The Washington times., 1903-11-01
A WASHINGTON NONAOENARIAN
TELLS THE SECRET OF LONGEVITY
Venerable Dr.. Starr Is Still a
Practicina Physician at the
Age Of Ninety-six Atuib-
utes His Long Life and Vigor
to Simple Habits and Alb
seriousness. =. :. =.

w THEN the United States Census
M OF 1900 was taken. there were
" nine persons In the District
Of Columbia ninety-f1ve years
old and over. Since then one man. at
least. has passed the ninety-five-year
mark. ard on OesSoer Il celebrated his
ninety-sixth birthday. This man IS DR..
William Starr, who resides at zoe G
Street northwest. Though lacking but
four years OF being a centenarian, he
has much OF the vivacity OF youth. his
health being perfect. his condition nor
NAL, and his sleeping being regular and
sound as that of a child. He boasts Of
being able to walk twenty miles in
day with ease. and still carries on his
work as a practIeing physician.
Dr. Stars habits OF living have been
simple and natural through his life. He
eats rlain food taken at regular inter
walls. and never in large quantity. DIT.
Starr believes that a person should
leave Off eating before the appetite is
fully s.atisfied. or at least before the
eater feels that he can take no more
food fie explained to reporter OF The
Times that the object Of taking food
was 70 sustain life and keep the ma
chin cry OF the body in perfect condi-
ton and not 10 pamper and increase the
desire and capacity Of eating in large
quantity In other words eating is for
an economic purpose and not fos the
pleasure Of the thing
This aged man retires, as he expresses
II. with the birds. and usually rises with
them. lie devotes the night TO sleep
and the day TO exercise and business
DR. Starr has never used tobacco IN any
form and has never INDUCED IN intoxi-
=. Il -
it's he has bsen a total abstainer. aud
has been a practical teacher OF temper
ance all his life. He has sought at al
times 70 impress upon the young the ne
cessity OF forming and maintaining good
habits. especially with reference to the
introduction OF poisons into the system
20 be worked or at an expenditure OF
nerve ard blood force
A Child of Nature.
DR.. Starr spent his early life in the
wilderness, IN Ohio. helping his father
clear ~ the forest and wrest a living
from the unwilling soil. he was of an
inquirlng turn Of mind studied plant
life diligently. and the medicinal herbs
and shrubs have been his companions
always He knows how they grow, has
learned their value. and his materia
medica IS confined to the remedies de-
rived from plans life. and eschews the
use OF all mineral and drug poisons. He
says that all the remedies needed to
cure. disease are to be found growing
in summer within ten miles Of Wash
ington.
Though DR.. Starr has sold out the
business which he had a few years ago
he stu keeps up his private practice
and works every day as he has done for
He maintains that a man caanot- re-
main in health without performing some
labor every day. and he declares. at the
age Of ninety-six. that he proposes to
wear cut and not rust out.
DR. Starr was born October il. 1867.
on a farm which afterward was part
OF the battlefield of Bull Run, in Vir-
ginia. The State Of Virginia then was
much larger than It is now. four or
I'VE States having been carved out Of
its broad donfin. When the present
nonogenarian was about I'VE years old
his parents nf0ved to Mahoning county.
Ohio. and settled near the present town
OF Berlin. Thirteen families composed
the party which went over the noun
tains II to the wilderness They were
obliged 70 cut roads as they proceeded.
and nearly the entire summer was con-
houses were built for the families, how
ever. before winter. and the pioneers
passed the cold season comfortably
Game was plenty in the woods. which,
with the bacon they carried with them,
furnished food.
One of the Forty Miners.
After spending the intervening years
in the rough life OF the farm IN Ohio.
DR.. Starr went 20 California with the
gold seekers In 1919. He was success
fuI IN the search for gold. and came
back IN 1853 with $4,000. He then went
South and visited New Orleans. While
there he met a young woman by the
name OF Julia Guile Her father was
a rich sugar planter about six miles
from New Orleans. He had only seen
the young woman once 10 twice. but she
had made a big impression upon him. !
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