Mr Micawber’s Descendants.

Manawatu Herald, 4 October 1904, Page 3

Mr Micawber’s Descendants.

No nineteenth century personage has bequeathed a more numerous progeny to the twentieth century than Mr Wilkins Micawber, the man who was always “ waiting for something to turn lip.” As with the progenitor, so with the progeny —they turn up nothing themselves, hut wait for something to turn up. Theirs is a career of patience. ThSv live noon hope and die fasting. Mb Cecil Rhodes was in no way related to the Micawber family. He went to South Africa to make bis fortune, and not being content to wail until something turned up, turned up something himself, and a very good turn up it was, viz., diamonds. When Mr Rhodes left England to seek his fortune he had youth on his side, but not good health. How he succeeded in ginning good health and an immense fortune all the world knows. But note that the good health came first. That is the natural, the inevitable order: health first, and wealth second, third, fourth, perhaps not at all—but health first, always. What is matter with the Micawber' family that accounts for their failure in everything they undertake? Chronic laziness, yon say. Yes, truly; but why chronically lazy ? We will undertake to diagnose the noevlist’s great creation, and assert with confidence that Mr Micawber suffered from indigestion. That theory at once accounts for his love of ease, his want of energy, and fatal habit of letting the world siide. Mrs Margeunte Coates is a young

married lady living at 6, Wellington Street, Melbourne, Victoria, whose vonthfidness should entitle her to a light heart and joyous spirit; the right of all who still have the golden future before them. But what do we find ? Said Mrs Coales on January 4th, 1904 “ A little more than three years ago I came to Australia ifoin Belfast in Ireland of which city I am a native. In tiic old country I always enjoyed splendid health, never knowing what it was to have an ache or pain, much less anything serious amiss with me. But when I canto to Australia all this changed. The climate of this country failed to agree with me; and soon after my arrival in Melbourne I became seriously ill. I lost my appetite, grew weak, iliin, and pale, and suffered greatly from indigestion. My stomach was incapable of retaining solid food, and I was obliged to live on milk, broths, &c. “ Several medical men whom I consulted having failed to benefit me, I was advised by one of them to become an inmate of the Women’s Hospital. I accepted this advice; and while in that institution was informed that I was suffering from an internal trouble, and that it would be necessary to operate upon me. I consented to this course, and the operation was performed; but-, greatly to my disappointment, if brought me no relief at all._ A few weeks after I had left the hospital, I was as bad as ever again, still obliged to adhere to the milk and broth diet. “ I next consulted a Melbourne doctor of high repute. He told me that I was suffering from dyspepsia, and prescribed various tonics; but none of them had the least effect on my complaint, and my condition went from bad to worse. At the Melbourne Hospital one doctor said he thought I was suffering from appendicitis, another that I had a tumour; and it was decidad to operate on me at once. But this time I would not consent. My husband took me home again, and I began to take Mother Seigel’s Curative Syrup, a medicine recommended by a friend. It at once allayed my terrible pains. Thus encouraged I persevered with the medicine, and in a shorty time was thoroughly cured. It is a simple statement of fact Mother Seigel’s Syrup saved my life.” Mrs Coates has now all the health and energy proper to her age, and is as unlike Mr Micawber as it is possible for any one to be.