The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-05-23
DURATION OF LIFE.
some Fact. worth Knowing


The average duration of life in civil
lied society is about 33B years. This is
called a generation, making three in
century. But there are certain localities
and certain communities of people where
this average is considerably extended.
The mountaineer lives longer than the
lOwlander the farmer than the artisan !;
the traveller than the sedentary; the
temperate than the self-indulgent; the
Just than the dishonest. "The wicked
shall not live out half his days." is the
announcement of divinity. The phi
lOsophy of this is found in the fact that
the moral character has a strong power
over the physical; power much more
controlling than is generally imagined.
The true man conducts himself in the
light of bible precepts, is " temperate
in ali things" is slow to anger" and
on his grave is written " He went about
doing good" In these three things are
the great elements of human health the
restraint of the appetites; the control of
the passions; and that highest type of
physical exercise, going about doing
good" It is said of the eminent Quaker
philanthropist, Joseph J. Quincy, that
the labor and pains he took to go and see
personally the objects of his contem-
plated charities, so that none of them
should he unworthily bestowed, was of
itself almost the labor of one man, and he
attended to his immense banking bust
ness besides; in fact he did too much, and
died at go.
The average length of human life in
all countries, st this age of the world, is
about twenty-eight years One quarter
of Sll who die do not reach the age of
seven; one-half die before reaching sew
enteen; and yet the average of life of
'Friends," in Great Britain and Ire
land, in 1860, was nearly fiity-six years.
Surely this is a strong inducement for
all to practice for themselves, and to in
culcate it upon their children day by
day, that simplicity of habit, that quiet
ness of demeanor, that restraint of tenn
per, that control of appetites and pro-
pensities, and that orderly, systematic
mode of life which Friends" discip-
! line inculcates.
Reasoning from the analogy of animal
creation, mankind should live nearly
one hundred years; that law seeming
to be that life should be hve
times the length of tie pc
riod of growth; at least the general
observation is that the longer persons
are growing the longer they live, other
I Things D6lDS equal. NaIurauSJSi say a
dog grows for years, and lives s; an
OK grows for 4 years, and lives TO- a
horse grows for years, and lives for % !;
a camel grows for years, and lives 40;
man grows for 20 years, and should live
/ 100
But the sad fact is that only one man
for every thousand reaches 100 years.
! Still it is encouraging to know that the
science of life, as revealed by the inves-
/ LEGATIONS OF the Psychologist and the
/ teachings of educated medical men, is
steadily extending the period of human
/ existence.
The distinguished historian, Macaulay,
states that, IN 1885, 1 person in % died
each year; in Is 0, out of 40 only l
died. Dupin says that from 1875 to 1913
the duration OF life in France increased
81 DAYS annually, for IN 1871 the mortal
ity was l in %; in 1913. ! in 40. The
rich men in France live ~ years on an
average; the poor only 80 Those who
are " we'll to do +" in the world live about
IT years longer than those who have to
work from day to day for living. Re,
munerative labor and the diffusion Of
the knowledge of the laws of life among
the masses, with temperance and thrift,
are the great means of adding to human
health and life.