The St. Johns herald., 1889-05-02
YANKEE ocTooENARIANs.
An Interesting Experiment Made by a
 Boston Newspaper Man.

Boston Newspaper Man.
 Clement H. Hammond IS an associate edit or of the Boston Globe, and he has taken an Ingenlous. if homely. method of ascertaiuing the facts and conditions that usually accom- pany longevity. Briefly. he sent out blanks to the representatives of the paper Tn every county Of the New England States. asking for the following information in relation to men and women indubitably over the age of eighty:
 'Nare. residence. age, nationality; wheth- CT married or sIngle: general description, including size, weight, complexion. etc; children. how many, ages, state of health. etc: habits. hours Of rising, retiring, meals. exercise. etc: occupations. past and pres ent. tooc and drink. quantity. kind, etc; attacks of sickness. if any, and at what ages, nature of disease, etc.; condition of teeth. hair, beard. skin. etc. at time when seen by the correspondent: age at which father and mother died and Of grandfather and grandmother. whenever possible"
 In reply to these queries. which. by the way, were to be based on accuracy rather than ''enterprise. Mr UaTmond received full and detailed descriptions of no fewer than $500 cases of bona fide octogenarian- ism. and the cases were confined to no par tLCGidi hIllu Ot Dub AANAADCi inately from hill and valley, sen coast and inland. Climate and temperature were thus eliminated as fac.5-s for making length of life.
 As might be cxpcctci, the married people Of New England live longer than those sel- fish or unfortunate ones who affect life of single blesscdness: that is the fate or good fortune of married people everywhere. But the proportion of thc one class to the other of the New Englanders who attain the four score goal upset5 all ordinary rcclIonings. for the married ones number no fewer than nineiy-five in every hundred of those on the list If that fact be not sufficient to give rousing impetus to the worship of Hymen, then must it Je concluded that the men and women Of modern days arc no longer in love with length Of years.
 Another peculiar;y ;yrevealcd by Mir. Ham, mond's canvass, and it is a peculiarity, is the fact that dark" -"complect ed" people are not in the race for longevity with the light ''cOmplected:" for five out of every six of the New England old folks under review are blonde, with blue or gray eyes and abundant brown hair.
 As to the habits of life of these old folks, the answers furnished to Mr Hammond's inquiries all point to the fact that longevity, save when it is accompanied with regulari- ty of habits. is rare:
 "These old people, men and women alike, are put down as early risers and retirers almost without exception, and fully nineteen out Of every twenty have observed this custom throughout life, except, per haps, at some short period in youth. Meals have been eaten regularly, three each day, with dinner at noon, the exception being So rare as to indicate nothing. Exercise iu most cases has been hard work up to sixty five or seventy, and after that period has consisted (when the regular occupation has been given up) of walking, gardening or both. Except in cases of $ cknesS these old people are as active and as fond of con stant occupation of some sort today as most men and women are at thirty five"
 The nature of the occupation they have followed is significant. Out of 1000 men, through life 46I have been farmers; 92 have been carpenters; 70 merchants; Gl mari ners; 40l aborers; 42 shoe-makers; fl manu- facturers; 23 clergymcn; g masons; 1G blacksmiths; l6 bankers; 12 each, iron workers, mill hands, physicians and law yers; and the rest are divided between nearly all the other trades and professions.
 Their food is strong, plentiful and plain ly dressed; they are gwen to the inhibition of tea and coffee in considerable quantities, of whisky in moderation and to the use of tobacco somewhat copiously.
 Mr Han,cnond says.
 "While the farmers Of New England and their wives are a clearly people. they are not much given to bathing This neglect may not have prolonged their existence or made them more healthy, but it is to be pre- 1.f las Sspf pff nor caused much disease. Neither are the members of these households well informed in relation to sanitary matters. They know little of the unseen dampness to which the human system is constantly exposed, and knowing little, care little. May not this be an influence m favor of prolonged exist ence, paradOXical as the suppositon may seem. In Hingham, Mass, with only four thousand inhabitants. there are eighty peo- pie over eighty years of age, and out of these seventy five arc of light complexion. h no other town in New England, so far as could be learned, is there such proportion of old people. ThIS town is on the sea coast, lies very low, is without sewers, and has only recently put in system of water works. From a sanitary point of view the conditions here are about as unfavorable to long life as could be conceived outside the crowded portions of the large cities And in Boston, where tho sanitary conditions appear to be the worst-in the north end and South Boston districts the greatest number of very old people are found"
 The moral of Mr. Hammonds very inter- esting article is, tnerefore-get married, be farmer, or at least live and energize in the open air; don't change your occupation, eat and drink plentifully, take your whisky and your tobacco when you have 2 mind, but, more essential still. get into a position of worldly independence where you may never have to fret yourself about your daily viatica, and finally and above all things, cultivate light complexion.
 Discovery of an Odd Coin.
 4 curious coin was recently dug up near