The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1859-08-09
THE DURATION OF HUMAN LIFE.


the society since 1885, and reports to the Fellows
that he has drawn thercfrom the following infer
ences: /. That the value of human fte was lower
in the senenteenth century than the sixteenth; but
that it experienced a marked recovery In the
eighteenth and that this remarkable feature was
incidental each class of the community, with the
exception of sovereigns, medical men, artists who
show progressive deterioration). :. That the
duration of life of married is greater than that
of unmarried men-the difference being 81 years
in favor of the former 3, That regards the
comparative duration of life of the two sexes,
females have the advantage over males, and bet
ter expectation of life at every age from 20 to 10.
One of the most interesting and valuable of the
papers presented before the society read by Dr
Guv, "On the Duration of Life as Affected by the
Pursuits of Literature, Science and Art" Most
writer's the subject have always treated OF dis
tinct and well defined classes OF society such as Ia
borers the three learned professions soveregns etc.
but DIR Guy considered the less defined classes of
society known artists literary men, ard scientific
men. He treated this theme under four divisions,
viz l. The duration of life of literary men; 2. The
duration of life of scientific men; B. The duration
of life of the professors of the fine arts; and, f. A
comparison of these three classes
In regard to the first of these divisions, the dura
ton of life among literary men, the author had been
able to collect from "Chalmers' Biographical Die
death of men more or less devoted to literary pur-
suits Dr. Guy observed the outset that This class
was not so sharply defined other classes OF soce-
ty British writer's both in prose and verse, were
Of all rank and profession. With some it was only
an occasional and exceptional pursuit; but with
others it was much profession as divinity, law
orphysic. His paper referred toa these who made
literature Of their pursuits and heduraton OF
life was consequently affected in various degrees by
the habits of composition These were subdivided
into antiquaries, historians, poets, miscellaneous
writer's, and writers professionally engaged as
schoolmasters. OF these ages at death the lowest
were those of two poets, who died at the age OF u
the highest that of T. OSulivan, celebrated Irish
bard and author, who died at the recorded age
of lis.
According to the tables exhibited by Dr. Guy,
poets appear on an average to live the shortest
lives and next to them come schOolmasters. This
may be explained as regards poets by the circum-
stance of their commencing their distinctive pur-
suit earlier than any other class of literary men;
and as regards schoolmasters by the immense
amount of confinement III unhealthy rooms which
they are compelled tounder%o That poets had been
short-lived appeared evident from some sta
tistcs of the ages at death Of Rome poets produced
by Dr. Guy Thus, Tibullus died at "a, Persius
at 35, Lucilius and Catuus at 46, Virgil at 5l,
Horace at 81, Ovid at so, and Martial at 75-the
ght names giving the low average Of 4S4 years.
Against these may be placed Kirke White, who
died at 21 Collins at 36, Parnel and Robert Burns
at 81, Goldsmith at 46, Thomson at 48, Cowley at
43, Shakespeare at 50, and Pope al 56--ycldins an
average Of 43 years The average duration OF iIie
of British poets who attained the aged of Il was
So. 10 years; while the corresponding duration OF
| life for the antiquaries-the highest in the list
was 7.56 years
Histories ranked next to Gntiquaries as long
lived class The average duration of life for eight
Roman writer's who treated of history and kindred
subjects, was 90. .63, more than twenty years In
excess of that of the Roman poets The results Of
the investigations concerning British historians,
agree with those in a majority Of similar tables III
showing that there was less favorable duration
Of life in persons born in the seventeenth century
than in those born in the sixteenth, with recovery
and Improvement in persons born during the eight
eenth. AS regards the comparative duration OF life
among the married and single members OF the
literary profession the advantage Is IN favor OF the
married men,
Turning to scientific men, whom DR.. Guy sub
divided into 1) mathcmaticians and astronomers,
(2) chemists and natural philosophers, and %
naturalists, he found no great difference in the
average duration of life but it was curious fact,
that these classes showed no falling off in the
length of life in the seventeenth century CORES
bonding to that which had been noticed in previ-
Gus classes, but gave progressive Improvement;
the age at death having risen from Ol 6o, In the
sixteenth century, to 65.27 in the Seventeenth and
then to IS in the eighteenth It must be re-
membered that these figures were reduced from
the cases of those only who attained the age OF
thirty years. :,
Turning next to that class which devoted itself
to the fine arts-subdvided into engineers, &c,
sculptors, painters, cngravers musicians, vocalists
and actors-he found that, mig ght have been ex-
pected from the sedentary nature of their oceupa-
tion the engravers stood lowest on the list. Next
came painters, who were much confied within
doors, but whose employment was less sedentary
Engineers, architects and surveyors, who CON
bined the sedentary pursuits OF the draughtmal
with active superintendent out of doors, gave
higher average of life. With them rank lnu-
sicians; even actors and yocaliss seem to nave
some advantage over engravcrs and painters. All
this class, like the scientific class, showed pro
pressye improvement during the three centuries
above referred to. Comparing generally the classes
devoted to literature science and art, 1t appeared
that scientific men had the most favorable dnra-
tion of life then those engaged IN the cultivation
of the fine arts; those engaged in literature stood
lowest on the list. It would seem, however, from
the tables, that though the pursuits Of literature
were destructive to life in its earlier periods they
were favorable in its more advanced stages There
( were more old men among authors than among
artists.