Part 1 (1/2)
Health, Happiness, and Longevity.
by Louis Philippe McCarty.
PREFACE.
= ... ”to know That which before us lies in daily life Is the prime wisdom. What is more is fume, Or emptiness, or fond impertinence, And renders us, in things that most concern, Unpractic'd, unprepar'd, and still to seek.”
--_Milton's Adam to Angel._=
Experience is honored.
This book is the result of experience.
Man is interested in what pertains to health.
We are positive that the ideas herein set forth are healthful.
Our profession is not that of a doctor of chemical medicines.
We have no hobby to ride or patent panacea to advertise, but desire to express, in plain, forcible, truthful language, the methods by which mankind can practically achieve health, happiness and longevity. These go together. Why should they not? Related, dependent upon each other, the great objects of human life, the culmination of all physical and worldly pleasure are contained in them.
Whether you are the perfect embodiment of a business man or the ideal disciple of a certain profession, you cannot possibly reach the highest or even most lucrative grades of your calling without health, happiness, and their logical consequence, longevity. They will prove trusty lieutenants. Without them the battle of life will draw to a close in retreat and end in defeat.
To a.s.sert that the average man can enjoy health without medicine, happiness without even money, and longevity too, is a broad and sweeping declaration. In fact, we expect to have opposition from those who have not tried the formula laid down in the following pages.
To _keep_ yourself in health without medicine is what we intend to convey; and we a.s.sert that but little or no medicine is necessary to reach that condition. To have happiness without any money (in the present condition of society) is not what we claim, but that more happiness can be extracted from a competency than by more or less.
To live to good old age means with us 80 to 120 years, to increase with future generations, when order, regularity, sobriety, cleanliness, and love for the whole human family, shall be paramount in the political, moral, and intellectual world.
The author is living on thirty years of made land. In other words, according to medical diagnosis, he should have _died_ thirty years ago!
Hence he desires to put before the unhealthy, unhappy, and short-lived human race the result of his experience of half a century. Having battled with a score of diseases, a number of which were claimed to be absolutely incurable--having freed himself entirely of them all--having been completely restored to health and happiness, he honestly believes that he has a convincing right to be heard.
You can now prove for yourself.
PART I.
CHAPTER I.
”Health is the vital principle of bliss, And exercise of health.”
_Health_, _Happiness_, and _Longevity_. What a talisman is here! In them is the magic that can rule all men. No seal, figure, character, engraven on a sympathetic stone, can equal their single or combined influence.
Say to your fellow-man, ”If you follow my direction I will confer upon you health, happiness, and longevity,” and you will receive his lasting grat.i.tude. He will always be your friend. Money is potent, but these qualities are, as it were, omnipotent. Money alone cannot bring them; they alone can make wealth.
This work is _not_ a _philosophical_ treatise, difficult to read and more so to comprehend. Its ideas are simple, the result of long _experience_ and _observation_. Its propositions are easily demonstrated. Then, my reader, do not think you are perusing the hobbies of a crank, the fantasies of a dreamer, and the preachings of him who does not practice. The world has been so flooded with worthless productions of such characters that we fear we must combat severe _prejudice_. Will you lay that aside? If so we will not only interest but instruct you. Agreeing with our premises and conclusions, you will certainly reap some benefit; not agreeing, you will be tempted to further investigation, which will inevitably prove the strength of our position.
This book was not written at one sitting or many, but it is the culmination of several _years' preparation_. While the first part is the result of thorough reasoning and experience, the second is a collection of the best modern data on prominent diseases and their remedies, with our own annotations. Both sections represent thoughtful and painstaking labor. Even if you are so bold as to maintain that you possess health, happiness, and are sure of longevity, we believe you cannot fail to find practical, valuable truths in these pages. Whether you are an editor, merchant, lawyer, doctor, minister, or day-laborer, we hope at least to entertain you. Are we right? Read and judge.