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Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2141, 17 March 1908, Page 3

LCor respond on eo on public matter# is wolcomod at. all timos, but it roust bo distinctly understood that tins journal is in no way associated with tho opinions of its correspondent#.!

ORTHOUIOSIS

ITo tlio Editor.) Sir.—Your publication of Chalmers Aliteiicld’s summary of some thoughts of that groat man Motchinkoll was gpod. Mctchnikolf’s book “The Naturo of Man” is one which every man Should rend (women aro not permitted to read such books, and so allow that they know man to bo a member of tho animal kingdom); m that book tho many disharmonies ol human life (excepting the social disharmonies}, which are man’s own doing and no fault of nature), aro sot forth, and tho remedies proposed by religion and philosophy are reviowod with the Pro at- ability, this being followed by an optimistic, view ol what science mav, and can do to put- things blit is a great- book, but it will horn y the average man, yet it is the truth. Mitchell speaks only of one dishai mony, one of the relies of a former stato which wo carry about with us. It is to be hoped that your publishing of the article will not- encourage tho Gisborne doctors to at onco proceed to short-circuit or cut out the large intestine in every patient who experiences a pain in that region. But AlotelmikolFV ideas are real v worth every attention. Nobody will attend to them thoroughly, that we know, of course (they do not deal with mailing money), hut- the idea of preventing as far as possible the tioublos caused by a.collection of useless waste, and the use of intestinal -antiseptics are surely good doctrines. V e “re gradually learning that wo ought- not to eat- more than wc can work oil as fuel in our daily work; some day we shall learn that there are many things which we put inside ourselves which do not belong there at all, such as alcohol, which Motchuikoff condemns. ~ , . , But- all this means that wc .usl) to live as long as Metclmikoff expects us to; ho puts it at 140 years: and snvs that by that ago the matured instinct to live will bo replaced by an equally matured desire to stop living. If we succeed in living so long, it'is to bo hoped that the birthrate, to far as regards mere numbers, will go on falling everywhere , hut as reprnnls the quality oi those born* it will improve continually. This is too niucli to hope for, for it is only in sheep, cattle, and horses that we seem mostly anxious to see improvement- in quality. Our own species may degenerate so far as wc care; selective parentage is impossible in tlio human animal. Civilisation has killed it. There are philosophers who say that parentage is a worse crime than murder under tlio existing condition of overpopulation and increasing struggle for existence, but these thinkers live and speak in the real world outside such lands as this Dominion of New Zealand, a land where tho terrible troubles of over-population have not yet arisen. It- is not quite clear why tins question of how to prolong human life is so frequently discussed (I moan in tho world of thought), or why anyone should be anxious to live after his or her strength and full activity of body and mmd have gone, excepting of course, those who -have taken on themselves, perhaps through ignorance, the responsibility of wife and family and who must go on making money if sons and daughters and wife are to be provided for. Still less is it clear why men continually do things which must certainly shorten their lives, while professing a wish for tlie longest- life possible. However, these tilings aro so, and are apparent*,, ly natural facts. The initial mistake of being born., being forced upon us through no fault of our own; let us got through this affair with as little discomfort- as possible; life is like a game played by children. If you don’t like the game you can retire (there are many ways out), but if you stay, play the game and don’t grumble*—! -am, etc., HERETIC.