Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-06

rk,N..AA ties. and he t h e :
YNSs&N> w. told me he could rid
thirty miles la,
wi n o u t firing.
chatted with W. W. Corcoran as to this
when he was eighty-nne, and President
Harrison's father-in-law, DR.. Scott, gave
me his receip, for working old age wheH
he was ninety-two. I know a dozen mer
who have passed their three score and ten
and who are famous in public life, who are
still doing good work. and Governor Gear
the newly elected Senator from Iowa, is
hale and hearty at seventy-five. I inter
viewed Cassius NJ. Clay when he was over
eighty, about three years ago. upon this
subject, and since that time he has mar,
ried a young wife and has begun another
existence. Ii Hung Chang told me last
summer how he divided bis work and sleep
in order to maintain the wonderful vitality
which he showed at seveEty-foTr. and
have today a number of letters and inter-
views with noted septo ana octogenarians
upon this subject. These letters have been
accommodating for some time. They are
written by men and women who have long
since passed their three score and ten,
and still their handwriting shows that they
have not lost their visor, and their words
SPARKLE with the vitality of youth
Advice From Susan II. Anthony.
The first one 1 give IS from Susan 3.
Anthony, dated April 2s, 1894. She is now
seventy-five, but her blue eyes are full OF
life. and her voice is as strong as it was
when she made her first public speech
away back In 1917, nearly half century
ago.
THE course of life for a young woman to
lead she writes, in order that she may
reach a working old age and make the most
Of 9
that a young man should pursue for the
same purpose, and this has been SO we'll in
dlcated by Phillips Brooks that 1 can do
not better than to quote his own words, as
follows:
"'To be at work. to do things for the
world, to turn the currents of the
things about us at our will. to make our
existence a positive element, even though
1t be 10 bigger than a grain of sand in the
great system where We lve-this alone is
TO live. Long-lived people who keep up
their work to the last are the people who
have found out this secret. namely. that
congenial work is the Joy of life "
One of my questions was as to how Miss
Anthony kept her wonderful health and
working power. Her reply to this is as fol-
lows:
"A human being is born to think, to will,
to enjoy liberty bounded only by respect
for the equal liberty of others. To think
one's self into the realm of perfect freedom
of thought; to possess and enjoy such lib
erty of social action as is bounded only
by the same liberty in others, and to will
with all ones power that each units po-
litical liberty shall be conceded and official
ly recognized by each is to tread the nat
ural path of human development. Hence, l
can but attribute my own extraordinary
health and working powers to the fact that
1 have chosen such a course. As machinery
in action lasts longer than machinery ly-
ing idle 50 body and soul in active eXer-
else escapes the corroding rust of physical
ard mental laziness, which prematurely
cuts Off SO many women's lives. If l am
able to do the work of daily travelling and
lecturing at over three score years and ten i
believe it to be simply because l have al
ways worked and loved work. AS to my
hatits of life, it will be plain from what
Rave just said that 1t has been impossible
for me to have fixed rules for eating, rest
ing, sleeping. etc. The only advice 1 could
give young person on this point would
he: Live as simply rs you can. Eat what
you find agrees with your constitution
when you can get 1t. Sleep whenever YOU
ere sleepy. and think as little of these de-
tails as possible
a Word Abont Marriage.
'You ask whether marriage is conducive
to longevity and should women marry
young" Miss Anthony's letter continues.
Now, the answers to this are plainly:
That depends upon the specific case of
marriage and upon what you mean by
young. In the orient woman is consider
ed old enough to marry at twelve. In the
oocdent the average age for marria ge
ranges from twenty to twenty-eght l
should consider twenty-five a good age for
woman to marry, as by that time she has
arrived at a reasoning stage, and is here
fore in condition to make an intelligent
choice among men. A marriage at this age,
largely because 1t is likely to be made
with some intelligence. Is more conducive
to longevity than child marriage. Then,
If 1t be a marriage with a husband who
highly respects his wifes individuality,
lNF,f b.,t.
self would wish to be treated were he a
woman of fine spirit, of independent
thought and of self-respecting will,
should say such marriage is conducive to
longevity, and is an ideal human relation"
Mrs. Mnlaprop, Aged Sevcnty-Five.
OF the same age as Susan B. Anthony
and of equal vitality is Mrs. Louisa Drew,
who now, at seventy-five, has all the vigor
of youth For the past sixty-seven years
she has been delightins audiences in this
country and in Europe with her genius,
and her comedy acting has laughed more
fat upon the bones of the people of the
United States than the humors of bill
Nye" or Josh Billings" Mrs. Drew may
almost be said to be in her prime today.
For thirty years she was the manager of a
theateT, and her letter shows that her life
has been comparatively free from the ills
which ordinary flesh is heir to.
1t is written from Birmingham, Ala, and
is dated April %. 1894. l give it verbatim
you have put several questions to me
which are difficult for me to answer
How can 1 tell you that what agrees
with my constitution will do SO with
others. l can only answer for myself.
and shall. 1 fear, appear egotistcal /
have always lived generously and have
enjoyed my life Many sorrows have over
taken my late years, but have not crushed
my spirits. l married very early in life.
at the age of sixteen, but should not ad-
wise so early a marriage generally. Still
/ did not have any family until 1 was
thirty years old. and ! was consequently
not harassed by the care of children when
l was very young. I know of no way of
preserving health. intellectual or physical,
except through the exercise OF the facul-
ties. | have never been afflicted with In
somnia and therefore carnot prescribe a
remedy for that. In fact. l have been SO
singularly blessed with fine health that
am scarcely a good subject for your pur-
pose"
Bishop Clark of Rhode Island Mt So,
One of the great men of the Episcopal