Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-09-28
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ERRONEOUS NOTIONS CONCERNING THE
,.Ir u tgt

ERRONEOUS NOTIONS CONCERNING THE
EFFECTS Of AGE.
Tia raale- may have noticed tia; he "~veterans
O. nj! professions are more Photographed than iheI
ra"i {" be. Mr.. Rr-"cs's heath il chcoaiclcd almost
daily. \ paper recently ntJnei over the "i.rsi Iua:-
vj!l"!' IN earh prnfrs>iOn- Rogers, tn oldest poet;
W.lsnn Crck.r. nll-s, critic; Indy Morgan, n!!e-t
nrs.!sst; Nr. b.ition, o!Ics; i"p"Grap.'rr; SHr Henry
E.!.-, oldest ltnraris.; Leigh Hunt. Oldest j"u:la!!s! .:
SIR Richard " es.maCu;:, oldest sculptor; |. /. Coke,
Oldest iinrupipc-ianccr. But let us tnrn from! the
pyg-nadl 10 ,a- scientific inter ests "!iir question.
ga. # the bos; reserved and wisrs;-!iriEg men
OF oar :;m-. DR.. Charles Ga dive, Cnce wrote an
admirable Essay OF the Elcc:s Of Age IL il, like
a.! ne did, fI.l of admirable observation ana good
s.n>c, m!a-!ci 18th the science Of which he WAS II
wa.i-.nuwu master. 4 relative ot "ur esteemed old
ti"J.! las kIliiy sent Us n copy ~ this, and rom II
" proceed t. make larg" ana valuable extracts -
las notion that the faculties Of mind Gnd body
a.. Gearly cxtirtgui>hc1 ~ lie az Of .ixtv.hve arose.
di7iGE az age OF ignorance. from Il supcrsritious be-.
E=t.u the @1sicol p5cer OF cd numbers and their
E~"i',Di's, especially when the m1li,pies arc ram o'r.
1!g. nIGe il a multiple OF three, and sixty three" - a
ma:jpie Of nine. Hence, by toe snc:ert-, ard By
thu mbfrrns IN times uf sa?crs,iti"us darkness, the
say 'hiri Year of iite was recHrr.r! Is mans grant
ef.m rc,tr;r,' ~ Which his constitution necessarily h.
E'E$ - giv0 way, an! becomes Il t@TccF, By hiS s'St2-
tjt7. Aud even now. duriu: this era, when piIl"su-
pnv and common sense shpu!l be high in the nscrn
dam. superstition still clings 70 'ha; anii1mat"d er-
rc:, in ,!c:: .DCe OF the dictate ~: ob-srvatioi and rI-
pcrle,rr. | challenge the world tn adlurc 4 s:Ii.ic
instance III which q m0u 1T n soui!d cnns:l;utl"iI.
cG,npe:cnt. u. the age u. ;ili;.!ivr, 10 high, or even
mrG rate achievements ui In,nd and body. has ever
l,s, thr' competency, an1, through the iu;u-uc" nj
Eac Ginac, become al imbccile emf a d";ard by hi-
six,y-ii;I ysnr. Nor will my cillilrug: he accepted.
", can |, from my own knowledge al men, GCdurr
perhaps one hundred instances. III which, by purse-
v.rirs in q suitable course III life, individuals have
retained their faculties, in a condition prepared for
hj.i! anu uscfu, acrion, until ncar the age ot eighty
sid no. q few uf them until a more advanced ptrlni.
In Hu.Ul az thp kind tSpul,s lf Them l,Ells llluS,rlnIIsI
Our own country sufficiently ahnuuds. Tho chair al
the ch;ct magistracy OF the United states has been
occupied hy ten incumbsnts. And of those. II" less
than live have verified the position for which am
con.ending. Ii need hardly be said that my allu.inn
is!o John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madi-
s,a, JOHN Z. Adams, and Andrew Jach."a. Of the
ioar frs; Of these, il is wc!l.kauwn TIM; they retained
much more mental strength and efficiency than falls
10 the lot Of most men. until after their eightieth-
ON. Of them until his nInetieth year-aEd of the last
81 the Eve, that he did the same until many Years
after his SEVENTEEN. And the Honorable chancellor
Kent, who, by an unwise provision in the constitu-
t:nn ofthe State Of New York, was dismissed from
cihce. Il. the age OF si1ty.fve, merely bScause he raS
s~:r;y.tive, has, since that period, made moro pro-
found aud comprehensive manifestations vi Intellect
than he had ever done previously.
an truth, | know Of no mistake deliberately COM
n,t..d by enlightened and rejecting inei, which be-
pIcgks u more striking want Of q correct knowledge
o. human nature, than that which pruclai!i.s man 10
be necessarily superHnnuatcd at the aye OF sIr,y IRE;
| confidently repeat, that no instance can be cited,
either now existing or recorded in history, IN which
tthe individual being even moderately sound III COLI
s'itu;:on, temperate IL his regimen, and active III his
habits III mind aud buiy) actual SupCrGnRnHy ilus oc-
Cured by the age Of six;y-fve. No, nor, | say agair,
by the a.. of serenity. except through the fault OF the
person himself. Aud the fault may be committed in
several ways.
OF these WAYS, the most ~freouen, in IL. occurrence
and fruitful in lis re-iii, il iqIOdsarc and ~,aQcti3r OF
body aud mind. Blu; iaact!oa ii mind is but another
nam. for s:dct,'n y q: BRAN, n p'ri."a of the mate
rial system. And, e; whatever period OF life such
in.c;ion may be allowed in take place, the organ in
winch II occurs, is rs certainly lowered in tone, dI.
niuiSied III -ix-, and therefore reduced in strength
~ il, IL II would be were IL Il muscle or n ucrvc.--
Bat. that both nerves and muscles are thus reduced
in size activity. and power, by remaining long in IL
sto." If resi-, is q truth Familiarity known 10 every ply
sioln-!s; who has bestowed on the subject the attcn-
tior i: deserves. and. from whatever cause it may
arse, that some degree o! pronencss TO lnaction in
Na'.r- most PERSONS III ;hc commencement OF the de-
ciiuc -! lie, cannot be denied. Nor is il Ices certain
it.#t, in CASE that proneuess be INDUCED, the work Of
mischief Ia done. The brain ia impaired III its fitness
{" :" the organ OF the mind. And, Of course, the
~. ri.l action Is also impaired as individually as is the
,ng.!c OF the viohnist by tho decay of elasticity in the
t.rings Of his instrument.
BIS: you IRE told by an inspired writer that if You
r;-i-t the devil he will fv from You. And the esser-
lion Is true because the devil referred to is nothing
bui Hn ohsf7"hy III Your own disposition, which, by
resolution, trrlneSs, and steady perseverance,, you
can certainly remove.
'aSI'-I"cIs Inc pr penslIN 20 tnactlb0, when MAKES
it, ins!d!pus visi, III the comincncrursut Of Il. decline
q: ,!t-. the same is true. II is a ~ weakness which, By
temperance and determined resistance, NAY be van
qaI,Eri an! nanislicd. | embrace i..n acrancn among
t1c means If escaping. or rather cf ~rcrel.iHg ii; be-
cause Il ccmtt on alter Il cCp""Hs meal much In"r"
~rc!!!.v. frequently, and furc!Dlv. thnn n any other
,iui". ~ n lnesus at resistance, therefore. R;rict md
&ui'1rm lem .er2ncr slouid never b. neglected. Nor
is ;&Ir - Well Is n u:arr c!s"s, IS IoEIJCrpnce in eat.
~. and IN the ,nIvl- rr-r u passion lres essential than
temperance in drinking. For uo'w.tl.sianGIn. the
extensive mischief done ~ he iatCmprTn'v us. ri i'll
:nXt'niins L:ilk. aHd the wrl.-i-si-ueG efforts mad
81 svNprcss il, | lave luhS been inclined to believe,
inl suli believe, that, w!.a'cvce iIry be the case IN
other ]crgn:r.r. "hrr. froI i less abundant, ana there
fore mn!c expensive, in ia" United States the aggrr-
"a;" ut evi! prn iuced hy och-cainE--in palmer !n1-
gnHsc, 10y E'fHrn3-s greater han that produced b.
dfGn@cnac->. = greater amount, | venture 70 sav OF
iCSue. and death IL lie annual product OF the former
than 81 III" '.;;rr. Ny r-aron tor this opinion is rn-j.
ly told. iHc ratio al hrumkar..s in our country j.
s''"'i' n"' "e ar" " ration Of ~gtnttcas. The popu!a-
I'! oil the liiicI States, amounting 20 upward OF
t"e"'s l','"'HH. '"''.t;rms, in a givtn time, much
m,1e 1904 laht io"i 'an"h more stimulating and d!ih-
cult OF II""si."a, 6"i therefore ralcuin,aI IN over.
wFS The at.hEtci AMI rXhaus, lis pnwrrsl than m,
i"t&iat!"a "i ffnH't' which consists Of NOR. ,l-n
'Ii1rty n:Ii,"'.. thousands nj ~cE|irsD, esp, c.;.I,,
Gfc !uHu"iiy destroyed IN the United States ir M :
nuiy b.iLg permitted 10 -at tur.yr,s hut ,r i,.;r,
u,;ir!.y .Ji:ccd ~ III: gross and r,,r,ic;,,,s r,,1.;.r
Il; has been cuntrrded ~ several; phv..;ar. -,
the Bfunnnlau sect iaui DR.. Sr,h wa. ,-. -; ,rm.t
80 ''N'" - lt'tFlS a''IfD "a u
hich degree Of longevity. This ia in;s,rkr p,r'
m!nivi men il great numbers have lived umli . y''y
advanced are. In proof Of tbs, tn. StG'y o; T.,,r
CrrviIua contains more centcnarians" ii til. Afrr.n
than 81 rL- CaucHsian race. Aud the form ar, rrn.
verbally dL!! - ,ml-licct. But It is truG tila; rnrc
but tn.:I oi ac;iv" minds retain Ike strength ana va;.
ccrry O: their mental faculties 80 Il very advanced
period "I iir. Tbs rrssna is PLAZA. TIE Strength /"
the mrn;"i .rc1.tig- q -icl men has cc0,:nuci I,
s"'A ~ f"', no. h"ca"fo those faculties possessed, II
tAe carry nhi middle Stages Of lie, an uncommon dc
gre 1' activity; on: rrci.s, :,rv were kept, By ID
Tl.|' 10, Nia, unusually active daring the prriot
q! Decline. ms IS trUo OF every man ] have know
III i!o!SHii, and Of every "me with whose special histo
r. | am acquainted. VIII" retained high mcutal com
Tei'ncy uh;'! a.: age unusually advanced. Excep
during then hours "i sleep, which rarely cxce,,le,
sf hours, and tel, in many instances, short Of tia
n""b:r, their inieliects were in n state of pcrpetuu
action.
"i.:e was true of Washington, who died at the NO
o. Ssltvt:shh, while his intellect, which had rarely, 2
ever. experienced an idle hour. is proved by his writ
in9s To have possessed i,s meridian clearness am
strength. 1t was true OF the five illustriou, person
sSas whose names l have heretofore mentioned.