The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-10-30
SOME LEADING EDITORIALS
rmm the Nineteenth Century.

From the Nineteenth Century.
LENGTH OF HUMAN LIFE.-1n the
average statistics Of human life II has beeS
found that women 1.-Two longer than men
the reason for that appears to be simple.
Up to the age Of 20 to % the man is I'M
ldoubtediy younger and less developed than
the woman; but In the next twenty OF
| thirty years OF his life the man ages mucn
more rapidly, because, apart from the strain
and hardship Of q profession, the exposure
to unhealthy climates. the disappointments
OF fortune. he often leads a life of dissipa-
ton and excess, which early puts It's stamp
on his forehead and turns his hair gray
before It's time. The woman, on the otnel
hand who has often more than her snare
| OF anxieties, has, apart from the many ac-
cidents of life, but one serious and new.
| table danger, that OF the perpetuatioh VI
her race, which, safely passed, renovates
rather than ages, and increases woman
chances Of longevity.
From the few facts that I have ven-
tured to put together, We may deduce, 1
think, the following conclusions. which l
| trust may be found of some interest py
| those who desire to have general view
| Of the expectations Of life, Its real dura-
|
land brevity.
First--That according TO the best au-
| thorities of the last century, the extreme
| limit OF life may be 125 years under ex-
fraordinary and most abnormal circtim-
stances.
Second--That the anticipation Of life 10
roughly five times the time that the or
| gans OF the body--not counting the brain,
which develops later--require to attain
their full and absolute maturity This,
Of course. varies not only In races. but In
individuals, some developing early and
| some much later. even In the same climate
and in the same family.
| Third-That rarely, II ever, is that fuil
duration achieved owing to disease. food,
heredity, bad habits, wear and tear, and
many other causes which shorten life.
| Fourth-The slower the development the
longer may be the duration of life.
| Fifth--That all human beings are not
born with the capacity for long life even
under the most favorable circumstances.
AS the organism of the human being is
more complex than that OF the lower ami
mails. so his anticipation of life is far more
variable.
| Sixth--That those circumstances which
conduce to longevity are undoubtedly late
development, frugal habits, moderation,
exemption from vic.ssitudes of climate
and extreme of heat or cold. from mental
worry and agitation, temperance in eating
and drinking, with a fair amount of brain
work when the brain Is ready TO under
take II.
| We have all heard the well worn axiom
attributed to the Psalmist that the days
OF man are threescore and ten" but in
Genesis vi. 3, will be found the following
passage: "Yet his days shall be an hun
dred and twenty years. This passage
seems to have been overlooked. as ] have
| rarely seen 1t quoted although curiously
enough II exactly corresponds to the the
DRY that mar should attain Ave times the
| period of reaching his maturity.
| From the Washington Post.
THE BALTIMORE SUMS REPLY.-1t
does not seem to us that the Baltimore Sun
the dear old Sunpaper which we all en-
joy so much-has covered itself with fresh
glory In the matter OF replying to Senator
Germans overtures Mr.. Germans prop
| osition was very simple one, calling for
little or no argument. The Sun had, on
October 6. made formal declaration Of
It's undiminished fidelity to the democratic
party, and had said in so many words
that the cause Of its antagonism to the
party ticket and the party organization was
found in Mr.. Germans leadership and Mr..
Germans political aspirations To this Mr..
German replied first discussing a few Of
the Suns specific accusations against him
as public man, and then proposing to re-
tire absolutely and finally from the contest,
provided the Sun would in homer and good
faith, abandon its republican affiliations
and alliances and devote itself, heart and
SOUL to the triumph CT the DEMOCRATIC
cause in Baltimore and in the State at
large. AS we say, the Sun does not appear
to have done itself credit by the matter and
manner of its rejoinder.
To dismiss Mr.. Germans offer as a
piece of cheap bluff" is not to convince
rational and fair minded people. The way
TO expose bluff is to call it. How does
the Sun know that Mr.. German is not in
earnest? He says he means it. and why
is not his word as good as the Suns? Why
Is II not better. in fact since his PROPOSE
tlon stands. and the Suns only reply to 1t
IS fresh abuse and new forms of frantic
denunciation? Everybody knows that the
sun hates Mr.. German For the past seven
years 1t has exhausted the resources OF the
language in vilifying him. There was no
need or further imprecatlon and anadhema.
Inc suns talents as a fishwife have been
sufhciently exploited What the public
wanted was not a thrashing over OF the
Old, malodorous straw, net q mere parrot
like reitcration of familiar and refuted
calumnies. The public wanted to know
whether the Sun was sincere when on Oc-
tober ., 1t ayowed it's devotion to the dem
ocratic party and protested that only Mr..
Gorman's leadership and Mr.. Gorman's
candidacy prevented 1t from expressing thai
devotion in good works. Mr.. German Of
Tered the Sun an opportunity to re-estab-
iish itself in the respect and confidence of
the Maryland democracy, and, as we have
seen, the Sun declined 1t.
we observe that the Sun takes great
credit to itself fer having refused to play
ny and walk into the spiders parlor. Orr
more or less esteemed contemporary plpmes
itself vastly upon Its shrewdness in eyads
ing me trap set for 1t by the willy German
and calls attention to the fact that II has
avoided a cunning and cruel ambush with
almost human intelligence. There 10 n
question In our mind however. whether IT.
sun has not. in avoiding an Imagined nit ie
iaii. fallen into a real and very dem snd
ugly enc. 1t seems to us, in faot that
Mr., German was in earnest; that he act"'
ally wished to make the arrangement ho
proposed. and that the Sun has given ,he
ne TO its professions of October 6 ana viz
a aS confessed that its enmity is not
AlfuCQ at Mr.. - NV