Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-07-10
EVENING STAR.
LENGTH OF HUMAN LIFE.

An article in the last number of BIack-
woods Magazine, on the above subject, holds
out the idea that the age Of man should be
one hundred years instead Of three score and
ten. The author says: "We do not simply
die we usually kill ourselves. Our habits
our passions, our anxieties of body and mind !:
these shorten our lives, and prevent US from
reaching the natural limit Of human exist
ence." GluttOny, he asserts, destroys more
lives than intemperate drinking, and yet " il
is the fashion TO restrict the term sobriety 70
the moderate use of liquors A sober life
implies moderation in all things-in eating,
drinking, and in the enjoyment Of all the plea
sures OF life, But although we have heard
much of moderation in eating and in drink
ing, the difficulty has always arisen in our
minds respecting the true standard of modera-
tion. What is it? who will define it? The
standard suitable for one is not fer another.
No man can doubt for q moment the benefits
OF moderation-temperancei 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 cat so much
as will unfit the mind for its usual exertions;
or so much as VIII make the body heavy and
torpid. Nor to pass hastily from one extreme
OF living to another, but to change slowly and
cautiously, TO est plain and wholesome food,
and to proportion its quantity to the tempera-
ment. tire age, and strength of the eater. Not
to allow the appetite for food or drink to rcgu-
| late the quantity 10 be taken, but experience,
void Of sensual desire" These rules, if fol-
lowed, will tend to promote health, and thus
lead to greater length of days and years in
man 8 existence; still there is a natural period
tor man TO exist, and neither food, drink, nor
scbriety can place him beyond that. We find
that each species of animal has its boundary
of life, and SO has man. He has its infancy,
youth, middle age, old age, and then comes
comes the winding sheet and the narrow house.
But how long does his existence last ? how
many years cncircIe his natural life? These
are important questions. We find that thirty
years Is considered to be q generation; that is,
the whole world IL re-peopled every thirty
years with n new race, and q like number de-
| parts frCIn il in that period But no person
considers thirty. years as the natural term OF
| mans llte-seventy years being generally SET
down a. that limit A book, however recent
| ly published in Paris by VI. Fiourens, which
has created no small sensation i'm that city
| places old age at eighty-fve years, and the
| complete natural life of man about a century
| He places first manhood between forty-five and
ffty-fve, and second manhood from that e
seventy. instead of old age at that period. We
| are inclined TO accept his view of the question
a. the most correct one. Button, the natural
lSt, entertalncu Such an opinion. The rule O
life laid down by him is, that animals live
| from six to seven times the number of year.
| required to complete their growth, such as the
| horse, which complete its growth at four years
| lives from twenty t. twenty-four years, and
man who takes eighteen years 20 reach his full
| growth may live more than hundred years
| There are but few men who live to q hundred
| years, and just as few horses that live to TWEEN
ty-four, bat that affords no reason why many
men, and almost all men Of sound constitution
may not I've for century. The table of n
Fiourens relating to life is as follows:
/ Man grows for 20 years, and lives 90 or 100