Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-03-09
THE SPAN OF LIFE.
Interesting Facts Cleaned from
Vital Statistics
Tho Three-Scoro and Tea Mark of the
Eible Is Frequently Overstepped
Long distance Many
Centennrians,

Whatever may have been the case in
past centuries the psalmist's span of
life, three-score years and ten, is
much exceeded by large numbers of
people, perhaps, in all countries. 1t
has been ascertained by DIR. Ogle, who
is head of the department of vital sta
tistics in the general register Office of
England, that out of 657 900 males liv-
ing at 25 years of age 1855, 900 die before
attaining As and $4,000 die before
reaching G5. The expectation of 4 male
life at 25 is 35.GS years, or the ago of 81.
But forty-siX out of 100 will not live to
that age. Centenarians are an excep-
tional class, but their number is much
greater than is suspected.
Recently there died in the southern
part of California, says the San Fran
cisco Call, an Indian whose age was
computed from $50 to $50. In the east
there still lives the widow of soldier
of the war of 1912 who is credited with
lis years 1t may be assumed that
there are scores of people who have
passed their one hundredth year and
are still hale and we'll and anxious to
continue to grow old" as a venerable
member of the Rothschild family once
remarked to her doctor. Taking the
prepondcrance of our population as a
factor, we ought to have n considerably
larger number of ccntenarians than the
United Kingdom.
Last year there were thirtyfour per-
sons Of the age of 100 and upward who
passed away in England, Scotland and
Ireland. The sexes We're evenly divid-
ed-seventccn on each side. The
united ages of the thirty-four give a
total of 1859 years. One is said to have
been 12O years old, two 40, two los,
three LOG, three 1O5, three 1O4, ten 1O3,
one 102, six 1O1 and three 100. Out OF
an obituary list advertised in a journal
containing 7,779 names no fewer than
1,15i had passed the age of so.
1t is remarkable that many of the
centenarians were in good health al
most to the day of their death. One
venerable lady owed her sudden dc.
mise to a fall. Others could read with.
out spectaclcs. Not few had all Their
wits about them and had very retentive
memories, probably not about recent
occurrences, but about those of early
life. A few were bcdridden, but others
could walk about as usual and even
work. A small proportion died in the
poorhOuSc, but did not go there unit
they had passed 100 years. The chill
drcn of some are over so years. One Of
the group, only one, is described as &
tcetotaler. He cschcwed both beer anc
tobacco. The whole of this venerable
band were born and reared before
temperance principles took shape us III
clevating influence of domestic and so
'ial life. If SO minded they might have
1ecn among the first to take the pledge
Il the days of their youth it was tn,
aston to drink immoderatcly at the
able. But it is quite certain thai
'hesc centenarians were innocent O.
any abuse of either diet or drink
Theirs must have been simple food
| easily dig >sted.
They must also have had patient
healthy work, with regular hours ant
proper allowance of sleep. The cncr
| getic spirits of this generation may b,
| inclined to regard such life as vCgcta
tive, but in spite of snccrs it is wise tx
regard it rs making the best use of the
| gift of life, prolOng it to the utmost
Those who burn the candle at boil
| ends by excitement and Indulgence dc
/ not live, as q rule, half century. Only
| one of the thirtyfour ccntcnarians wht
| died in the United Kingdom last yea
| followed profession. lie was a clergy