The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-09-30
OLD AGE.
LIVE LONG AND SEE GOOD DAYS
Regularity Of Habits and Simplicity Of dat thu
Way 10 prolong Lifs-Thrts vsry old asa
ut Well Preserved hsa.


lSew York Times)
The habits Of persons who have reache,
IN advanced age are Of interest TO all. TIL
first question usually asked on hearing thu
a man, though, very old, shows considera
bic vigor, Is, allow did he liye?' Tire
score and ten years is the allotted perio,
set forth on Biblical authority, but the In
stances are numerous in this country ant
elsewhere Of men Of note who not onl
survive Tint li1nit by decade ora score 0
years, but retain great mental and physic
III power In the heightened span otife. I.
this city there Is quite large group 0
men, whose names are as familiar as house
hold words, who have passed much bcyont
the age OF seventy, and the habits The,
have followed As regards eating, drinking
smoking, &C., arc worthy OF attention
Among the ndmber may be men.iouet
James Watson Webb, now in his eighty
first year, hale and hearty old gentle
man, notwithstanding occasional attack.
due to hereditary govt; the Hon. Thurlos
Weed, who Ind passed his cighty-fourtll
anniversary; and the venerable Peter
Cooper, who still attends regularly to bust
ness notwithstanding his u years. The
death Of Prof. s. F. u. Morse and that Of
MIR. Bryant removed two men whose hab
its Of life, simple as they were In boyhood,
might have afforded themes for essays on
longevity, the devotion Of the latter to oas.
meal and milk for breakfast, preceded by n
little fruit, having passed into proverO
among literary men. His rule was to take
meat only once day, and then rare roast
beef by. preference, ut dinner, and he b..
!ieved fully in the Spanish maxim: Fruit
IS gold i'll the morning, silver at noon, and
lead at night" He partook sparingly oil
the lighter wines, rose early, aud went to
bed ut m hour that would have won the
golden opinion Of country farmer; walked
great deal, was as 1.-the and active in his
movements 10 the last rs New England
lad upon hisnative bills, and could perform
teats Of muscular agility that were the de-
spur OF his juniors on the Eteniny Post.
so, also, when yerging upon so, Prof.
Morse made nothing Of climbing like cat
to,the top shelf Of the lofty bookcase that
stood in his library in Twenty.second street.
Not one Of the survivors from former
generation, Just mentioned, retains the
muscular activity preserved by Mr.. Bryant
and Prof. Morse. Although Alr. Cooper is
still active in his movements, his step has
lost something OF its wonted elasticity and
acquired n trace Of the uncertainty OF age.
However, he is more active than either
Gen. Webb OF Mr.. Weed-the one ! | and
the other years his junior. There is re-
maFkahle similarity in the habits and
modes OF lie OF the three men, and n
curious correspondence in the main facts Of
their biographies. All have been hard
workers, energetic, and able in their differ
ent walks in lille, and unsparins OF them
selves. w n
When aske, to give some notes as to his
habits and modes Of life, General Webb
said he must furnish few facts respecting
his early years, which would explain 10
part the development Of constitutional
strength that had carried him through so
many crises. III 1919. at II years OF age,
ne entered the United States Army as a
Lieutenant in the Fourth Artillery. For
the three years that followed he lived rs
other army officers did, rather irregular
life in some particulars. III 1922 his career
was interrupted by IN acute attack ofgout,
4 disease OF which his grandfather died,
and from that date he adopted a mode Of
lie that was comparatively abstemious. At
Is years OF age he was in command OF the
military post OF Fort Huron, and had all
the Indians on the peninsula under his
supervision. Artillery life not being sutl-
GENTLY active Tor one Of his energetic nature,
he procured a transfer to an infantry corn.
mand in the Indian country, where he con-
tracted those hardy and athletic habits
that have distinguished his later life.
Hunting large game, fishing, kc., were bis
principal pastimes during these Yeas, and
he recalls as an incident OF those exciting
times that bis twentieth birthday ami
versary was observed in 4 rather original
manner. He had ventured pretty far
from the post, and iell in with u band Of
Winnebagos, who pursued him for miles.
But the Indian is not capable OF tho sus-
'ained endurance OF the white man, and in
long time The latter always wins. A part
OF his inferio-ity he attributes to the habits
OF the red man. who is irregular in his
food; feasting and sorging to-day and
starving tomorrow. The run for life was
long one, and the athletic young Lieuten-
ant escaped capture by his savage foes
only through superior endurance.
After his first attack OF govt, Gen. Webb
confined himself riyidly to two meals n
day, breakflsting very lightly, and taking
meat only ac dinner. His rule since then
has always been never to drink any kind
OF spirituous liquors before dinner, not
even Light vi pes This rule he followed
during his ,hirty-four years rs New York
Journalist, and be has always inculcated it
upon his sons. The same rule was applied
to his cigars, Although m inyeterate
smoker, he never through all his wears oil
active life lighted his cigar until after rising
from the dinner table. lie has always beer
very fond OF fish, and rather pr, tsrs It tc
meat. For the thirty.four years that he
edited the Courier and Enquirer his habits
werea regular as those OF the antique clock
that stands'at the head OF the stairs at hit
residence in West Thiyty.eighth street. Al
dinner his rule was 10 eat what he pleased
and drink as many glasses Of wine assaulted
his fancy. Rising from the table he lighted
his cigar, and set out for the office, where
he staia NATL the paper went to press
going home usually at mo, but su,Bp
times not until ) or u o'clock. haring hNsi
ness hours he smoked as many cigars
as he pleased, but neither ate nor drank
and used to tell bis editorial associates
who were less ahstemious, that he should
live to bury them all, notwithstanding the
govt inherited from his ancestors. IT,
(! During the eight years that Gen. Webb
passed 10 Era7il as member OF the diplo
matte corps Of the ppited States he pre-
served the same simple mode Of 'iila al
yhep editing q New York newspaper. In
deed, 'up. to ls7il, when it way prescribedby
Ions Of ''hsrd liquor" during his long and
active career, uipti, as q rule, five or six
hours Of sleep bad sugiced 10 retain hi
intellect bright aud fresh. His usual break
fast since he retired from active service l.