The union Democrat., 1871-08-05
Genius ned Longevity.

Il has often been asserted that most per-
sons OF genius die young. and many exam
Piles have been cited by war Of proof Alex
ander the Great died at the age Of So By
ron at So. Mozart at SO. Weber at 10, Schan-
thaler at II. Mrs. Iemaas at IL, Mendelssohn
at IS, Belhni at 50. Bishop Heher at A. Kirk
/ White at 2l. Schiller at As, Dickens al IS.
/ Hood as IL, Barns at 81, Sir William Jones
st As, Pitt a: II, Addison at Al. Fielding at
IL, Cbatterton at Is, Goldsmith at 43, aud
the greatest exploits of Napoleon and Wei
| lington were achieved before they attained
the age of 10. And it may be admitted that
the achievements of the majority of great
men have been made Sy the time they at
tanned that age. Yet when we look around
Europe and take note OF the men who exer-
else the principal influence there, and are the
mediums by which its destinies are swayed,
we shall find that mature cid age and old age
have far larger power than youth and early
middle age have. At the present moment
the Emperor Of Germany. Bismarck, Won
Moltke. Won Room, Theirs, Guizot, Canrobert.
MeMahon, Gladstone, D,sraelli. Pope Plus
IX., Earl Russell, Cardiaal Antonelli, Lord
Granville, Mazzini, john Stuart Mill and
Carlyle, are all over 60-some of them are
more than 20. The illustrious composer, Au-
Der, whose death at the age of 81, has re-
Gently been announced, was in the habit of
composing music almost up to the period of
his decease. Lord Lytton (Bulwer) still
writes at the age of Go, land two of his latter
works are the greatest of his life). William
Gnlien Bryant is another illustrious instance
of the cultivation of literature in old age
so is Victor Hugo, now in his 70;h year.
Sir Edwin Landseer paints pictures at 6S
nt,r Nt,1l l. II
Binney looks hale at 9l General Robert
Patterson manages fourteen cotton and wooden
mills at 80. Joseph r. Chandler, editor.
statesman and diplomat. is still engaged in
works of usefulness, although an octogena-
rian. These are but few of our Philadel-
phia veterans.
But if we search the records of the dead
the testimony in favor of age is overw helming
Beginning with the ancients we find that Ju-
Illus Cesar was assassinated in the zenith of
MS power, at SO Hannibal poisoned himself
at 60 Scion died at so; Cato, the Censor,
at IS Marcus Aurelius at So Traian at 65;
Constantine the Great, at G5; Cicero was put
to death when he was So, retaining his vig1r
and eloquenco to the last. Pindar died at so;
Anacreon died at So Demosthenes at 63
Thucydides at 10; 1Eschylus at so; Sopho-
cles at 90 Plato at 80 Socrates at 20; Arts
totle ut 60 Arstophaues at Oh Galen at 20,
ana llippocrates at l04. Suls died in the
midst OF his terrible power at SO; Marius at
II, dreaded by the soldier who was sent to
murder him and Seneca underwent his fate
with stoicism at 20. Now it is recorded of
nearly all these great men that they retained
their faculties in full vigor until very late
period, and their greatest exploits were per-
formed in middle age. Among the Roman
poets, Virgil sang very sweetly up to so, Ovid
to 60, and Horace to 81. When we come
among the modera the same rule holds good.
Milton wrote " Paradise LOST when he was
90. Scott continued writing novels up to 81.
Lords Brougham and Lyrdhurst were detin-
guished for the activity of their minds after
they were so. There was but little diminu-
ton in the mental powers of franklin at 81,
and the same may be said of Lord Palmer
ston and Mehemet ALL The longevity of lit
erary men and musicians is remarkable
The poets Moore, Johanna Baille, Wads-
worth and Goethe, died over 10; Lingard
died at 90, Miss Edgeworth at SO, Chanteau-
BRAND at so, Campbell at 81. Southey st 6S,
Madame D'Arblay at IS, Coeridge at 60,
Charles Lamb at 60, Ben:ham at IS, Kant at
so, Burke at g., Horace Walpole at 10. Ad-
am Smith at 60, DR.. johnson at rs. Diderot
at L, LOIu AhIteS dt on, II y at %,
Volrarc at So, Rousseau at &c, Hume at 65,
Swedenborg at SO. Richardson at -, Fonte-
nellie at 100, Montesquie at &c, Bishop Berk-
ley at 60, Bishop Butler at 60, Watts al a.
Swift at rs. Deoe at GO. Fenelcn at Ga, Pres
colt at CD, Clement at 81, Pleyel at rs, Au-
Der at 81, Caroline Herschel at 9l, Dalton at
1S, Cuver at 65, Laplace at IS, Sir William
Ierschel at 81. and his son John at 81, Watt
at So. Lagrange at ~, Lalande at u.s. Fara-
day at IS, Linn@us at IL, BAILEY at Sc, and
Sir Isaac Newton at So. Mrs. Someryille is
in her 92d year. The list of eminent old men
could be extended very much further. John
Adams died at 81, Thomas Jefferson at 81,
Benjamin franklin at 81, John Quincy Ad-
ans at 81. Andrew jackson at 70, Winfield
Scott at so, Henry Clay at &c, Daniel Web
ster at II, Admiral Charles Stewart at 91,
Talleyrand died at 81. Benjamin West at 80,
Corneille, at 49, Dryden at 60. Bossuet at II,
Locke at 70, llahnemann at SO, John Wes-
ley at IS, George Whitfield at 76, and Will
liam Penn at IA. Many distinguished mill
tary men have survived to an advanced age.
Wellington died at 81, Radetzky at oil; aud
among the famous Marshals of Napoleon we
find that Sous died at 50, Marmont at IS,
Grouchy at 50, Sebastian at so. Molitor al
10, and Oudinot at so; but as a rule longev-
ity is fatal to military and naval men, though
we occasionally meet with brilliant exceptions,
like the late Admiral Stewart and General
Sir Charles Napier.-Phiiadelphia Ledger.