Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-09-24
From the Boston Transcript.
The Duration Of Human Life.

to the subject Of the duration OF human life,
and have Just concluded a thorough invcstiga-
tion which has occupied the last fourteen years
An eminent English physician has taken all
the facts presented before the SOcieTy sinC1
1S45, aud reports to the Fellows that he has
drawn therefrom the following inferences:-
/. That the value of human life was lower in
the seventeenth century than in the sixteenth,
but that it experienced marked recovery in
the eighteenth, and that this remarkable fea-
turc was incidental to each class Of the com.
munitv, with the exception of sovereignS,
medical men, artists (who show progressive
improvement and lawyers, (whO show a pro-
grrSsive dctcriOration,) 2. That the duration
Of life of married men is greater than that OF
uninarl led mcn-thc difference being 3-4
years in favor of the former. 3. That as re-
CARDS the comparative duration Of life Ot the
tNo sexes, females have the advantage over
males, and a better expectation Of life at every
age from % to 20.
Onc of the most interesting and valuable Of
the papers presented before the society was
read by Dr. Guy, "On the Duration Of Life
as Affected by the Pursuits of Literature,
Science, and Art" Most writers OH the sub
jcct have always treated Of distinct and we'll
defined classes of society, such as labOrerS, the
three learned professions, sOvereignS, &c; but
Dr. Guy considered the less defined classes
OF society," known as artists literary and sei-
cntiIic men. He treated his theme under four
divisions, viz: ]. The duration Of life Of lite-
rary men; 2 The duration Of life Of scientific
men; 3. The duration Of the professors Of the
fine arts; and, 4. A comparison Of these three
classes.
In regard to the first Of these divisions
tIo 6,,rykion IF lic. omnnu EinrOru 1nnn--tha
author had been able to collect, from "Chal-
mcr's Biographical Dictionary" and the can
ual Register" 042 ages at death Of men more
or less devoted to literary pursuits. DIR. Guy
observed at the outset that this class was not
so sharply defined as other classes Of society.
British writer's, both in prose and verse, were
Of every rank and profession. With some it
was only an occasional and exceptional pur-
suit; but with others it was as much pro
fcssion as divinity, law, or physic. Ills paper
refereed TO all those who made literature one
of their pursuits, and the duration of whose
life was consequently affected in various dc.
grccs 10y the habits of composition. These
were subdividcd into antiQuaries, historians,
poets, miscellaneous writers, and writers pro-
fcSSionally engaged rs schoolmASters. OF these
| ages Mt death the lowest were those Of two
poets, who died at the age Of 81; the highest
that of I. Sullivan, celebrated Irish bard
and author, who died at the recorded age Oi
ll5.
According to the tables exhibited BY Or.
Guy, poets appear, on an average, to live the
shortest lives, and next to them come school
masters. This may be explained, as regards
poets. by the circumstance Of their commen.
cling their distinctive pursuit earlier than any
other class of literary men; and as regards
schoolnastcrs, by the immense amount Of con-
fnemcnt in unhealthy rooms which they arr
compelled to undergo. That poets had beer
a shOrtved tRee appeared evident from sOm'
statistics Of the ages at death Of Roman poets
produced by DR.. Guy. Thus, Tibulus dice
at -, Persius at 80, Lucillus and Catullus al
46, Virgil at 81, Horace at 81, Ovid at 80, AND
Martial at 75-the eight names giving the low
average Of 4S4 years. Against these may bC
placed Kirkc White, who died at 81, Collin.
at sc, Parncll and Robert Burns at 81, Gold
smith at 46, Thomson at 4S, Cowley at 40
Shak >pcarc at 50, and Pope at 56-yielding
an average of 4S years. The average duration
of life Of British poets who attained the age
of 81 was 90. 10 years; while the correspond.
ing duration Of life for the antiquaries-
highest in the list-was 6766 years.
Historians ranked next to antiQuarions as
long lived class. The average duration Oflift
Of eight Roman writer's who treated Of history
and kindred subjects was 60. SO, or more thar
twenty years in excess OF that Of the Roman
poets. The results of the Investigations con-
cerning British historians, agree with those
in majority Of similar tables, in showing
that there was less favorable duration of h(l
in persons born in the seventeenth century
than in those born in the sixteenth, with a re
cOvery and improvement in persons born du
ring the eighteenth. AS regards the cOnpar
alive duration Of life among the married anC
single members Of the literary profession, the
advantage is in favor Of the married men.
Turning to scientific men, whom DIR. Guy
subdivided into O mathcmaticians and as
tronOmcrS, (2) chemists and natural philoSo
piers, and (3) naturaliSts, he found no grea
difference in the average duration Of life; bu
it was curious fact that these classes shove,
no falling Oft in the length of life in the It'll
century corresponding to that which had beer
noticed in previous classes, but gave pro
gressive improvement; the age at death IN
risen from Gl.G6 in the sixteenth century L
GJ,21 in the seventeenth, and then to Is. q
in tho eighteenth. 1t must be remembers,
that these figures were de,luccd from the case
of those only who attained the age Of thirt,
years.
Turning next to that class which devote,
itself to the fine artS-SubdividCd into engin
GERS, &c, sculptures, painters, cngravcrS, mu
sicianS, vOcaliStS, and actorS-he found that
as might have been expected from the setlen
tary nature Of their occupations, the engraver
stood lowest on the list. Next came painters
who were much confined within doors bu
whose employment was less Sedentary. En-
gincers, architects, and surveyors, who com
bincd the Sedentary pursuits Of the draughtS
man with active superintendent ont Of doors
gave higher average Of life. With then
ranked musicians; and even actors and vocal
lists seemed to have some advantage over en-
gravers and painters All this class, like tn
scientific class, showed a progressive improve
mcnt during the three centuries above refer
red to. Comparing generally the classes de
voted to literature science, and art. It appearet
that scientific men had the most favorable du
ration Of life; then those engaged in liteIatur
stood lowest on the list II would seem, how
ever, from the tables, that though the pur
suits Of literature were destructive to life Il
its earlier periods, they were favorable in II
moro advanced stages. There were more olC
men among authors than among artists.
SS&A
u Mr.. Pullup, coming home late, pretty fun,
finds the walk slippery. and exclaims: "v
+ very singlar; wh-Whenevsr water ffosseR,
allus fr.ifee1ss win the sl.slippeEy aide up
damd singular"
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A darkey'S instructions for putting on