The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1888-10-18

social hnd sanitary ways all are en-
listed on the side of human life. There
is more temperance, more cen'inence,
more of self restraint. 1t is true that
modern civilization has brought
longer list of luxuries within the reach
not only of the rich, but Of people of
moderate means. But it has brought,
also, better knowledge Of all the con-
dtions fayorahle to the extension of
life.
II may be well to note that pugilists,
rowers, athletes aud all who have had
excessive physical training, do not fur
nish any striking example of llngevity.
The training and the resulting exer-
else have been excessive, making large
drafts ON the vital forces. The pugil-
ist drops off at time when, theoreti
cally, he ought to be At his best. The
rover aud the wrestler rarely live to
tell Of their exploits at eighty years Of
age. The prodigies have little ac-
quired capacity to hold on to life.
They d., not possess it by virtue of the
violent strain that they have put on
their physical faculties. There is no
storage Of life, but rather great
W SIC through incorporate exercise.
l. there an instance on record of an
athlete VIII, ever reached the age of a
hundred years! IL would be difficult
to find m instance where even eighty
years had been reached 10y any pugilist
or pre- fighter.
The problem Of long lite according
to the authority quoted, is affected by
the following conditions: Q) Heredi-
tary qualifications; (2) the virtue of
c,antlnency; (3) maintenance Of BAL
ance balance ot bodily function; az
perfect temperance; % purity from
iml ,lanted or acquired disease. The
hereditary qualification has tho FIRST
place because when he capacity for All
extended duration of life appears III
several successive generations it be-
c'mes an established principle. 1t
may be said to run in families; they
are long iised. Thus, while there is
the heredity II diseases, both physical
aud meut,l, there is also the heredity
uf long life. The limits uf the latter
capa.ity cannot be strictly defined.
The average lngeviiy / of generate IN
is constantly increasing. The dura
t.an Of individual life is increasing,
both by Inheritance and by an inn
proved environment While this is
true, the inherited capacity Of long
life IS constantly abridge in other
llues. De Richsi dsan es inates that
a man at eighty years, based on the
standard of sixs antecedent lives,
would yield u produe, cf ninety years;
and man of ninety product of a
hundred years, and man Of hun
dred product Of hundred aud twenty
or even hundred and thirty years.
1t may reasonably be asked Why AMI
where there should be any change on
either side. With a steadily decreas-
ing storage of lie why should not
families die out altogether. and with
an increasing value Of life, why should
not families go on living continuously
after the course of few generaiions2
To the first of these questions the
answer is that failing families do die
cut To the second, it must be ad-
mitted that there has been no suffi-
cient time in the history of mankind
during historical dates to allow of nm
answer bein. given to the inquiry
For my part ! do not see, theoretically
any reason why, in perfectly consti.
tuted human organism, there should
be any necessity for the cessation of
the storage of life. ] lace very obvi.
GUS nece isity for death in world
which is always eating up its vital en-
ergy by the prodigal method of over
multiplying the organic forms which
need the vital energy for their own
existence, because the organic forms
must destroy one another in order that
the living may continue to live, and
this. no donbt. is the cause, wholesale.
OF deaah. But in place of excessive
reproduction of new forms, put recon.
struction of existing forms, aud there
does not appear to be the least reason
why the individual storage of life
should cease.
The same authority affirms that |
there is no such thing, necessarily. as