Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-14

besides those connected with literature end
science. Talleyrand laid great stress on .
knowledge Of whist - indispensable to happy
old age. and doubtless to many old people that
particular game affords not only recreation but
| pleasant exercise to the mind. is. how
ever, an unworthy substitute for higher OBJ
jects, and should be regarded only an amuse
| ment, and not as an occupation.
| Whatever be the sphere Of mental activity no
| kind OF strain must be put upon the mind of
person who has reached sixty-five or seventy
years. The feeling that mental power is less than
IT once was not infrequently stimulates man TO
| increased exertions. which may provoke struc-
tural changes in the brain and will certainly
accelerate the progress OF any that may exist
| in that organ. When a man finds that great
enort Is required to accomplish any mental
task that was once easy he should desist from
| the attempt and regulate his work according to
his power. With this limitation it NAV be
1 taken for granted thai the mental faculties
will be far better preserved by their exercise
| than by their disuse.
EXERCISE FOB OLD PEOPLE.
Somewhat different advice nus be given
with regard to bodily exercises in their refer
ence to longevity. Exercise is essential to the
preservation of health; inactivity is potent
cause of wasting and degeneration. The vigor
and equality of the circulation. the functions
OF the skin and the aeration of the blood are all
| promoted by muscular activity. which thus
keeps up proper balance and relation between
| tiic Organs OF tne DOuN. In Youth
the vigor of the system is often SO great that il
one organ be sluggish another part will make
| amends for the deficiency by acting VIGOROUSLY
and without any consequent damage to itself.
In old age the tasks cannot be thus shifted FROM
| one organ to another; the work allotted to each
sufficiently taxes its strength and vicarious ac-
\ tion cannot be performed without mischief.
Hence the importance of maintaining. as far as
possible, the equable action of all the bodily
] organs. so that the hare of the vital processes
! hal ha RI
plished. For this reason exercise is an impor-
tant part OF the conduct of life in old age. but
discretion is absolutely necessary. An old man
should discover by experience how much ex-
erclse he can take without exhaustng his pow
ers and should be careful never to exceed the
| limit. Old persons apt to forget that their
| staying powers are much less than they once
were and that, while q walk of two or three
miles may prove easy and pleasurable, the ad-
| dlnon OF return journey Of similar length
VIII seriously overtax the strength. Above all
things. sudden and rapid exertion should be
scrupulously avoided by persons of advanced
age.
VARIOUS FORMS OF EXERCISE.
No fixed rule can be laid down as to the
kind Of exercise most suitable for advanced
age Much must depend upon individual cir
! cumstances and peculiarities: but walking
In the open air should always be kept up
and practiced daily, except in unfavorable
| weather. Walking is a natural form of exer-
| else, and subserves many important purposes;
not few old people owe the maintenance of
| their health and vlgor to their daily ''consti-
tutional." Riding is an excellent form of ex-
ercIse, but available only by a few; the habit
II acquired in early life should be kept up as
long as possible, subject to the caution already
| given as to violent exercise. Old persons of
| both sexes fond of gardening. and SO situated
that they may crafty their tastes, are much to
be envied FORTUNATE minimum, sua Il bona
| norint! Body and mind are alike exercised
by what Lord Bacon justly termed 1.-The purest
| OF human pleasures"
| HOW MUCH FOOD?
| With regard to food, we find from DR.. Hum
phry's report, that 80 per cent of the aged per-
sons were either moderate or 'small'' eaters
and such moderation is quito in accord with
| the teachings OF physiology. In old age the
changes in the bodily tissues gradually become
less and less active and less food is required to
make up for the daily waste. The appetite and
| the power of digestion are correspondingly di-
minished and although for the attainment of a
great age considerable amount of digestive
power is absolutely necessary, its perfection,
| when exercised upon proper articles of diet. is
| the most important characteristic. Indulgence
| in the pleasure of the table is one of the COM
mon errors OF advanced life and is not infre-
quent In persons who, up to that period, were
moderate or even small eaters. Luxuries in
| the way of food are apt to be regarded As re-
wards that have been fully earned BY a life
of labor, and may, therefore, be lawfully
| enjoyed. Hence arise many OF the evils and
troubles of old age, and notably indigestion
| and equity symptoms in various forms, besides
| mental discomfort. No hard and fast rules can
be laid down, but strict moderation should be
| the guiding maxim. The diet suitable for most
| aged persons is that which contains much nutri-
tive material in a small bulk. and its quantity
| should be in proportion to the appetite and
power of digestion. Animal food, well cooked
should be taken sparingly and not more often
| than twice day, except unde- special circum-
stances. DIR. Parkes advocates rice as partial
substitute for meat when the latter is found to
disagree with old persons. Its starch grains
are very digestible, and it supplies nitrogen in
| moderate amount, well fitted to the worn and
slowly repaired tissues of the aged" Its bulk.
however, Is sometimes disadvantage: in small
quantities it is a valuable addition to milk and
| to stewed fruits.
| The amount Of food taken should be divided
| between three or four meals at fairly regular
intervals. A sense of fullness or oppression
| after eating ought not TO be disregarded
1t indicates that the food taken has been either
| too abundant or of improper quality. For
| many elderly people the most suitable time for
the principal meal is between 1 and IN
As the day advances the digestive powers be-
come less, and even q moderately substantial
meal taken in the evening may seriously over
task them. Undigested food il a potent cause
| Of disturbed sleep, an evil often very trouble
some to old people and one which ought to be
carefully guarded against.
ALCOHOL AND ITS EFFECTS.
1t is an easier task to lay down rules with re-
gard to the use of alcoholic liquors by elderly
people. The collective investigation commit
tee of the British Medical Association has
lately issued report on the connection of dis
| ease with habits of intemperance and two, at
least of the conclusions arrived at are worth
quoting: "Habitual indulgence in alcoholic
liquors beyond the most moderate amounts has
| distinct tendency to shorten life, the average
| shortening being roughly proportional to the
| degree of indulgence. Total abstinence and
| habitual temperance augment considerably the
| chance OF death from old age natural decay
without special pathological lesion" Subject,
however, to a few exceptions, it is not adyisa-
BILE that a man of sixty-hve or seventy years of
age, who has taken alcohol in moderation all his
life, should suddenly become an abstainer.
Old age cannot readily accommodate itself
to changes of any kind. and to MANY
old people little good wine with their meals
is a source of great comfort To quote again
from Ecclesiasticus, 'Wine is as good as life to
q man if it be drunk moderately. for it was
made to make men glad" Elderly persons
particularly at the close of the day, often find
that their nervous energy is exhausted and re-
quire little stimulant to induce them to take
a necessary supply Of proper nourishment and
perhaps to aid the digestive powers to convert
| their food to a useful purpose. In the debility
of old age, and especially when sleeeplessness
| is accompanied by slow and imperfect dices-