Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-29
Why they Lived Long.

Clement Milton Hammond who has gathered
information of the mode of life and physical
characteristics Of 500 people, men and women
in New England over 80 years old, writes as fol-
lows in the Popular Science Monthly:
A very peculiar thing revealed by the can
is the fact that five out of six of these New
England old folks have a light complexion,
with blue or gray eyes, and abundant brown
hair. In stature the men are mostly tall and
the women Of medium height; in weight the
men range from 100 to 160 pounds, with few
pounds, with exceptional cases of $50 and over.
Throughout life the men have been bony and
muscular, the women exactly opposite. The
condition of the hair, teeth, beard and skin of
these old people at the time when the blanks
were filed out was recorded in about 2 500 in
stances. In nearly all the hair remains thick,
the teeth are very poor or entirely gone, the
skin is only slightly wrinkled, and very few of
the men wear any beard In many instances
the correspondents speak of the skin as being
fair soft, smooth and moist"
The information which the blanks give on
the subject Of habits comedies with the opin-
ion of most people. formed from observation.
that longevity without regularity of habits is
rare. These old people, men and women alike,
are put down early risers and retirers, al
most without exception, and fully nineteen out
of every twenty have observed this custom
throughout life, except perhaps at some short
period in youth. Meals have been eaten reg
ularly, three each day, with dinner at noon,
the exceptions being SO rare as to indicate
nothing. Exercise in most cases has been hard
work up to IS or 70, and after that period has
consisted (when the regular occupation has
been given up of walking, gardening, or both.
Except in cases of sickness these old people
are as a rule active and as fond of constant
occupation Of some sort to-day as most men and
women are at thirty-five.
The blanks tell one simple story, with SO few
variations as to be positively monotonous in re-
lation to the food eaten by these old people,
The diet has been regular New England home
dishes of meat, vegetables and pastry, with
breakfast early, dinner at noon, and supper
late. Very few are mentioned as small eaters
or large eaters; most are mentioned as not par
ticular, with good appetites through life. A
half dozen never eat meat, and two have alb
stained from water. More than two-thirds have
been habitual users of tea and coffee, and of
the remainder nearly all have drunk tea. Few
Of the men, and none of the women, are given
as users of more intoxicating beverages than
cider, and not dozen out of all have ever used
liquors to excess. Ten of the women are men,
toned as habitual smokers and score as snuff
takers. OF the men large majority have used
tobacco-either chewing, smoking, or both.
Most of the tObacco-users have been moderate
although numbers OF cases are given where the
amount consumed is enormous, and continued
constantly up to the time when the census was
taken. A few broke away from the habit after
it had lasted for twenty, thirty, or fifty years,
and have now been without the narcotic for
perhaps q decade or more.