New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-11
FOR A LONGER LIFE.

G.. w. Smith, Of this city, read an essay be-
fore the Hundred Year Club the other even
ing In which he discussed In an interesting
way the problem of longevity as practical
question II is curious fact that while lire
is the supreme possession, and while the love
OF life is the strongest Of all instincts In every
created being. so few people take any pains
10 learn how best to prOlOnl IT by study of its
laws. Moses stands almost alone among the
ancients in an intelligent understanding of the
subject. Doubtless his dietary and sanitary
code is not wholly applicable to all times and
races; no such code could be. But much OF 1t
rests on fundamental principles. and, moreover
1t recognizes the fact that the physical we'll
belng Of the race Is impossible without hard
snd-fast rule Of self-dena And self-denal
was something that almost none of the an
clients knew anything about. The old clvlllza
lions always eliminated in the supreme graf
fcaton of the physical senses. We do not
forget that Epicurus himself did not advocate
the gross carnalism that grew up as philoso
phy out OF his teaching. nor that Socrates, an
Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius arose as Dea
con lights out of the darkness Of the prevailing
sense culture. But Socrates was put to death
Epictetus was baDished, and the philosophy or
Marcus AurelIus gained no hearing In the
world until II found Its completion In the re-
gion he so relentessly prosecuted. Belshaz-
zar's Feast was the most fitting duplication OF
the old civilizations, and the handwriting on
the wall always appeared
Yet strangely enough, Christianity, which
came as the religion OF self-denal, did little
practically to spread abroad better knowledge
of the physical laws Of life. The descendants
Of Alaric and Thor became good Churchmen,
and I'm a measure observed the Church days
OF abstinence But, aside from that they still
INDUCED In wassall and orgy, and their highest
conception of life was that OF the old lsraellt-
sh pagans OF Isaiahs day. Let US eat ana
drink: for tomorrow we shall die" After all,
however, there was good reason FOR ths DIS
regard of the physical life on the part OF the
Church. For the more extreme ascetics held
that the physical life was at best an unfort,l-
nate necessity. the prolongatlon of which would
serve simply 10 postpone the blessedness OF the
real life beyond the grave, while even the
less asce,ic among Medieval Churchmen had
no understanding or appreciation Of the pbysi-
cal laws and principles governing life that
modern science has brought TO light. and II
they had. they would probably have looked
upon them as impous, or at least unnecessary.
why should puny man try to learn more about
himself than God had chosen 10 tell him In the
Bible?
But we have no reason to gloat over the
past. In spite Of the gigantic strides OF sci
ence IN almost every department Of human
life. average people to-day know little and
care less about the laws Of diet. OF dress or OF
hygiene The worlds drink bill Is one evil
dence Of that. But not only do men drink too
much. they also eat too much. and eat, more
over. without taking the slightest trouble TO
learn whether the food they eat IL good for
them or not Mr. Smith In his essay quoted
Dr. Wiley the president Of III" Hundred Year
Club, as saying I'VE will soon be feeding chill
"dren with the chemical elements necessary
ito nj them for the profession or occupation
they are 10 follow" and he adds that science
may ultimately tell us how to replace waste
tissue with youthful tissue. But II must be
admitted that at present this II only fascnat-
ing dream. The race gropes along bllndly fol
lowing Its instincts and utterly refusing TO
heed the lnws by the observance Of which II