Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-23
ExTREME LONGEVITY.
Many Persons Of All Sorts Of Ways Of
Living Pass the Century Mark.

From the New York Tribune.
Ever since the days Of the many-cen-
turied patriarchs mankind has evinced
great interest in those who have passed
the usual limits Of life. The disposition TO
calculate and speculate as to centenarians
Is shown by the estimate that a man who
lives to be sixty years old has spent seven
months in buttoning his shirt collar. Per-
haps even such speculation Is, on the
whole. about as valuable some of the
maxims and rules laid down by those who
have passed the century mark Still, not
withstanding jocular estimates and the con-
Trajectory maxims of the centenarians
themselves. the interest of the many In
these veterans In the army of life is UNI
deriable and increases rather than dimin-
ishes with the years Men like Profs. Loeb
and Burke are studying in the laboratory
the origin of life, but there have probably
never before been many intelligent per-
sons who seized with avidfty upon every
plausible plan OF rule to prolong life.
The prediction is frequently made that
the ordinary mortal span will eventually
be heightened that man will be at his
best from seventy to ono hundred, and that
those who die at less than the latter age
will be deemed guilty Of culpabe negli-
gence Some find the secret in return to
what they call the natural simple life of
the patriarchs Of Scripture, and would
have us grind between rude stones the
grain for our daily food. Some assert that
In uncooked foods lies the road leading to
the century gate. while others would have
us live as we please and take no thought
of long life as the surest means OF reaching
It, No rules or maxims are too absurd to
have their followers, and the one conclu-
sion that may safely be ad, iuced is that
the majority of people would gladly live
long. provided the usual infrmities Of age
could be avoided.
Whether the old world. with its settled
VIC ot,d r. r-I-
cedent. or the new world with It's diner
ent climatic and governmental, agricultural
and Industrial conditions, is conducive to
the greater longevity remains a mooted
question. Certainly many seem to have
found, II not the fountain of youth, at least
the fountain of years In the new world.
Indians In California and Mexico are credi-
bly, declared to have reached ages from 100
to l4O, and at Toluca. Mexico, a few years
ago, lived man whose claim to be 1872
dld not perhaps, require discount of
more than 33 1-3 per cent That New York.
the busiest city on the continent is not I'M
favorable to longevity is shown in the large
list of centenarians 1t has numbered among
us citizens. while popular saying in the
connecticut valley is that the inhabitants
| never Gle, but dry up and blow away
On the other hand, 1t must be admitted
that many centenarians of the new world
were born in Europe. In the obituary col
umhs OF the London Times one day a few
years ago twenty-three deaths were record
ed, and the united ages Of seventeen of
those 1ong-lived individuals amounted to
ioSo years, or an average of nearly seven
lynne. Ireland has furnished liberal list
OF centenarians. including not only persons
VINO lived and died in the Emerald Isle, but
also goodly number who emigrated to
america and helped to swell the records
OF longevity in the new world. The chances
for living to be 1O0 therefore seem to be
equally divided between Europe and Ameri-
ca, and also between men and women
which seems to be only equitable That, at
least, Is one comfortable reflection in regard
to centenarianism, because 1t Is of general
appncation and refers the question of years
to the personal equation.