Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-06-04
TO AVOID PREMATURE OLD AGE.
Rules for the Prevention of senile Disease
suggestions for Every Individual.

Rules for the Prevention of senile Disease
suggestions for Every Individual.
The rules for the prevention of senile
diseases are all personal They should
begin in youth. 1t should be
rule among grown up persons
never to subject children to mental
shocks and unnecessary griefs. When,
in the surrounding of the child life, some
grave calamity has occurred, it is best to
make the event as light as possible to
the child, and certainly to avoid thrill
ing it with sights and details which stir
it to the utmost and in the end only
leave upon the mind and heart incurable
wounds and expressions. Children
should never be taken to funerals, nor to
sights that cause sense of fear and
dread combined with great grief, nor to
sights which call forth pain and agony
in man or in the lower animals.
To avoid premature old age in mature
life, the following are important points
to remember:
Grief anticipates age. Dwelling on
the inevitable past, forming vain hypo-
theses as to what might have been if this
had or had not been, acquiring craze
for recounting what has occurred-these
acts do more harm to future health and
effort than many things connected with
real calamity. Occupation and new pur-
suits are the best preventives for mental
shock and bereavement.
Hate anticipates age. Hate keeps the
heart always at full tension. 1t gives
rise to oppression of the brain and senses
1t confuses the whole man. 1t robs the
stomach of nervous power, and, diges-
ton being impaired, the failure of life
begins at once. Those, therefore, who
are born with this passion-and good
many, fear, are-should give it up.
Jealousy anticipates age. The facial
expression of jealousy is old age, in
however young face it may be cast.
Jealousy preys upon and kills the heart.
So, jealous men are not only unhappy,
but broken hearted, and live short lives.
I have never known a man of jealous
nature live anything like long life or a
useful life. The prevention of jealousy
is diversion of mind toward useful and
unselfish work.
Unchasity anticipates age. Every
thing that interferes with chastity
favors vital deterioration, while the
grosser departures from chastity, lead
ing to specific and hereditary disease,
are certain causes of organic degenera-
ton premature and old age Thus chas-
tity is preventive of senile decay.
Intemperance anticipates old age. The
more the social causes of mental and
physical organic diseases, are investi-
gated, the more closely the origin of
degenerative organic changes leading to
premature deterioration and decay are
questioned, the more closely does it
come out that intemperance, often not
suspected by the person himself who is
implicated in it, so subtle is its influence,
is at the root of the evil.
When old age has really commenced,
its march toward final decay is best de-
layed by attention to the rules of con-
servation by which life is sustained with
the least friction and the least waste.
The prime rules for this purpose are:
To subsist on light but nutritious diet.
with milk as the standard food, but va
ried according to season.
To take food in moderate quantity
four times in the day, including light
meal before going to bed.
To clothe warmly but lightly, so as
that the body may, in all seasons, main
tain its equal temperature.
To keep the body in fair exercise, and
the mind active and cheerful.
To maintain an interest in what is 60
ing on in the world, and to take part in
reasonable labors and pleasures, as though
old age were not present.
To take plenty of sleep during sleeping
hours. To spend nine hours in bed at
the least, and to take care during cold
weather that the temperature of the bed
room is maintained at 60 degrees Fab
renheit.
To avoid passion, excitement, luxury.
DIR. Benjamin Ward Richardson.