The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-25
LONGEWTYS DECLINE
has Hans Life Grown Shorter Viii
Civilization?
An Interesting Argument Deduced
From Biblical Records and
Modern Biological
Results.

"Once man strobe the earth like Co
lossus." Now he Ia shrunk almost 70 an
initiation. Venerable legends come Town
TO ms from primeval worlds that he once
carried the fire Of life for ages. The days
Of Methuslah were nine hundred and
sixty-nine years. Why should the yelling
up Of the deep forces OF physical immor-
tally have ceased and man become the
mushroom Of the hour? The flames Of
that ancient and divine fire seem 10 have
died out of human clay, for very few men
in these degenerate days possess one
fourth Of the vitality Of the patriarchs. No
one Mt the present day .contemplates re-
manning ON earth for q thousand years, or
seriously thinks OF p~erpetuating their
SPECIES at the good old age to which the
venerable patriarchs did. Sacred history
tells us that Methuslah "lived, after he
begat Lamech, seven hundred and eighty
and two years, and then beaat sons and
daughters"
A critical question, and q truly essential
problem, il, has the human race actually
degenerated physically in modern time?
Morally and spiritually II seems TO be an
admitted Tact that Il has wilted and with
cred. A glance back at the history OF the
world, and the contrast that presents IL
self between the mental, moral and
physical condition Of society In ages long
past and its conditions as regards the re-
lations now, causes a humiliatinR convic-
ton of an awful dilapidation having
fallen on the social fabric. A criticism
OF man Mt this time is that he has failed
and fallen, and continues pcrpetually to
fail and fall. Now he Is shrunk almost to
humiliation.
Every intelligent individual chcrishes
his age and there can be any considerable
error in the church yards n cemeteries
- -s,.r..-xu u..l ..J at.ast 1hrS. that af
all the people who die few die OF old age.
The g~raveyards and cemeteries OF civil.
lized nations show that three score and
ten years Of mans appointed age Ii
greatly curtailed. Why In IL that death
should come before the allotted age Of
''three score and ten." and why so many
millions Of human beings never live To
three score and five, and why that not one
i'm every thousand lives to three score
years? We kill ourselves. Many in
teresting particulars are found In
tables OF psychologists and writers
on hygiene. The eminent physi-
ologists, Haller and Button, pre-
longevity. They treat the subject In two
ways, historical and physical. The hist
orical side OF the recitation ii all facts
known Of the naturally ordinary n ex-
treme durations of life and the physical
aspect of the problem involves the con-
temptation Of the great natural phases OF
development of the species. digestion,
period Of growth and length Of life.
Buttons formula II the duration of
human beings aud animals Is that they
are growing and attaining perfect adult
development. He adduces the examples
of humans and animals. The union of
man is effected at twenty. years., that of
the horse mt three years, that of the OK mt
four years, that Of the dog mt two years,
etc. He asserts that humans and animals