In the Abstinence of Salt and Water. A. curious-looking man of strange habits and villi a mission that is even stranger, has just arrived la London from Ascona, on Lake Mag- giore, Switzerland. He has taken up his residence in the vicinity of Col- ney Hatch lane, N„ and he believes that In abstinence from salt and wa- ter lies the secret of long life. Herr Joseph Salomonson, the gen- tleman in question, wanders about the North London highways wearing a cassock of brown corduroy eneircled at the waist by a girdle. His long brown, wisp hair, unincumbered by hat, ‘hides his collarless neck, and a ragged-edged beard droops over the open part of his gown. His feet are incased In sandals, and at times be carries a staff that reaches to hit shoulders. Altogether his appearance is reminiscent of figures in Scriptural Illustrations. Herr Salomonson’s object ii to try to induce London’s 3,000,000 Inhabi- tant* to refrain from eating salt and drinking all manner of liquid*, even water. He himself, BO ike a* serts, has not taken any kind of liquid since Sept. 1. 1801, and he ha eschewed salt for a longer period. At Ascona he has established a col- ony of devoted disciples, male and female, who do likewise. Moreover, they* work. In a state of primitive ab- sence of attire, separated by wooden partitions, and when the weather per- mits, they eren sleep in this state on the bare around. Herr Beloaoaaoa appreciate* the difficulty of this pert of his programme being carried out la Loadoa. \But he explained the other day, \there are plenty of ftaits- ble sites within an hour’s railway Journey from the city.\ He taw no resuon, however, why Leaden should not at once abandoa the eating *f salt and the drinking; of liquids. \Salt he averred. ‘Is the beginning of all evil. It is miaous to the body, damaging to the seal an* destructive of the intellect. Water or any other form of liqeid is a mere burden to the stomach and has ne Talus at all.\ In short. Herr Salomonson, who U a man of considerable intelligence, believes that If people follewed’hlsr ex- ample there woud be no sickness During the twenty-ilx months that ao drop has passed his lips be has lost in weight 62 pounds, but feels many years younger and mock stronsrtr. \There is not a sound man in the world,\ he declared, \and yet people who eat salt and drink water live to be as old as 90 or even 100. When we lire a natural life I see no reason why we should not attain to 200 or 250 years. I believe In the ages men- tioned In the Bible, and I believe we ahould lire as long In these days if we lived on the lines Intended tor hu- manity. That is my mission here.

The Catholic Journal (Rochester, N.Y.), April 16, 1904, Image 7
Persistent link: http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/np00020005/1904-04-16/ed-1/seq-7/