The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-04-16

/ We recently alluded to the esse Of an In
diyidual 10 Georgia, who Is one bundled Snt
thirty yenrs Ofsge. This must be regarded
as remarkable instance Of longevity. Ac.
cording to the census Of 1870. when the
population Of the United States was about
seventeen million, the census gave seven
hundred and nine whites over one hundred
years Of age, while Of the slaves there was
no less than one thousand three hundred
and thirty three above that age, and six hun.
dred ane forty seven free persons Of color
In 1855 forty three persons died in this
country above one. hdndred, the oldest white
male being one hundred and ten and the
Oldest eolored male one hundred and thirty.
According to Professor Tucker, the chances
Of living above one hundred are, thirteen
times as greAt smOng sIsves, ard sorty three
times as great among free negroes, as
among the whites Of the United Stutes.--
How ore we to understand these results!--
The Edinburg Reoiep contains an interest.
ing article on longevity, in which Zeno is
stated te have lived one hundred and tvs
years; Democritus, one hundred and four;
Hyrrho, ninety; Diogenes, ninety; Hippo
crates, eighty nine; Plato, eighty,two; leo
crates, e;nety. eight; Gorgins, the mester
Of Isoc rates, one hundred and seven. But
for the cup OF hemlock and the sword of the
Roman soldier the seventy years of Socra.
tes and the seventy-fve years Of Arehime-
des might well have reached the same high
class Of longevities. The old age of Sopho.
cles, ninety years, is associated with the
touching anecdole Of his recitations of yer.
ses from the Gdipus Coloneus, in proof OF
his then sanity Of mind. The lofty lyric
genius Of Pindar wos not lost to his country
until he had reached eighty four years.
Simonides wore his elegiac laurels to the
age Of ninety. The census instituted by
Vespasiaf furnishes some results as to Ion.
gevity singular enough is suggest doubts as
to their entire accuracy. The instances
gwen by Plipy are taken exclusively from
the region between the Apprentices and the
Po, and upon, the record of this census he
enumerates fny.four persons who had
reached the age Of one hundred, foarteeii Of
one hundred and ten years, two Of one han.
dred and twenty. five, four of one hundred
and thirty, four Of one hundred and thirty
five and three ofone hundred and forty years.
In the single town of Vaiciatium, near Pla.
centio, he mentions six persons Of one hen.
dred and ten, four of one hundred and TWEEN.
ty, ono Of one. hundred and fifty years.
These round numbers are somewhat suspic.
ious as to the reality Of the ages in question;
and the whole statement, derived from
district by no meaus noted for it's salubrity,
is So much in excess Of any similar record
in other countries, that we cannot but hesi-
tate in admitting It. According to mod.
ern French philosopher, man ought 10 live
to the average length of one hundred years,
and would do 50 II he attended closely to
the doctrine Of moderation, and could only
contrive to escare the many epidemic dis
eases which prevail III cer,ain climates and
localities. All this is very we'll in the way
Of theory, but there are very few who can
practice it with success. H-n - rs -.