The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-19

interpretations OIL the Olu
"a testament, attempts have
n been made to explain away
the repeated and definite
A------A statements as to the longev-
ity Of the first generations Of men-of
Adam and his descendants. Is 1t posi-
BILE that men actually lived a thousand
years in those times-in amazing con-
trast with the present span of life which,
indeed, goes back to the Psamists era?
'"rhe day of our Years are three score
years and ten," said the PSalmiSt, "an9e
II by reason of strength they be four
score years, yet is their strength labor
and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and
we fly away" How is this to be recon
ciIed with the chronicles of the bible?
This and similar questions relating to
the longevity, physical conditions, and
environments of humanity in biblical
times are discussed in a book just pub
lished in Russia by a learned physician,
A. A. Piasetsld. The title of the work
is Medicine According to the Bible and
the Talmud," and it is an attempt to
prove the complete accuracy of the state
ments of fact made in the old testament
In regard to early mankind.
Eight of the forefathers lived nearly
q thousand years each. Adam lived $50
years, Seth 912, and SO on until Enoch,
who lived only 365 years, and of whom
the bible intimates that he died prema-
turely OF each of the others it is said,
And he died. implying perfectly nat
ural cause while of Enoch 1T is said:
And he was not, for God took him.
Lamech's days were III and Noah $50.
When we reach Terah, the change is
striking for his day were only 205 years,
and there is no intimatfon of any special
cause of death. Abraham, who died
In a good old age, an old man, and full
of years lived altogether It's years
.IIow Is this decline in longevity to be
explained? The skeptics hold that In the
antedeluvian period our month was called
a year, and that, therefore, the average
length of life was eighty years But the
bible distinctly recognizes monthly and
an annual period Of time, and the theory
in question is purely arbitrary and fanci-
full.
'"There is no reason for doubling the
literary accuracy of the bibles reckoning
The conditions of antedeluvian humanity :
were such as to permit the length of in
diyidual life alleged in the bible. There
vert. we know, giants in those days
The animals, too were of stupendous and
colossal proportions, as the bones discov-
cred in the earths strata fully attest
We must apply different measures and
different criteria to the beings of that
era.
eff the men were giants, their organ
isms were naturally stronger and their
health infinitely better. 1t could not well
be otherwise The climate of Mesopo-
tamil (the cradle of the human race is
even nowbildly, warm, beneficent, and
favorable to longevity. Then 1t was
much more so. And men led different
lives. They lived under the smiling sky
needed no buildings to shelter them and
undermine their vitality; there was food
in abundance on every hand, to be had
were laden with fruit, the rivers teemea~
with fish, and the meat Of one animal
sufficed for weeks.
Again, the use of fermented liquids
was totally unknown; the grape was not
among the fruits eaten by early man
kind and consequently alcoholism with
all its evils was absent. Marital life was
the natural condition, and apparently
offspring were equally divided between
males and females, so that neither sex
had a preponderance. There was no vice
nor violation of natural law.
ITO all this must be added the entire
freedom from the diseases due to con-
gestion and the sundry other evils of
dense population. There was no rivalry.
no anxiety, no struggle for life" and no
tax upon the nervous system. Death
could come only from violence or old,
age. ~
TN short, In 5000 years the average OF
human life fell from upward OF 900 to POO
years, and as a result of natural causes. ="