Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-08
The Allotted Years ct Man.


sanitary knowledge among the masses, the
average duration OF life has appreciably In
creased. The mortality tables or the insurance
companies indicate this. More people. too pass
the century limit OF age. probably, than 80 years
ago. AT any rate, the newspapers report more
such cages or late years than formerly Hardly
week passes without the chronicling OF sew
eral centebarians among the New England
items of the Republican,. The election revealed
the fact that William Masters, of Stratford n
H., was the Oldest voter In that state, his age
being 10 years; at Brewer. Maine, died last
week, Mrs. Mercy Studley, aged lO6; at
New Haven, Conn, Thomas Evelyn, the Oldest
resident. yielded up the ghost at 1914: Will e
nearer home was recently noted the death OF
Miss Sophia Bliss at Sunderland lacking only
four months or 1907 years. Some Of these ages
compare fayOrably, at least with those OF the
soDS of the patriarchs. When We take into ac-
count that tne years ascr1bed Ia the Old Tesla
ment TO the anted1luvtanS should probably be
divided by four, because OF the likelihood that
the year Of that period consisted OF three months
instead of:12; 1t becomes apparent that the pos
sibilities OF human life have not decreased 10 a
very great extent In these latter days. Even In
Moses time the man whose life compassed a
century was the exception, for did not the
leader OF Israel declare that the allotted years
Of man were three score and.ten.
Whether life beyond this allotted span Is
worth having depends upon circumstances.
Generally 1t is weighted with enough of weak
nesSeS and Ills to make 1t grievous burden,
but there certainly have been notable excep-
tons to this rule, even In later days than those
OF the patr1archs. There be those, too who
maintain that by reducing the economies of LIE
to science the average three score-years-and-
ten may be doubled and yet not prove burden
some to the bearer. A few centuries since the
secret OF long NE lay In an undiscovered foun-
sion OF fabulous elixir. 1t is now
sought through formula of sanitary
rules. There is little book on "The
years ago by Christopher William Hufeland.
professor In the university OF Jena, very popu-
lar In Germany and through translation In
TR SR mas @
delph1a publishers OF medical works, that ia
curiously interesting. One remarkable thing
about 1t is the evidence 1t contains OF the small
advance that has been made in sanitary knowl-
edge within the past century. There is very
little In 1t that does not accord with the latest
canons OF sanitary science.
OF possible human life might be set at 200 years
This on the general principle that the life of a
creature Is eight times the years OF its period
OF growth. That which Is quickly formed
yelopment is reached the sooner bodily decay
ensueS. More women reach old age than men.
put more men attain remarkable longevity
Una onan Women some animals grow to be very
without hornS nerce longer than tlmid and
amphibious longer than those which innaoit the
air. The voracious pike exists, It is said, to an
age OF $50 years; the turtle is good for a hun
dred years or more; and among the birds the
golden eagle is known to have lived nearly 2oS
years, while the sly and SOmber crow reaches
the venerable age OF q century. Passing up in
the scale OF life TO man, and skipping the pa
I1archs, we find many recorded instances of
longevity among the classic Greeks and Ro-
mans Pliny notes that In the reiyn or the
Emperor VeSpaSlaD, In the year 76. there were
124 men living In the limited area between the
Appen1neS and the Poe OF 100 years and tn
Ward,-three OF whom were 40 and folr over
1875. Ccero's wife lived to the age OF 1903. and
! Lne roman I actress LuceJa played In pubic as
Coming down to more recent times the most
notable authentic instance of great age ia thai
or Henry jenkins, of Yorkshire Elg Who fiIed
IN 1910, 1853 years old. He was a fisherman and
at the age OF 100 easily swan across rapid rivers
Another historic case is that OF Thorn as Parr. of
Shropshire. Gay laoorer, who lived to the age
OF l52 years. When over i2O he married his sec
ond wife, and till 1870 he could swing the scyrhe
ana WELD the nail with the best Of his fellow
laD0rera In his 1920 year Parr went up To
LONDON 70 exhibit himself to the king. It
proved an unlucky visit, for violating the alb
stenl0us habit OF century and q half the old
man Ieasted so freely on the royal victuals that
ton his internal organs proved to be In excel.
lent condition, and there was no reason why he
should not have lived much longer save for
IMS unfortunate taste OF royal hospitality
Pro1. HufelandB roll OF centenar1ans includes
many more remarkable cases. among them
served 81 years under both Fredericks fi0htinU
many battles and enduring much hard Gam.
paigning. and who. after ali this married snc-
cessively three wives, the last when he vac I1o
only Two years before his death. ''
AS lOr the means OF prOlOnQtn1 life ara thov
not chronicled In flood OF books on hvosen ns
WHICH of late years nave poured from the pres