into that characteristic of the oak or hickory. He may, it is true, by commencing early enough, make a mighty good basswood tree out of a sprout or sapling which, without his fostering care, would have grown into a tree of inferior quality but it is still a bass-wood tree. In other words, although he is able to improve the quality of a tree, of any given kind, he can not change its essential nature.

The fact that, by reason of constitutional peculiarities, every human being is subject to similar barriers of limitation need not discourage any one from attempting to improve his physical condition by a rational system of exercises. He may not become either an Apollo or a Sandow, but he can make himself a perfectly healthy man, with all of the desirable mental and spiritual attributes that such a condition implies, and, physically, the best that is possible for one of his class. What greater results are there which he can both desire and possess!

From reading the numerous advertisements of physical development which daily confront us in the public press, many are led to believe that a few weeks' practice of Professor So and So's "original and only" method will fix them up in the health and development business for life, and that afterward, without further thought or effort, health, beauty and strength are forever theirs.

No more serious mistake can be made. Our bodies are controlled and regulated by the law of uses. Neither health, strength, nor, in fact, any personal attribute, be it physical, mental, or spiritual, can be retained unless it is kept in regular use. The nimble fingers of Paderewski quickly lose their technical skill and cunning if their daily drill is omitted. It is only by daily rehearsals of the part they are to perform in competitive feats of strength and endurance that the muscles of the participants are kept active and in fit condition for the contest. The student must apply himself, with stated regularity, to his mental tasks or his mental powers will soon become weak and dull. Even those endowed with unusual

spiritual gifts lose much of their keenness of spiritual insight and discrimination if too long debarred from the exercise of their spiritual powers.

Not only is it necessary to regularly use the developed part or attribute in order to retain it, but there is a penalty attached to its non-use or neglect. The penalty which each class of offenders is obliged to suffer varies with the nature of the offense, but like all discipline administered for a deterrent or corrective purpose, the punishment always "fits the crime."

He who does not improve every opportunity to foster and cultivate his spiritual faculties and powers not only is deprived of the happiness, quiet satisfaction of mind and the graces and strength of character which the daily exercise of these faculties confer, but eventually loses them altogether. The artist suffers loss of professional reputation and skill, both of which are difficult to regain, and, in addition, a corresponding diminishment of his pecuniary reward. The penalty which is mercilessly exacted for failing to put into regular action the large and often exterior muscles which have been developed by physical training, is greater and more serious than those who have given no thought to the matter would suppose.

The loss of muscular symmetry, strength and endurance which inevitably follows, and which, of itself, is a serious matter, is the least part of it. Of far greater moment are the systemic effects which are produced by these degenerative changes. Unused structural tissue, whatever may be its nature or function, owing to the economy with which the nutritive processes are carried on, fails to be nourished, and loses its vitality. It no longer is an integral part of the living body, but a foreign substance which the system can not tolerate, and which it proceeds to get rid of as rapidly as possible.

Its removal is accomplished by the processes of absorption and elimination. This de-nutrition, or process of disintegration, imposes a great deal of labor upon the eliminatory organs and functions. If, under

these circumstances, these hard-working organs are subjected, as often happens, to any additional strain, they break down and become subject to various forms of disease which, although curable at much loss of time and expense, might have been avoided.

But this is not all. The heart and lungs on account of the extra work they have been called upon to perform, to carry the supply of oxygen and food required for the nutritive support of the muscles in training, have also increased in size and substance. As soon, however, as these organs are relieved of their extra work, the additional growth of tissue which it has occasioned, in obedience to the law of uses, begins to degenerate, making its absorption and removal a matter of necessity. The breaking down of the structural tissue of these organs whose integrity of function is so immediately important to the vital economy, is always a serious matter-one which, very often, results, as the history of those trained for athletic work shows, in irreparable forms of disease.

Miscellaneous Motes.

To fear is easy but grievous; to reverence is difficult but satisfactory.

But what a task. . not only to be patient with the Earth, and let it lie beneath us, . . but also to recognize humility and poverty, mockery and despite, disgrace and wretchedness, suffering and death, to recognize these things as divine; nay, even on sin and crime to look not as hindrances, but to honor and love them as furtherances, of what is holy.

MONUMENT FOR RUDOLF VIRCHOW.

The German Committee in charge of the celebration in honor of Rudolf Virchow's eightieth birthday-Professor Waldeyer, Chairman, Professor Posner, Secretary

has begun collecting funds for the purpose

of erecting a monument in memory of that great and unique man and physician. The undersigned are anxious and ready to receive contributions, which will be duly acknowledged:

Frank Billings, Fresident of the American Medical Association, 100 State St., Chicago, Ill. Thomas D. Coleman, 505 Greene St., Augusta, Ga. A. Jacobi, 19 East 47th St., New York City. W. W. Keen, President of the Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons, 1729 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. Wm. H. Welch, 935 St. Paul St., Baltimore, Md.

ELECTRIC LIGHT ON THE EYES.

A RUSSIAN specialist has decided that, contrary to the general opinion, electric light plays less havoc with the eyes than other forms of artificial light. He bases his deductions on the fact that disease and damage to the eye are proportioned to the frequency of the closure of the lids. He found that the lids close in a minute 6.8 times with candlelight, 2.8 times with gaslight, 2.2 times with sunlight, and 1.8 times with electric light.-Medical Record.

NEW RATION FOR AMERICAN SAILORS.

THE numerous complaints from enlisted men in the U. S. Navy have at last moved the authorities to make a change in rations which was fixed by law in 1861. The following has been adopted: "One pound and a quarter of salt or smoked meat, with three ounces of dried or six ounces of canned fruit, and 12 ounces of rice or 8 ounces of canned vegetables, or four ounces of desiccated vegetables; together with one pound of biscuit, two ounces of butter, four ounces of sugar, two ounces of coffee or cocoa, or

one-half ounce of tea, and one ounce of condensed milk or evaporated cream, and a weekly allowance of one-half pound of macaroni, four ounces of cheese, four ounces of tomatoes, one-half pint of vinegar, onehalf pint of pickles, one-half pint of molasses, four ounces of salt, one-fourth ounce of pepper, and one-half ounce of dry mustard. Five pounds of lard or a suitable substitute will be allowed for every hundred pounds of flour issued as bread, and such quantities of yeast as may be necessary." With such a variety the "man behind the gun" will certainly have no further cause to complain.

mood, and see how it makes you feel; then draw the corners of your mouth down and note the effect, and you will declare, the "Minneapolis Journal" asserts, "there's something in it." There may be, if the heart feels merry, in harmony with the smile, for a mind free from care, as Juvenal tells us, goes with a sound body. But we doubt the cure if the smile be merely mechanical, for have we not all heard of those who smile and smile while the heart is breaking?

LEMON-JUICE IN DIPHTHERIA.

A GERMAN professor, of Königsberg, has drawn attention to the power which lemonjuice has in destroying the diphtheria bacillus.

He testifies that he tried it as a gargle in 15 cases of acute diphtheria and 80 other cases of throat disease, and that only one of these proved fatal. The lemon-juice must be diluted when used as a gargle, but slices of lemon may also be given to the patient to masticate when he is able to do so. The pulp, however, should be invariably rejected.-Health.

THE SMILE CURE.

THE most extraordinary cure we have heard of for a long time comes from America, and is called the smile cure. An eminent doctor of Minneapolis, who has made a specialty of nervous diseases, has experimented with melancholy patients, and declares himself thoroughly satisfied with the good results of his treatment. His prescription is: "If you keep the corners of your mouth turned up you can't feel 'blue.'" The directions for taking are, "Smile, keep on smiling, don't stop smiling." It sounds ridiculous, but just try turning up the corners of your mouth, regardless of your

ANOTHER GOOD WAY.

CHIMMY: "Wot is de best way to teach a girl to swim ?"

JOHNNY: "Well, yer want to take her gently by de hand, lead her gently down to de water, put yer arm gently 'round her waist, and

CHIMMY: “Oh, cut it out! It's me sis

ter!"

JOHNNY: "Oh! Push her off de dock!" -Puck.

THE LENGTH OF LIFE IS INCREASING.

THE average length of human life is constantly and steadily increasing, having, according to Dr. George M. Kober, professor of hygiene in Georgetown University, D. C., doubled within the past three centuries. In the sixteenth century it was between eighteen and twenty years, while to-day it is forty. The principle agencies in this prolongation of life, Dr. Korber believes, are more attention to the air we breathe and more care as to the water we drink. opinion is sustained by the statistics of large cities, which show that, owing to improved sanitation, the introduction of sewers and of public water supplies, their rates of mortal

This

ity within the past forty years have been reduced to about one-half. Do you want to prolong your life and increase your powers? Then breathe deeply, and drink plenty of pure water between, not at, meals; not iced water or boiled water, but distilled water. -Success.

UNCLE SAM'S CAPITALISTS.

FARMERS, SO far as actual wealth is concerned, are the capitalists of the United States. The census bureau report on the value of farming property of the country estimates that the 5,739,657 farms of the United States are worth $16,674,690,247. Of this amount, $3,560,198,191, or 21.4 per cent., represents the value of buildings, and $13,114,492,056, or 87.6 per cent., the value of land and improvements. Farm implements and machinery are worth $761,261,550, and live stock is worth $3,078,050,041, making the total farming wealth over $20,514,000,000.-Success.

sing because they suffer, or they celebrate because they soar and see. Peace and content are fatal to inspiration. The perfectly happy man or woman is usually a literary imbecile. Ease and pleasure soothe to silence. It is the tempest-tossed souls that break with the conventionalities and utter a language foreign to the common herd and mere jargon to the unimaginative dry-asdusts. Epics like gems do not grow in arttilled gardens; they must be wrenched from wrecks of human endeavor and human hope.

The author of "An Age Hence" has no kinship with the amateurs of dilettantism, and, excepting possibly "A Sussex Idyl” and a few other short poems, the casual reader will find in the book few aids toward mere pastime. But the thoughtful reader will discover rugged beauties that will grow in their fairly startling brilliancy with each careful re-reading.

The very title of the volume foreshadows its quaintness, yet quaintness is not quite apt in this connection.

Perhaps the keynote to this odd and uncommon title is partly divulged in "To-morrow and To-morrow," page 106.

"Why should I bend to times antique Nor dare to trust this soul of mine, When through my tongue the ancients

speak,

Their glories in my actions shine!

A thousand marches further on,

I greet the suns they longed to see,

men should not read and be interested in poetry, so there is no reason why professional men should not write poetry. The life of a conscientious devotee of the healing art ought to be a perpetual poem.

It might be expected that some of his, songs would be written in a minor key, since necessarily much of his work is across the borderland of tragedy.

There are two races of poets, one whose aim is essentially art. These are the literary posturists. They sing according to at mathematical pattern or rhetorical model. The other race is represented by those who

And splendors which shall never be.

Coined have I been so oft before,

I feel bold memories in my blood, And know the voices calling sore,

From phantom lips beyond the flood."

Some of the reviewers-perhaps they pose as critics-have accused this author of a refined pessimism that compels us to compare him with the author of the Rubaiyat which is unquestionably the highest compliment that could be paid him.

If he is to be charged with pessimism let it be recorded that it is philosophic rather