Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-08-01
rhe Length of Human Life.

1 \ re-
wa remain in this world-health, to make LIE
ENJOYABLE and lenglh of days, to make 1t lasting
TO obtain both depends mainly upon ourselves.
! We do not simply die, we usually XIII our
selves. Our habits, our passions, our anxietles O.
bodv and mind-these shorten our lives, and pre-
vent US from reaching the natural limit OF human
existence.
The kew to health and to long life is sobrlety o
Iiying. Ii is the fashion of the present day to re-
strict the term sobrety to moderation in the use o
Intoxicating liquors. Misery and crime and death
we trace readily to the neglect of this species o
sobriety. We do not hesitate to say of a drunk
ard that he has killed himself but we rarely speak
of uverealing serious or frequent shorlener OF
life. Yet the food they eat causes to mankind al
large more sleepless nights, more unhappy. days
and more shortening of life, than all the liquors
thew consume. "Oh miserable and unhappy It.
aly," wrote Cornaro, three centuries ago, "dost
thou not see that gluttouy is killing every year
more people than would.persh in season ofmost
severe pestilence, or by the fire and sword Ofmany
battles 2"
A sober life implies moderation in all things
'It consists" says Cornaro, Sin moderate eating,
in uaqdefate drnkingy and in moderate enjoy
ment of all the pleasures Of life. In keeping The
tivating the affections moderately, in avoiding ex-
tremes of heat and cold, and in stunning exces-
sive excitement either OF body or of mind"
And SO Lessius, follower and ampli6er of the
views of Cornaro writes also in his .4rt Of Enjoy
ing Perfect Health. '.By sober life" he says,
81 understand moderate use Of meat and drink.
such as accords with the temperament and actual
dispositions of the body, and with the functions of
lya 70 of n,nIsr of, ,,Io of
temperance" Then as the moderate use he
speaks of implies the consumption of meat and
drink, both in just measure and of proper kinds, he
adds to his definition of sober life the following
seven rules for actually living such life:-
|. Not to eat so much as Will unit the mind
for its usual eyertions.
2. Or so much as will make the body heavy
and torpid.
8. Not to pass hastily from one extreme ofliv-
ing 10 another, but 10 change slowly and cautious
y.
4. To eat plain and wholesome food.
5. To avoid too great variety, and the use Of
curiously made dishes.
6. To proportion the quantity of food to the
temperament, the age, and the strength of the ca
ter, and to the kind of food he uses.
7. Not to alow the appetite for food and drink
desire is really the cause of the whole difficulty.
By these rules sober life is to be led, and a
perfect condition of health maintained. And the
life thus led, though nomnaly life of restraint
and privation, yet carries with it many pleasure
BILE comforts GA sober life" says Lesslus,
"gives vigor to the senses, mitgates the passions,
preserves the memory, strengthens the mind, pro-
tects from the evils of ihtemperance, makes both
body and mind more free in their operations, and
proongs the period of our existence"
But Cornaro has more fully sounded The prai
ses of what he calls-"That divine sobrety
which is grateful to God. friendly to nature, the
daughter OF reason, the sister of virtue the COM
uanion Of temperate lving-modest. gentle, con-
tent with little, guided by rule and line in all its
operations"
''From this sobriety," he says,"as from root,
spring life, health cheerfDlness, bodily industry,
mental labor, all those actions which are worthy
of a wel-furm and wcll-disciplined mind
Laws. divine and human, favor it. From t,lke
clouds frcrn the sun, fly rePletions, ndgestions,
gluttones, superfluities, humors. disiempers, fe-
vers, greis. and the perlls of death. lis beauty
allures every noble heart. It's safety promises TO
all an agreeable and lasting preservation. Its hap
piness invites every one, with little disturbance,
10 the acquisition of its victories. And, finally,
it promises to be grateful and benignant guardi
an of life to both poor and rich, to male and fe.
male to young and old; teaching to the rich mod
eration-to the poor, economy-to man, self res
traint, and to woman modesty providing the old
with defence from death and for the young,
placing the hope Of long life OH foundation
more firm and more secure"