The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-07

alliance. But in this time he could hardly
live TO be 969. Along in the eight hundreds,
when getting somewhat advanced In the
sere and yellow leaf, his hearing would be-
gin to thicker. He would then begin to
take daily walks along the railroad track
he wouldn't ride on one OF the pesky cars
for anything-and one day he would be
struck by passing train, ana he would
sleep with his fathers"
"Your theory is somewhat fanciful,"
suggested the reporter
mot at all, not at ALL" said the doctor,
warmly. THE human machine only wears
out as it is used. 1t took Methuselsh. who
was doubtless possessed of even better
constitution than the other patriarchs who
lived before the flood, little longer 70 wear
out than the others. Brains never wore
anybody out in those days. There were no
sleeplsss nights leading along the highway
TO nervous exhaustion or lunacy. There
are many nowadays who wear out mentally
and physically at 40. That would appear a
very rapid waste of life to the slow-going
patriarchs. 1t would not be much more
rapid comparatively, than the whimsical
idea of brief and rapid existence conveyed 10
the 'Ephemerals,' sketch in a spectacular
play exhibited here few years ago, where
boy was born, passed through the stages
of youth, manhood and old age 'and died
all within twenty-four hours. Existence is
not comprised in mere length OF years. but
in experiences. In an Arabian tale man
iuTnerses his head in a tub or water 1t is
under water but a moment, less than a
minute, yet in that time his mind travels to
a far country where he lives seven years, is
married, raises family, and acquires a
fortunes longer life, so far as experience
is concerned, than that of Methuselah, of
whom the record is that all the days of Ne
thuselah were 969 years, and he died.
"When the race began to think, resumed
the doctor, "their years began to shorten.
Abraham died at the early age of "a hum
dred. three score and fifteen years Human
life must have been greatly shortened by
that epoch, for the comment Is made that
Abraham gave up the ghost and Gled in
good old age. an old man, and full of years
and he was little more than one-fifth as
old as Methuseiah. When the Jewish race
was at the hight of its intellectually Solo,
mon gives the space of human life as three
score aud ten, and that is what it ID to-day.
Life insurance tables give figures showing
| that the expectancy of years is continually
growing. This may be SO, but such Stats
| tics cannot be absolutely relied upon. The
hurrying activities of the present day,
which undoubtedly will be multiplied in the
years to come, a future now near at hand,
will shorten life. The throbbing brain and
pulsing heart will be melted 60 such energy
as to wear out the machine Of which they
are part, ana Wnen IL Is worn OUT Ghere 10
no way of repairing it"
"But this 40-year-old boy up in West Vir-
| ginia," began the reporter.
IF his mind develops with no mora
rapidity in the years to come than it has in
the past forty he will achieve a length of
years that will be almost up TO the ante
deluge standard. Divide his life into periods
or stages. Not into seven ages as Shakes
peare has done, but into five. At DO years
he has reached the close of the first stage of
his existence, that of the boy OF 10 or II.
| just ready to step out of shorts into trousers.
| It has taken forty years to develop into this,
three times as long as is ordinarily required
| to make this development. The next stage,
the age of %, would, logically, require three
times forty years, that is 100 years: the
! next period, to nave the experience
of the man of forty-two years, would
require another 100 years; then each Of the
two next periods should be given 1870 yeai
to bring him up to an equivalent in exist
ence with our three score and ten. | make
| out that his life expectancy is 62O years
| This is only an approximate estimate, of
course. It might be that this expectancy
would be exceeded by hundred years or
so. 1t is very interesting case, and l am
| sorry that cannot remain on earth few
hundred years to take notes upon it. Such
a subject viii be of great interest TO the
readers of medical literature six or seven
centuries hence. AaL ggav