New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-11-26
LONGETITY OF GREAT MEN.
From Nature

IL great men were great their infancy, ana we
had the means OF asccr,alIng uls 1dct, me hetnOu
Would DC correct But, Is, VIC must dcline Ill
some way oncr WHAT We mean ny greatness anu
thn fix the average age at WnICn II DtCOncs lOsslDe
io distinguish an amount OF ttcnt suilclcht " en-
Dle IT'S pessessOr To be cnroed III Inc laAs ol the
.lcdt uIIcduy uCuHcu. Mhd0 10 hhoNh % 'no
"eApcclalion lie" at any numDer OF years tens
Tic most PROBABLE age at ucdth VI ono "bo hds at
tiIneu years unucr cOnsIucIduOH, comparison
Oh tus age age at Goaln VI great men Will
uecluo whether they are longer h"ed or not. 400
of the greatest mat ever lived. Throwing out
Lbout ihuty of The uOuDtiul NAMES, theic IchaIn
100 men, about MnOm Tire statement Is Ha@dIucu
mat list oi 200 greatest men, prepared ny an
Otncr set persons, Will not mauIIdAy ulHcr from
our lit, lar DIS ali the purposes Ior WhicI IL Is ~
ne u,ed are concerned. From this list have SC
lectel at random set Of men OF whom 1t Was prob
ANY easy to Tx the age at which they had done work
which would ent tie them 10 a pace ON THIS list,
or work which almost inevitably leu 10 such us
nct.on. if is a GATE about midway between the first
,muo,tant work and the greatest work. The average
of over SIXTY such ages Is urty -scNeh years Wcn
means that OH the average, man must be thirty
"nven wears Old in order 10 DO candidate Tor "a
place on this list. Tue real question lhch Is, now
Toes the longevity Of this select class Of thirty
even -ycar-od men compare with that oil more Orli
pary Individuals The answer Is gwen by thc CT
rcciation of lie at thirty seven years, which is
twenty nine years making the average age at death
| .ixty-six years. And this is precisely the age
at death of these sixty great men; showing that
az class dor these sixty may be considered fair
sanIl.eJ great men not distinguished by Their
longevity from other men. Further interesting CON
| classes, according to real psychological and
physiological differences III the ways Of manifesto
| surprising how we'll the ordinary trinity Of faculties
! intellect, emotion. and will--accOmpllshcs tins
| purpOse Greatness seems 10 appear either In q
iriiIiaut thought deep feeling, or powerful VIII
| Under men of thought would be included philOsO-
nhcrs scientists historians ETC.; under men of feel
| ing poets, musicians, rellgOhsts cc.; under men
| of action rulers, commanders statesmen, etc. Be-
fare comparing the relative longevity of these three
classes OF men, / assure myself That the period at
which greatness begins to DC possible does not ma
ter aly differ in the three classes and, as was done
in the former case ] exclude all of unnatural
| death | find that men OF thought live G9.5 years
| or q : years longer than ordinary men. while the
lives of men of feeling are three years those Of men
az action five years, shorter than those Of average
! mcIl~a conclusion that agrees with the commonly
| accepted view the subject. II We subdvidc
these three classes, find, that, while all classes Of
| men of thought live longer than ordinary men, the
nor1list live longest, scientists coming next that
among the men of feeling the religonlsts alone live
| The fll ueriod OF life, while poets lives are five
| that of men OF action, rulers and commanders both
| fail 10 complete the full term Of life by four years
| One secs from these statements (which, however, In
their detail at least, must he accepted with hcsta
| tion owing to tho fewnrss of examples that the
kind of psychical and physical activity pursued in
are ant to die young. while others are particularly
| favored with full allowance OF years.
| Tho question Of longevity becomes important
when we consider that through II the leaders Of civil
| lization are allowed to exercise their important
! functions a few years longer, thus enabling more
great men TO be alive at the same time; and that
kv its tendency to inherited by the offspring the
Children OF great will begin life with a better
chance Of reaching maturity, and in turn Of becoming
important to the world If, have reason 10 be
| leve ii would the genius Of their ancestors has
| left its traces in them.