no uso." - Ho wnlted for her to spenlc She was silent, A look of terror was dawning In hor oyes. Ho hurried on with a smllo. "Am I bo very dreadful aftor all?" Ho handed her a card. She took it with trorabllng fingers, nnd hot tears of mortification started to her oyes. Sho tcd to think of all the awful things sho had said. The man besido hor was Grant Hill. Tho car stopped. Sho was nt home. Oh, to get away. Sho slipped to the ground, not seeing tho hand the man hold out to help her. "Plenso, Miss Morris, forgive mo," ho begged. "You haven't said a word nbout mo I didn't, dosorvo, so plensa, do not feol badly about that. And if you still want 'that hateful Interview' you shall have it and I shall try to mako it as pleasant as possible Will you do my olstor and mysolt tho honor of coming to dlnnor to-morrow night?" Sibyl extended her hand grntofully. "Thank you, Mr. Hill, I havo behaved like n spoiled child, I shall bp de lighted to como," The bluo oyos smiled radiantly again. Ho beut over hor hand. "And perhaps you will allow me to go fishing with you soon?" ho asked. "Perhaps."