The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-10-11
Length of Human Life.

An artlcie IN the last numOer OF DlaCK-
woods Magazine, on the above subject
holds out the idea that the age of man
should be one hundred years instead oi
three-score and ten. The author says
ave do not simply die; we usually kill
ourselves. Our habits, our anxieties OF
body and mind; these shorten our lives
and prevent US from reaching the natur.
! al limit of human existence" Gluttony,
he asserts destroys more lives than in
temperate drinking and yet ''it is the
fashion to restrict the term sobriety to
the moderate use of liquors.. A sober
life no doubt implies moderation in all
thiugs-in eating, drinking, and in the
enjoyment of all the pleasures of life
But although we have read and heard
much of moderation in eating and drink
ing, the difficulty has always arisen in
minds respecting the true standard of
moderation. What is it! who will define
iti The standard suitable for one is not
for another. No-temperance in all things
But no man can or should set up bis own
standard for his neighbor. And yet it
may truly be said, that general rules for
temperance may be set down, which if
followed, would be of immense benefit;
such as not to eat so much as TO unfit the
mind for its usual exertions; or so much
as will make the body heavy and torpid.
Not to pass hastily from one extremity to
another, but to change slowly and cauti-
ously, to eat plain and wholesome food,
and to proportion its quantity to the tenn
permanent. the age, and strength of the
eater. Not to allow the appetite for food
and drink to regulate the quantity to be
taken, but experience, void ofsensual de-
sire. These rules, if followed, will tend
to promote the health, and thus lead to
greater length of days and years in mans
existence; still there is natural period
for man to exist, and neither food, drink,
nor sobriety can place him beyond that.
We find that each species of animal has
its boundary of life, and so has man. He
has bis infancy, youth, middle age, old
age, and then comes the winding sheet
and the narrow house.
But how long does his existence last!
how many years encircle his natural life!
These are imprtant questions. We find
that thirty years is considered to be a
generation; that is the whole world is re-
peopled every thirty years with a new race,
and a like number departs from it in that
period. But no person considers thirty
years the natural term of mans life-sev
enty years being generally set down as
that limit A book however, recently pub
lished in Paris. by NJ. Flourens, which
has created DO small sensation in that
city, places old age at eighty-fve years,
and the complete natural life of man a.
bout century. He places first manhood
from that of seventy, instead of old age
at that period. We are inclined to accept
his view of the question as the most cor
rect one. Button, the naturalist, enter
tains such an opinion. The rule of life
laid down by him is that animals live
from six to seven times the number of
gears required to complete their growth,
such as the horse, which completes its
growth at four years, lives from twenty
to twenty-four, and man who takes
may live more than hundred years.
There are but few men who live hun
dred years, and just as few horses that
live to twenty-four, but that affords no
reason why many men, almost all men of
sound constitution may not live for a
ceDtuary The table of NJ Floureus, re-
lating to life is as follows:
Man grows.2O years, and lives 80 or 100
The camel, 8 40
The OK, 4" Is or 90
The dog, 2 10 or IL
This is somewhat different from Button,
but he sets it down as fixed rule that
all the large animals live about FIVE times,
longer than the time required for their
full growth. The question is one of dee p
Importance to the whole human family
1t is one to which the ingenious French
man has brought a great amount of
knowledge in investigation, and be holds
up science, as presenting to all men of
sobriety, very extended fnnd of exist