Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-09-20
How Long People will Live !

We hear much said about the uncertainty
of human life, but we are apt to ignore the
fact that it is only to mans Individual ex-
istence that this uncertainty attaches, Moth.
ing is more conclusively established, for e1.
ample, than that the dread Reaper's scythe
outs a clean swath over the surface Of
the earth every thirty. three years, garner.
ing into eternity, during every century, so
to speak, three full, successive crops Of hu
manity. Thus every year, as it wing, its
flight, takes note of the death-throes of thir-
ty million mortals, who, at the rate Of one
every second of time or ninety thousand
each day, experience change Of worlds
Their places are supplied by births in equal
number, and this new growth springs up to
meet it's fate from the same sickle's ine1or.
able sweep. One quarter Of all who are
born die before reaching seven years Of age !;
only one half pass beyond their seventeenth
year.
THERE'S, therefore, q natural law Of ortali.
ty, the operations of which, while they ap-
pear eccentric, uncertain, and irregular as
to individuals, are fixed, systematic, and cal.
culable when applied to masses. or commu,
mites of men. For instance, an English
writer has asserted, that out of one hundred
thousand persons born at any particulr time,
a certain number will yield up their life in
each year; in other words, the aggregate
will be diminished in an increasing but reg.
uar proportion till none are left alive
Of the entire number named, ouly one half
will reach forty-fve years of age; sixty
thousand nine hundred and forty one will
live to the age of twenty. nine and ou. Of
the survivors, exactly one in hundred will
die in the following year. Thirty-seven
thousand nine hundred and ninety-six will
live to be sixty years old and eleven hun.
dred and twenty two will die in their six
tieth year. So nicely, as we'll IS frequent
ly, have such observations been made, that
rules, comparatively correct, may even be
applied to large numbers Of people of the
same age Taking ten thousand persons Of
the age of ffty.two, we will fud that one
hundred and fifty-two will die before reach
ing fifty three, and SO on. 1t is said that,
with reference to the whole population OF
London, the same number of deaths by con-
sumption occur in that city in each year !;
and similar regularity is confidently predi-
Gated of the various other contingencies to
which life is subject A broad distinction,
moreover, is to be drawn between the rela-
tive "expectation of life," as it is termed,
in England and our country. Americans,
notoIiously, live, move, and have their be-
ing upon high pressure principle, which
fearfully decreases their chances of long
life OLD age, with US, is all the more to
be revered because so rarely met WITH
Nowhere in the civilized world are the
words of Scripture so applicable as to our
people, Of whom it literally may be said
that they "do not live out half their days."
not so much because they are "wicked," as
because they are so restless.
Some interesting figures have been given
respecting the mean average Of life attained
by individuals engaged in various employ
ments, which will be found worthy Of care.