The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-07-02
The Advent Of Old Age.

There is certain period in life when the
human body, as we'll as mind, reaches its maxi
mum point of development, and from that point
to the grave is the season of decay. This idea
is far more forcbly expressed by Shakespeare,
who makes Jacques in GAS You Like It,"
say:
"And so from hour to hour we ripe and ripe,
And then from hour to hour we rot and rot,
And thereby hangs tale"
At what age are we to look for this change?
The Psalmist says the days Of men are three
score years and ten, and some of our readers,
perhaps, will remember pretty little poem of
Willis, written on his thirty6fth birthday,
beginning: "rm half way home" But poets
are not very reliable authority in matters of
science A distinguished French psychologist
writing upon the subject says "Ipropose the
following natural divisions and natural dura-
ton for the whole life ofman. The first ten years
of life are infancy, the second ten boyhood, the
third ten first youth, the fourth ten second
youth, from forty to forty-fve first manhood,
and from ffty-fve to seventy is second man
hood and this period of manhood is the age
of strength, the manly period of human life.
From seventy to eighty-fve first old age, from
eighty-fve to one hundred second old age"
These deductions are made from careful
study of the question, with all the aids deriva-
BILE from thorough knowlenge of the sciences
of anatomy and physiology. 1t is not claimed
but what these divisions will vary in different
Individuals overleap each other in the same
one; but that they are as correct as such a gen.
era truth can be stated we verify believe.
These limits are not so arbitrary as they may
seen, at first sight. At ten years of age the
second toothing is completed and infancy ought
to end: at twenty the bones no longer increase
in length and boyhood naturally ends
at forty the body ceases to increase in
size, and youth ends and so on. After forty
whatever increase there may be of the body is
in fat; and, instead of increasing strength and
activity, this latter growth weakens the body
and retards its motions. When the growth
ceases absolutely the body rests, rallies and be-
comes invigorated. This period of internal in
vigoration is the period of the first manhood,
and lasts fifteen years, when the period, of old
age begins and this period begins when We
have no longer any reserve of strength to draw
upon, and when the natural strength is barely
sufficient for the daily work, and when any
thing unusual fatigues, and extraordinary efforts
impair the general health. When this condi-
ton of things arrive, old age has fairly begun,
and this period is at seventy years of age.
Button, the distinguished naturalist says
"that the man who does not die by accident or
disease lives to ninety or one hundred years" !"
That he is eminent authority no one will dis
pute 1t is very true, however, that compare
lively few men live to be ninety or hundred
years old, but that affords no argument against
the truth of our proposition. Most men die of
disease-only a few of old age. The death
record of any place will show, however quite
respectable number of people who live to be
eighty and one hundred years.