The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-01
Healthy Habits
Are Lies Elixir

SpSclaI TO The GIOOe.
CORK, Ireland, Jan. S1.-A doctor
connected with one of the rural dis
pensaries in an isolated section of this
part of Southern Ireland has had some
peculiar opportunities for noticing the
prevalence of longevity among the
poorer classes of the peaSantry. He
has been drawing an analogy between
the long lives which seem to be the
privilege of eminent members OF the
legal profession and those of old men
whose existence is passed under the
most primitive conditions in hooks and
corners Of the country, and who are
never heard of beyond their narrow
spheres and the contracted circles in
which they live.
The individual cases of peasant long
eVity that have come under the coun-
try physicians special notice comprises
both sexes.
AS for centenarians, they grow
among the petty hamlets like black
berries, and are and have been such
every day phenomena that the simple
folks who produce this class Of goods
regard them with no wonderment at
all.
In commenting on the case of James
Horgan, the doctor says that this old
mans age is undoubtedly 105 years,
this having been proved by the doc
tors own investigation of a parish reg
u
through curiosity. but had no time to
follow up all the other instances of a
similar nature that came within his
knowledge. James Horgan is healthy
comparatively active men. who works
in the field and is as lively mentally
and physically as three-fourths of the
men of forty one meets every day. Hor-
gan is only one Of the many on the
doctors list.
In my long talk the other day with
this observant rural doctor I heard
him ventilate the point referred to at
the beginning of this article-that is,
the homogeneous fact Of the obscure ag-
r1culturist. like old Horgan, and the
distinguished jurist, as a class, being
phenomenally long-lived. With abso-
Iutely nothing else in common, they
yet resemble one another in this re-
Spect
The complement, so to speak, of old
farmer Horgan might, just to give an
excellent illustration, be given by men
uoning the famous Lord Chief Justice
or ireland, LEROY. who sat on the bench
In his ninety-firSt year. This was some
thlrty-four years ago. Were one to
quote all the other instances of pa
triarchal judges, 1t would need the
space Of a good-sized volume, as large
as that requisite for the chronicIing of
all the counterparts of the humble
agriculturiSt Horgan.
But able authorities unite in the
opinion that the age of man can be
prolonged without artificial means by
simply taking advantage of natural
conditions.
Sheppard Romans, an authority on
longevity, recently stated his belief
that every person not afflicted with
organic trouble, or who has not neg
1ected too long the observance of the
laws OF nature, has within himself the
IN rN1O Ii
Wen as to improve and secure his own
good health. In life insurance we find
that the best risks are not the most
robust men, not the athletes, but men
who, without organic trouble or in
herlted tendencies to disease are vet
Obliged to take care Of themselves.
Another authority discovers that the
fndolent wealthy classes are the short
est lived people, concluding that they
worry their lives away. The farmer
heads the list Of long livers because
O his life is more natural and his work
In the open air.
Active brain workers are oddIr
enough generally long lived. altho- =:
they may not take as much exer ~
as they should do, the activity Of sHe
braln seeming to take the place In rJvrt
of activity Of the muscles.
Politics is naturally. therefore n Of
Ihe most healthy of avocations. aa we
1CAISlA VI SUN lives as
those Of Gladstone. Disraeli, Theirs
and Bismarck
Vital statistics show us that among
peoples where good sanitary laws pre-
vail the average length of human life
Is increasing, but this may perhaps
De due to certain extent to the de-
creased mortality among infants.
Rather unusual appears the state
ment made that employers of labor
are especially subject to heart affec-
lions with nervous complaints second
on the list and apoplexy third.
The commercial traveller has a short
life and merry one, being addicted
too much to smoking and drinking.
and irregular habits, with poorly
cooked food as a substantial ally to
the other evils.