The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1876-05-04
FAMILY LIKENESS AND VITALITY.


HVNNI
In spite of certain alterations, the
typical features peculiar to the houses of
Guisc and Lorraine were transmitted to
all their descendants through n long series
of generations. The Bourbon countcn
ance, the Condos aquilnc nose, the thick
and protruding lower lip bcqucathcd to
the house Of Austria by Polish prin-
cess, are well-known instances, We
have only to look at Il coinof George III,
to be reminded of the British royal fam
lily. During Addison's short ministry
Mrs. Clarke, who solicited his favor had
been requested to bring with her the
papers proving that She was Milton's
daughter. But as soon as she entered
the cabinet Addison said: "Madam, !
require no further evidence your rescm-
blancc to your ilustrious fathcris the best
of ALL" The Comptc de Pont, who died
in 1867, at nearly one hundred told DR..
l'roisSaC that during the restoration he
often met in the salons of NJ, Dcsmous-
Scaux de Givrc, project of Arras, n man
at whose approach he shuddcrcd as he
would at the sight of an apparition, So
wonderfully was he like Robcspicrrc,
NJ. de Pont confided his impression to
the prcfcct, who told him, smiling at his
prejudice, that the person in question
passed for Robcspicrre's natual son that,
in fact, it was a matter Of notoricty.
Next to family likcnescs vitality or
duration of life is the most important
character transmitted by inheritance.
The two daughters of Victor Amadeus
H., the Duchess of Burgundy and her
sister Marie Louise, married to Philip
", both remarkable for their beauty,
died at twcnty-siX. In the Turgot fam
lily fifty years was the usual limit of life,
The great minister, ON the approach OF
that term, although in good health, re-
marked to his friends that it was time to
put his affairs in order and he died in
fact, at iifty-threc. In the house of Ro-
manoH the duration of life is short, in
dependent of the fact that several of its
members met with violent deaths. The
head of this illustrious race Michael
Fcdcrovitch, died at torty-nine; Peter
the Great was scarcely iifty-thrcc. The
Empress Anne died at forty-sevcn the
tendcr-heartcd Elizabeth at ftty-one. OF
PauPs four sons, Alexander died at
forty-two'; Nicholas at fiity.ninc; and
the Grand Duke Michael at iifty-onc
In the houses OF SaXony and Prussia, on
the contrary, examples of longevity are |
far from rare Frederick the Great, in |
spite Of his continual wars and his fire. |
Uucnt cxccsscs at table, was seventy |
four; Frederick William III. was sew
cnty; the Emperor William, in his scy.
year, is still hale and hearty |
In all countries of Europe families of
nonoGcnarlans, and cen
tcnarans may he cited. On April !,
l72G, there died in Paris Saddlcr of
Doulcvant, in Champagne, more than
one hundred years old. To inspire
Louis XIV. with the ilattcring hope of
living as long, he was made, two years
previously, to present that monarch
with Il bouquet ON st. Louis day. His
father had lived one hundred and thir.
teen ycars, his grandfather one hun
drcd and twelve. Jean Surrington, u
farmer in the cnvironS Of Ecrghem, lived
to be one hundred and sixty. The day
before his death, in complete possession
of his mental faculties, he divided his
among his children; the eldest
was one hundred and three and what
was still more remarkable, the youngest
was only nine Jean Golcmbicwski (thc
oldest man in the French army, if still
alivc), who accompanied King Stanislas
Loczinski into France, belonged to Il
family Of centenarians, His father lived
to he one hundred and twenty-onc, his
to be one hundred and
thirty.