The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-02-04
rnE ART OF LONG LIVING.
irrom colburn,s New Monthly.l


vance ofthe natural laws. Every day
ought 70 be 90 apportioned as to per-
init of bodily exercise, useful employ
ment of the intellectual powers, the
cultivation and qualification of the
moral and religious sediments, and the
taking of food and sleep, and the g.at-
ification of the animal faculties: but
the qualification Of the organic and
moral laws should, like the gratlfc;i-
ton of the animal faculties, he III mo-
Iteration all excess or abuse as lnva-
riably entails unbappiness, pain or
disease, as moderate use insures the
contrary. Every act that is conducive
TO health and happiness is also condu
Give to long life, whilst every infringe
ment of the natural laws entails an
opposite condition, and tends 10 shor-
ten life. The strict observance of tho
natural laws is, then, the real and OIL
~ secret of long life, always barring
accidents, which are beyond the con-
troll of human provision. Bat even
. here Providence, by impianting the
feeling of caution in human beings,
has put ii liz their power to greatly
avoid misfortunes, by teaching them
not to place themselves in situations
or positions in which such are likely
10 occur.
There are, however many details in
the due observance of the organic and
moral laws, and hence those who 90
not nos sess the secret of the simple
basis upon which unhappiness, pain.
disease, and short life depend-the
infringement of the natural laws
have, from the DAYS Of Galen and
Hippocrates down to those of Doctor
.Noirot. directed their intelligences to
the elimination of such acts and things
as are injurious 70 health, or produc-
tive of disease, according as they pre-
sent themselves. rather than upon the
sound and simple basis of considering
man and his constitution as paced i'll
regard TO himself and TO external OBJ
jccts.
There is no question that man does
not live so long as in Il normal condi-
ton of things he ought TO do. God
praised Solomon because he asked for
wisdom instead of long life. Why so
Because wisdom-that is TO say, the
strict observance OF the natural laws,
entails of itself long life. Roger Ba-
con believed that man could live Il
thousand years, if he only knew how
TO economist his provision of vital
force. The celebrated physiologist,
Flourcns, also deduced from his study
of the nervous centres that man ought
10 live much longer than he docs 1t
has been shown by statistical tables
tina: married iaen live longer than the
unmarried. The reason is simple :
unmarried men do not fulfil one of the
natural laws; married men also lead
more steady lives; in other words, do
not so often infringe the natural laws.
Unfortunately many mistake idleness
for economy Of force. 1t is not so.
Economy of force lies In the moderate
use of the powers. faculties, and appe-
ties: but TO disusc them is TO abuse
0hem almost as much as by excess.
Others. again. are perfectly intimate
with the natural laws, and yet have
so little control over themselves that
they frequently abuse them. This
seems 10 he one of the pains and pen
alties of our fallen naturc-the most
rrievous of them all.
Long life i so exceptional thing,
that the Greeks and Romans used TO
chronicle all remarkable cases Of Ion
oeyity. Hensler and other writer;
have shown that the year before Abra-
ham consisted of only three months,
that it reckoned eight after the time
of the Patriarch, but that it only
counted twelve after The time of Jo-
seph. who introduced the Egyptian
-inethod among the Jews. The age of
Methuselah presents, then, nothing so
very extraordinary when we proceed
upon this calculation. Ii was after
the era OF joseph that the prophet
sang: The days of our years are
threescore and ten, and if by reason of
strength they be forescore years, yet
is their strength laborand sorrow for
it is soon cut of, and we fly away"
But it is well attested that l.: our
DAYS some people attain much grea-
ter ace. SAINT Mungo. Scotchman,
and Peter Sczarten, q Hungarian, are
quoted as living hundred and eigh-
~ five wears of age. Below that fig
ure the instances of longevity become
much more numerous. The particu-
lar habits of persons who have lived
10 an extreme old age do not, howev-
CT. always throw light upon the causes
of longevity, and are even sometimes
contradictory. Francis Mongo, who
died at SMYRNA at the age of a humid
red and fourteen, drank nothing but
scorZonera water. Jean d'OutregO,
who died in Galicia at hundred and
iorty-seven, eat naught but flour of
maize. Widow Legier, who died at
a hundred and seven, always went ma
kcd footed. Maulmy, who died at I
hundred and nineteen, was a vcgeta-
rian and drank water. lie was never
known to be angry. Favrot, who
died at a hundred and four, had his
pine constantly in his mouth: and
many centenarians lave been well
known to have plactised anything but
moderation and drinking. Old Parr
died at the age of hundred and fifty
two from surfeit at the court of
Charles III. According 10 DIR. Noirot,
the average chances of life up TO sew
cnty have augmented in our own
times. but beyond that epoch the
chances have diminished.
There are subjects of so delicate n
nature involved in inquiries connected
s. with the artificial means of prOlong-
ing life. that we must content our
selves with the most superficial allu-
sions. DIR. NoirOt treats of the plan
adopted by David in his old age for
recovering his vigor, under the head
of geroc0mid. but he comes 10 tie
conclusion. after discussing reported
instances. that material CARNATIONS
have very secondary influence in
the prolongation of life, and he wisely
attributes what has been supposed to
bc due 10 such, TO the gayety and live
illness induced by the association of
old age with youth. lie at the same
. time does not deny the now we'll
established fact that WORKOUT con-
stitution may derive new strength
from contact with youth, health, and
yigor, but at the expense of the latter.
As snakes shed their skins. stays
their horns. and eagles their bills, or
in the language OF the medieval
scarchers for the elixir of life, yearly
rid themselves ofthe eNternalS of old
age 10 invest themselves with those
Of brilliant youth, so was it held by
those fanatics-one ofwhom, Arteph-
ius, declared that lie was a thousand
wears of age-that vital quintesence
..opld ho concocfaI ont of GOLD nporlS