Show HOW IS YOUR BACKBONE 7 An Old Aphorism Contain in g Ittucli Scientific Truth When a person compliments another by saying he has a good deal of backbone back-bone he comes very near stating a scientific truth without knowing it perhaps per-haps At least so remarked a naval medical med-ical officer to a reporter of the Star the other day as the latter stopped to chat in the room of the Naval Examining board Step up here a moment continued the officer conducting the reporter to a meas uringrod which stood in one corner of the room This rod besides having the moveable arms with which a mans height is gauged had another intermediate intermedi-ate arm below by which the length of his legs is determined The difference between these measurements of course shows the length of his body and head or the length of his spinal column including in-cluding his head There said the officer after the reporter had subjected himself to the measuring process you are 69 inches tall your legs are 33 inches longpretty good legsand that leaves a length of body of 36 inches Thats pretty goodabove the average Vell what does it all mean 1 asked the reporter Boiler power remarked an official who was standing near The medical officer enlarging on the figure thus suggested proceeded Thats it You see putting his hand on his head heres the governor Here he continued lowering his hand to his chest is the boiler The lungs and the heart are here and below are the abdominal abdom-inal organs or viscera Your mouth and nostrils are bowers You shovel in coal take foodin your mouth It is turned into steambloodand goes out in every direction you see towards the surface Now the man with a long body has a great deal of boiler surface Then the man with considerable backbone is stronger than the one who hns not 1 Well that is one circumstance to be considered with others of course The man with backbone is apt to have greater power of resistance He can endure more toil and resist disease longer Why were there no men in war so good for a long march as your ducklegged fellows with long bodies The longlegged men could not stand it Gen Sheridan is a good specimen of a man with a long body long grasp on lifeand Gen Grant is another There was a case here not long ago continued the officer which would indicate indi-cate that a mans backbone had a great deal to do with his general character An officer who was examined for promotion was found to be physically mentally and professionally unfit and also morally unfit un-fit He was dropped from the service When we came to take his measurement we found he had the shortest backbone of any man in the navy who had ever been examined He did not have great physical of resistance you see power When he graduated at the Naval he he stood very high When Academy that his it is probable had to do duty strength failed him and he resorted to stimulants the taking of stimulants became and affected his a habit gradually came intellectual powers His mind became weakened his morals were soon under this see laughed mined All of you the officer came of course from having a short backbone New York Star |