The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-11-22
Facts as to Long Life.
.cScientiic American. |


with more profit as facts are used for
data. The editor CT q Boston paper,
unread in theory, sent blanks through
Massachusetts,, to men and women Of
eighty years and more, inquiring as TO
habits, state ofeyes, teeth, hearing, and
the like, getting over $500 replies, and
if in these there is nothing to refute the
assertions of the theorists, there IS yet
not anything to sustain them.
80 They ate meat; save in a few cases,
ad H6., and though none ofthem, if we
take their own word for It, have drunk
freely of spirits, all, or nearly all, have
taken of them on occasion. These old
people are from cities, towns, agricGl-
tural and maritime districts, in nearly
all cases leading active lives, eating
three meals day, the di1ner being, as
is the custom in New England, in the
middle of the day, of met and vege-
tables, and pie, and very heaity. Gu
riously enough, though the women are
of medium height, the men are mostly
tall, above the average: and so greatly
do blue and gray eyes prevail that
other shades are notable exceptions.
Badness is rare, the hair being usually
brown and thick, but the teeth are
very poor or entirely gone. The re-
port says:
"These old people, men and women
alike, are early risers almost without
exception, and fully nineteen out of
eve.y twenty have observed this Gus
tom through life, EXCEPT, perhaps, in
some short period of youth. :.
Exercise has been hard up to sixty-fve
or seventy years, and after that period
has consisted when the regular occu-
pations have been given up) ofwalking
or gardening, or both. Except IN cases
of sickness, these old people are as ac-
tive and as fond Of constant occupa-
tions of some sort to-day as most men
and women are at thi rty-five. One of
the most significant facts gathered in
this canvass is that regarding occupa-
tlcn. Out of 900 men, throughout life,
461 have been farmers; 81 have been
carpenters; 20, merchants; 81, mariners;
49, laborers; AZ, shoemakers; Il, manu-
facturers; %, clergymen; %, masons; 16,
blacksmiths; 16, bankers; II each iron
workers, mill hands, physicians, and
lawyers; and the rest are divided among
nearly all the other trades and profess
sions. Eight hundred QUE Of twelve
hundred have been farmers wives, and
all but about fifty Of the remainder
have been housewives.
Tea and coffee drinking was INDUCED
in by fully tNvo-thirGs of the $500, with
some Of then to excess; and of the
men, nearly a. have both smoked and
chewed tobacco, the amount daily con-
sumed by some having been enormous.
Their cares were as heavy as those
which come 10 most Of the human
family, their work not less arduous.
Most of them led lives which some
might call monotonous, yet with oc
casional excitement to them as great as
the intenser kinds to those more used to
it.
Summing up ali that the compiler
has set down from the answers sent to
his questions, we find that all were
regular in their habits, with plenty to
occupy their hands and minds and get
ting plenty Of fresh air. This seems to
be at least a primalquan;ity in the So
luton OF the problems ofiong life. Men
like these, with plenty Of work and
fresh air, are able 10 eat and smoke,
even to a point we would call excess,
without injury, and even 10 drink at
times with 10 evil ryoG.iag. 1t is
those Of sedentaTy habits, who do no
hard labor and get lt;ie exercise or
fresh air, who must be the most care
full.