Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1871-07-27
LIVES or GREAT MEN.

- LIVES or GREAT MEN.
Il has oflcsI been asserted tlIat m0ssapssS
sons Of genius die young. aad many sx-
amplss have lhssa, cited BY way # psoof
Alexaadsr the Great died af the age "
30, Byron at 36. Mosart at sc, Weber At
40. Schwsnthsler Il AZ. Mrs. Heu,sns Al
IL. Hendclssohn at Ss. Bellini at 33s Bish-
% Heber st A. Kirkc Whise at 81.
Schiller II As, Dickens at So. Hood al 47.
Burns at 81. Sir William Jones at 4s.
Pitt at AZ, Addison at AZ. Fielding at AZ,
Chafe{ {ton at IS, Goldsmith al 43 and the
greatest exploits Of Napoleon and yelling.
ton were achieved before they attained thS
age Of As. Aud il may be admitted that
the achievements of the majority Of great
men have been made by the time they at
tanned that age. Yet when we look around
Europe and take note Of the men who ex-
ercise the principal influence there, and
are the mediums BY which its destinies
are swayed, we sLall find that mature age
and old'age a~e far larger power than
youth and early middle age have. At the
present moment, the Emperor of Gcrma-
ny. Bismarck, Won Moltke, Won Room,
Theirs, Guizot, Canrobcrt, McNlahon,
Gladstone. Disraeli. Pope Plus IX, Earl
Russell. Cardinal Antcnelli, Lord Gran<
vile, Mazzini, John Stuart Mill and Car
lyle. are all over 60-some Of them, are
more than 20. The illustrious composer,
Au5er, whose death, at the age Of 81, has
recently been announced, was in the hab-
it of composing music almost up to the pc
riod of his decease. Lord Lyttou (Bul-
wer) still>writes. at the age f66. and two
of his later works are the greatest Of his
life. William Cullen Bryant is another
illustrious instance Of the cultivation oflit-
erature in old age; SO is Victor Hugo.
now in his 10Th year. Sir Edwin Land
seer paints pictures at 6S. Sully is still
at work at SS. Horace Binney looks hale
at 81. General Robert Patterson mana
ges fourteen cotton and WOODEN mills at
80. Joseph Il. Chandler, editor. states
man and diplomat. is still engaged in
works of usefulness, although an octogc-
marian.
But if we search the records of the dead
the testimony in favor of age is overwhelm-
ing. Beginning with the ancients we find
that Julius Caesar was assassina.ed in the
zenith of his power, at 55 Hannibal poi
soned himself at so; Solon died at 80 ;
Cato. the Censor, at IS; Marcus Aureli-
us at 40; Trajan at 65; Constantine The
Great. at 65; Cicero was put to death
when he was 63, retaining his vigor and
eloquence to the last. Pindar died at so;
Anacreon died as S5: Demosthenes at
63: Thucydides at 10; Eschylus at 6S /;
Euripides at so; Sophocles at 90; Plato
at 81 Socrates at 20: Aristotle at 60
Aristophapcs at ca; Galen atf70; and
Hippocratcs at 1O4. Sulla died in the
midst of his terrible power at So; Marius
at II. dreaded by tie soldier who was sen,
to murder him and Seneca underwent
his fate with stoicism at 20. Now it is re-
corded of nearly all Of these grca. men
that they retained their faculties in full
vigor until very late period, and thei,
greatest exploits were performed in mid.
die age Among the Roman poets, Vir.
gil sang very swectly up to 90, Ovid t.
60, and Horace to 81. When we com,
among :hc modcrns the same rule holds
good. Milton wrote Paradise Lost
when he was Co. Scott continued writing
novels up t, 81. Lords Brougham and
Lyndharst were distinguished for the ac-
tivity of their minds after they were 80
There was but little diminu,ipn in thu
mental powers Of Franklin at 81, and thu
same may be said of Lord Pal,nerston and
Mehemet Ali. The longevity Of literary
men and musicians is remarkable. Th.
poets Moore, Joanna Bail!ie, Wordsworth
and Goethe, died over 20; Lingard died
at 9o, Miss Edgeworth at S3, Chateau.
BRAND at so. Campbell at Ga. Sou,bey a
IS. Madame DArblay at So. Colcridgt
at 81. Chafles Lamb at 60, Bentham a,
s5. Kant a, so. Burke at 67, Horac,
Walpole at 80, Adam Smith at GO. DIR
johnson a. IS, Diderot at II Lord Kane.
at Sc, DAlembert at &c, Voltairc at SIS
Rousseau a. sc, Hume at IS. Swedcnbor:
=. SO. Richardson at y. Fontenclle a
100. Montcsquo at Sc. Bishop Berkele,
at 90, Bishop Butler at 60. Watts at "a
Swift at 7s, Defoc at 6s, Fenclon at 64
Prescott at 63 Clement at-S1. ?ieyel a
IS. Auber at 81. Haydn at 20. Handel a
20. and Beethoven at 81. Those uhs
have devoted their lives to science car
show as good a record. Sir Mark .Brune
died at 81. Miss Caroline Hersctcl at 9I
Dalton a. 7s. Cuvicr n. 65, Laplace Al 7s
Sir William Herschel at "a, aud his sor
John at 81. Watt at 50. Lagrange at "a,
Lalande at IS. Faraday at 16, Linncas Al
II, HALEY at s6. aud Sir Isaac Newton d
S5. Mrs. Somerville is in her 92nd year
This list Of eminent old men could be ex
tended very much further. John Adans
died at 81. Thonias Jefferson at 81, hen
jamin Frank:in at 81. John Qaiucy Adam,
at 81, Andrew Jgckson At 70. Wiutiell
Scott AZ so. Henry Clay at. 16. DAME
( Webster at Il. Admiral Charles Stewar
at 81, 'rallcyrand died ct 81, Benian,i,
West at 81, Corneillc af 7S, DRYDEN 4
90. Bossues at IT. Lecke at 72. tiabse
mann a, 50. john Wesley at So. George
Whitfield at 76. and William Penn at q
Many distinguished military men hsv,
survived 10 an advanced age. yelling
ton died at 81. Radetzky at 81 aut
aiuoug the famous Marshais Of Nspvicoz
we end that Souft died At Sg. Marmout a
rs, Grcuchy at 81. Sebastian at 90. Moi
issr af 59. ..aud 0odinot as 50 /; but as
rule logevity is fatal to military and na
val, men. though we OCCASIONALLY mee
with brilliant exceptions. IKE. the la,
! Admiral Stewart nd General Sir Charlie
sNaPisrsTsi ~ Fra ,szt'.1s