Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-10
PHILOSOPHY OF LONGEVITY.
How to Live Long-Does it Paw to BE
come Centenarian?

How to Live LOng-Does it Paw to Be-
come Centenarian?
The London Standard, having recently
had obtruded upon its notice the existence
of a centenarian here and of another there
in England, makes some reflections upon
the subject of the possibilities of attaining
to the age Of 100 years and OF the desra-
bility of living to be so old. The Standard
says:
There is much in modern life that tends
to shorten existence and to diminish the
probability that man or woman will
reach 3d. to say nothing of 100. We lead
more exciting and more wearing lives. 1t
is in vain that person has a splendid
constitution to begin with, wears flannel
or the equivalent of flannel next to his
skin, dwells in a warm, dry house and
eats and drinks everything that is good
and wholesome, If at the same time he
habitually Overtaxes his strength, looks
upon his muscles as mere machinery, to
be driven at high pressure, and ruthlesslY
calls upon his nerves to squander their
reserve power when every other source of
energy is exhausted. Men or women who
intend to be centenarians in these days
must combine something of the old mode
of life with something of the new mode Of
living. They must, while aVailing them
selves of all the scientific discoveries and
sanitary appliances OF the age, initiate
their grandsires in the steady and tran
quill habits that prevailed before the in
ventiOn of locomotives and the telegraph.
They must have their eight hours OF sleep
regularly; they must have intervals of re-
pose and vacancy 10 the daytime; they
must spend goodly portion Of their wax
ing hours in the open air. Nor will that
suffice; there will have TO be regularity in
the hours of their meals and discipline in
the ordering of the dishes of which the
meals are composed. We cannot believe
that anybody will ever live to 100 who
eats heavy dinner every night OF his life
az O'Clock. Champagne in abundance
and Bordeaux or Burgundy ad libItum
are very delightful things, but they are to
be forswOrn by persons who deliberately
set before them the attaining of their Tooth
birthday. Neither, with such an end In
view, would the active life of politician,
a lawyer OF a doctor be a sane enterprise.
In order to reach that distant goal there
must be training. if not severe, at least
regular and unflinching. Most of all,
there must prevail in the existence OF
snch person tranquil serenity, an I'M
ruffled calm. Neither generous passions
nor enthusiastic ideals must be allowed
admittance. The pulse must never be
driven up beyond certain point, either by
work, by anxiety, by fear or by hope. At
the same time, mere stagnation will, in all
probability, never enable a person to live
to 100. There is such a thing as rustIng
out as well as wearing out. Ii candle
does not burn brightly enough it does not
consume the wax with suffcientrapidity,
and goes out for want OF adequate COM
busti0n. 1t is 80, no doubt, with the hui
man body and the human spirit.
To make yourself miserable at 40 in the
wretched ambition to add few worthless
years TO your score after you have turned
20 or 80 is surely pOor-spirited sort Of
game. To spend ones lie feeling ones
pulse, looking at ones tongue and asking
ones selfif one is treating ones cOnstItu-
tiOn quite fairly IS not life at all. IL is to
live in a hospital, or, at any rate. an in
Urinary. Still, there are some persons
who are cOngenitally cautious, cOngeni-
tally cold, congenitally calm. IL is their
nature to take things quietly, never to be
in a hurry, never 10 excite themselves.
They are content to sit in an easy chair
for so many hours, read an agreeable
book for so many hours, drive in a car
riage when the weather Is favorable for so
many hours, and to regulate their exist
ence by clockWork. They may live to 100,
they may live TO 1000, but in truth they
nave not lNe0 at All. Inc man VINO
really gets the best that can be got out Of
life is the man who, with a fairly good
constitution TO begin with, is ready 10
squaDder IL at any moment and on every
occasion in sufficient cause. He keeps
no account OF profit and loss with his vital
energy-be sees work 10 do, and he does
10; he sees pleasure 10 be enjoyed, and he
enjoys IL. He is alive all ms lite save
when he sleeps, and he wakes from each
fresh sumber looking the world cheer
fully and cOurageOusly In the face, and
ready and even eager to be cOnbatant
when there Is good, honest fight, and a
runner when there Is a good, honorable
race afoot. lie may not live TO be 100, but
he may well live 10 be 70, 10, or even so.
He may have a career, II not so cOnsplcu-
Gus, yet AS active, as varied and as rest
less as that. say, Of Mr.. Gladstone, and
yet not be really old when time registers
him among the aged. "Better 30 years Of
Europe than a cycle OF Cathay," and bet
ter 20 years OF uncalculated activity
than the slow pulse and measured steD Of
the circumspect snail that creeps surely
on 10 100. We are not denOuncing CEN
tenarians. They are like angels visits,
few and far between, and they are too
rare not to be welcomed. Moreover, we
doubt not that they deserve their length
Of years. But Il would be a misfortune IL
IL was ever thought an object Of life TO live
very long. The object Of life IL ~ Twelve
generously, live brayely. AS Shakespeare